2017 US Code
Title 39 - Postal Service
Part I - General
Chapter 4 - General Authority
Sec. 403 - General duties
| 39 U.S.C. § 403 (2017) |
| §403. General duties |
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(a) The Postal Service shall plan, develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficient postal services at fair and reasonable rates and fees. The Postal Service shall receive, transmit, and deliver throughout the United States, its territories and possessions, and, pursuant to arrangements entered into under sections 406 and 411 of this title, throughout the world, written and printed matter, parcels, and like materials and provide such other services incidental thereto as it finds appropriate to its functions and in the public interest. The Postal Service shall serve as nearly as practicable the entire population of the United States. (b) It shall be the responsibility of the Postal Service— (1) to maintain an efficient system of collection, sorting, and delivery of the mail nationwide; (2) to provide types of mail service to meet the needs of different categories of mail and mail users; and (3) to establish and maintain postal facilities of such character and in such locations, that postal patrons throughout the Nation will, consistent with reasonable economies of postal operations, have ready access to essential postal services. (c) In providing services and in establishing classifications, rates, and fees under this title, the Postal Service shall not, except as specifically authorized in this title, make any undue or unreasonable discrimination among users of the mails, nor shall it grant any undue or unreasonable preferences to any such user. |
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(Pub. L. 91–375, Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 723; Pub. L. 96–70, title I, §1331(e)(1), Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 482.) |
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AMENDMENTS
1979—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–70 substituted "The Postal Service" for "Except as provided in the Canal Zone Code, the Postal Service". EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1979 AMENDMENTAmendment by Pub. L. 96–70 effective Oct. 1, 1979, see section 3304 of Pub. L. 96–70, set out as an Effective Date note under section 3601 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. EFFECTIVE DATESection effective Jan. 20, 1971, pursuant to Resolution No. 71–10 of the Board of Governors. See section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as a note preceding section 101 of this title. CONTINUATION OF MAIL DELIVERY SERVICESProvisions requiring continuation of six-day delivery and rural delivery of mail at not less than the 1983 level were contained in the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, Pub. L. 109–115, div. A, title VI, Nov. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2490, and were repeated in provisions of subsequent appropriations acts which are not set out in the Code. Similar provisions were also contained in the following prior appropriations acts: Pub. L. 108–447, div. H, title IV, Dec. 8, 2004, 118 Stat. 3264. Pub. L. 108–199, div. F, title IV, Jan. 23, 2004, 118 Stat. 340. Pub. L. 108–7, div. J, title II, Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 442. Pub. L. 107–67, title II, Nov. 12, 2001, 115 Stat. 525. Pub. L. 106–554, §1(a)(3) [title II], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–135. Pub. L. 106–58, title II, Sept. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 444. Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, §101(h) [title II], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–480, 2681–492. Pub. L. 105–61, title II, Oct. 10, 1997, 111 Stat. 1290. Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, §101(f) [title II], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–314, 3009–326. Pub. L. 104–52, title II, Nov. 19, 1995, 109 Stat. 476. Pub. L. 103–329, title II, Sept. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 2392. Pub. L. 103–123, title II, Oct. 28, 1993, 107 Stat. 1234. Pub. L. 102–393, title II, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1737. Pub. L. 102–141, title II, Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 843. Pub. L. 101–509, title II, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1396. Pub. L. 101–136, title II, Nov. 3, 1989, 103 Stat. 790. Pub. L. 100–440, title II, Sept. 22, 1988, 102 Stat. 1727. Pub. L. 100–202, §§101(m) [title II], 102, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329–390, 1329–397, 1329–433. Pub. L. 99–500, §§101(m) [title II], 102, Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–308, 1783–314, 1783–346, and Pub. L. 99–591, §§101(m) [title II], 102, Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–308, 3341–314, 3341–346. Pub. L. 99–190, §§101(h) [H.R. 3036, title II], 102, Dec. 19, 1985, 99 Stat. 1291, 1315. Pub. L. 98–473, §§101(j) [H.R. 5798, title II], 102, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 1963, 1964. Pub. L. 98–151, §§102, 106, Nov. 14, 1983, 97 Stat. 975. Pub. L. 98–107, §§102, 108, Oct. 1, 1983, 97 Stat. 740, 741. Pub. L. 97–377, title I, §111B, Dec. 21, 1982, 96 Stat. 1912. Pub. L. 97–35, title XVII, §1722, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 759, as amended by Pub. L. 98–369, div. B, title II, §2209, July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 1061. Pub. L. 96–499, title IV, §412, Dec. 5, 1980, 94 Stat. 2607. PROHIBITION OF 9-DIGIT ZIP CODEPub. L. 97–35, title XVII, §1726, Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 761, prohibited Postal Service from implementing ZIP code system using more than 5 digits before Oct. 1, 1983, and prohibited executive agencies from taking action to conform mailing procedures to ZIP code system using more than 5 digits during the period from Aug. 13, 1981 to Dec. 31, 1982. |
| United States Code, 2012 Edition, Supplement 5, Title 39 - POSTAL SERVICE |
| Bills and Statutes |
| United States Code |
| Y 1.2/5: |
| Title 39 - POSTAL SERVICE PART I - GENERAL CHAPTER 4 - GENERAL AUTHORITY Sec. 403 - General duties |
| section 403 |
| 2017 |
| January 12, 2018 |
| Yes |
| standard |
| 84 Stat. 723 93 Stat. 482 94 Stat. 2607 95 Stat. 759, 761 96 Stat. 1912 97 Stat. 740, 975 98 Stat. 1061, 1963 99 Stat. 1291 100 Stat. 1783-308, 3341-308 101 Stat. 1329-390 102 Stat. 1727 103 Stat. 790 104 Stat. 1396 105 Stat. 843 106 Stat. 1737 107 Stat. 1234 108 Stat. 2392 109 Stat. 476 110 Stat. 3009-314 111 Stat. 1290 112 Stat. 2681-480 113 Stat. 444 114 Stat. 2763 115 Stat. 525 117 Stat. 442 118 Stat. 340, 3264 119 Stat. 2490 |
| Public Law 91-375, Public Law 96-70, Public Law 96-499, Public Law 97-35, Public Law 97-377, Public Law 98-107, Public Law 98-151, Public Law 98-369, Public Law 98-473, Public Law 99-190, Public Law 99-500, Public Law 99-591, Public Law 100-202, Public Law 100-440, Public Law 101-136, Public Law 101-509, Public Law 102-141, Public Law 102-393, Public Law 103-123, Public Law 103-329, Public Law 104-52, Public Law 104-208, Public Law 105-61, Public Law 105-277, Public Law 106-58, Public Law 106-554, Public Law 107-67, Public Law 108-7, Public Law 108-199, Public Law 108-447, Public Law 109-115 |
