39 U.S.C. § 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.(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.)Editorial NotesAmendments

1979—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–70 substituted “The Postal Service” for “Except as provided in the Canal Zone Code, the Postal Service”.

Statutory Notes and Related SubsidiariesEffective Date of 1979 Amendment

Amendment 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 Date

Section 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 Services

Provisions 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 Code

Pub. 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.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 72 cases (7 in the last 5 years), 1972–2025 · leading case: United States v. Kokinda, 497 U.S. 720 (1990).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

United States v. Kokinda, 497 U.S. 720 (1990). · cites it 2× “See 39 U. S. C. §§ 403 (a), 403(b)(1); H. R. Rep.”

United Parcel Serv., Inc., a New York Corp., & United Parcel Serv., Inc., & Ohio Corp. v. United States Postal Serv., 604 F.2d 1370 (3rd Cir. 1979). · cites it 6× “On September 26, 1977 the Executive Committee in accordance with the duty imposed upon the Postal Service to “plan, develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficient postal services at fair and reasonable rates and fees,” 39 U.S.C. § 403 (a), approved implementation of a…”

United States Postal Serv. v. Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations, 453 U.S. 114 (1981). · cites it 2× “Under 39 U. S. C. § 403 (a), the Postal Service is directed to "plan, develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficient postal services at fair and reasonable rates and fees.”

Cooper v. U.S. Postal Serv., 577 F.3d 479 (2d Cir. 2009). · cites it 2× “That directive includes “establishing] and maintaining] 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.”

United Parcel Serv., Inc. v. United States Portal Serv., 455 F. Supp. 857 (E.D. Pa. 1978). · cites it 5× “” 39 U.S.C. § 403 (a). The experiment, the Postal Service maintains, is designed to assist the Service in determining what, if any, rate and/or classification changes it should make in order to better utilize the Bulk Mail System, and is not itself such a change.”

Olimpia TOVAR, Petitioner, v. UNITED STATES POSTAL Serv., Respondent, 3 F.3d 1271 (9th Cir. 1993). · cites it 2× “§ 101 (e), which provides that "[i]n determining all policies for postal services, the Postal Service shall give the highest consideration to the requirement for the most expeditious collection, transportation, and delivery of important letter mail,” and in 39 U.S.C. § 403 ,…”

Del Gallo v. Parent, 557 F.3d 58 (1st Cir. 2009). · cites it 2× “Congress has directed the Postal Service to “plan, develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficient postal services at fair and reasonable rates and fees,” 39 U.S.C. § 403 (a), and to “maintain an efficient system of collection, sorting, and delivery of the mail nationwide,”…”

Nat'l Ass'n of Greeting Card Publishers v. United States Postal Serv., 607 F.2d 392 (D.C. Cir. 1979). · cites it 3× “See also 39 U.S.C. § 403 (c) (1976). . 39 U.S.C. § 3622 (1976).”

Direct Mail/Mktg. Ass'n, Inc. v. United States Postal Serv., 501 F.2d 717 (D.C. Cir. 1974). · cites it 7× “(DMMA), plaintiff-appellant, sought in the District Court a declaration 1 that a schedule of temporary mail rates implemented by the United States Postal Service violated Section 403(e) of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, 2 39 U.S.C. § 403 (c) (1970), by working an “undue…”

Currier v. Henderson, 190 F. Supp. 2d 1221 (W.D. Wash. 2002). · cites it 8× “9 However, the Court finds that Congress did waive the Postal Service’s immunity to expose it to claims under 39 U.S.C. § 403 (c). That statute mandates that “[i]n providing services and in establishing classifications, rates, and fees under this title, the Postal Service shall…”

Currier v. Potter, 379 F.3d 716 (9th Cir. 2004). · cites it 3× “B In contrast to Currier’s regulatory challenge, the district court concluded that it possessed jurisdiction to consider Currier’s claim under 39 U.S.C. § 403 (c), which prohibits the Service from “makfing] any undue or unreasonable discrimination among users of the mails.”

United States v. Larry Brock, 94 F.4th 39 (D.C. Cir. 2024). “§ 402 , and the Postal Service’s receipt and delivery of mail, see 39 U.S.C. § 403 (a). Relatedly, the government’s textual argument fails to read the relevant language—“administration of justice”—as a unitary phrase.”

Show all 72 citing cases →

— 39 U.S.C. § 403(a) — 1 case

Grover City v. United States Postal Serv., 391 F. Supp. 982 (C.D. Cal. 1975).

— 39 U.S.C. § 403(c) — 1 case

Currier v. Henderson, 190 F. Supp. 2d 1221 (W.D. Wash. 2002). “9 However, the Court finds that Congress did waive the Postal Service’s immunity to expose it to claims under 39 U.S.C. § 403 (c). That statute mandates that “[i]n providing services and in establishing classifications, rates, and fees under this title, the Postal Service shall…”

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