39 U.S.C. § 403 | General duties

(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. 91–375Aug. 12, 197084 Stat. 723 Pub. L. 96–70, title I, § 1331(e)(1)Sept. 27, 197993 Stat. 482(, , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 96–701979—Subsec. (a). substituted “The Postal Service” for “Except as provided in the Canal Zone Code, the Postal Service”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1979 Amendment

Pub. L. 96–70Oct. 1, 1979section 3304 of Pub. L. 96–70 section 3601 of Title 22Amendment by effective , see , set out as an Effective Date note under , Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Effective Date

Jan. 20, 1971section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375 section 101 of this titleSection effective , pursuant to Resolution No. 71–10 of the Board of Governors. See , set out as a note preceding .

Continuation of Mail Delivery Services

Pub. L. 109–115, div. A, title VINov. 30, 2005119 Stat. 2490Provisions 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, , , , 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 IVDec. 8, 2004118 Stat. 3264, , .

Pub. L. 108–199, div. F, title IVJan. 23, 2004118 Stat. 340, , .

Pub. L. 108–7, div. J, title IIFeb. 20, 2003117 Stat. 442, , .

Pub. L. 107–67, title IINov. 12, 2001115 Stat. 525, , .

Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(3) [title II]Dec. 21, 2000114 Stat. 2763, , , 2763A–135.

Pub. L. 106–58, title IISept. 29, 1999113 Stat. 444, , .

Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(h) [title II]Oct. 21, 1998112 Stat. 2681–480, , , 2681–492.

Pub. L. 105–61, title IIOct. 10, 1997111 Stat. 1290, , .

Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(f) [title II]Sept. 30, 1996110 Stat. 3009–314, , , 3009–326.

Pub. L. 104–52, title IINov. 19, 1995109 Stat. 476, , .

Pub. L. 103–329, title IISept. 30, 1994108 Stat. 2392, , .

Pub. L. 103–123, title IIOct. 28, 1993107 Stat. 1234, , .

Pub. L. 102–393, title IIOct. 6, 1992106 Stat. 1737, , .

Pub. L. 102–141, title IIOct. 28, 1991105 Stat. 843, , .

Pub. L. 101–509, title IINov. 5, 1990104 Stat. 1396, , .

Pub. L. 101–136, title IINov. 3, 1989103 Stat. 790, , .

Pub. L. 100–440, title IISept. 22, 1988102 Stat. 1727, , .

Pub. L. 100–202Dec. 22, 1987101 Stat. 1329–390, §§ 101(m) [title II], 102, , , 1329–397, 1329–433.

Pub. L. 99–500Oct. 18, 1986100 Stat. 1783–308 Pub. L. 99–591Oct. 30, 1986100 Stat. 3341–308, §§ 101(m) [title II], 102, , , 1783–314, 1783–346, and , §§ 101(m) [title II], 102, , , 3341–314, 3341–346.

Pub. L. 99–190Dec. 19, 198599 Stat. 1291, §§ 101(h) [H.R. 3036, title II], 102, , , 1315.

Pub. L. 98–473Oct. 12, 198498 Stat. 1963, §§ 101(j) [H.R. 5798, title II], 102, , , 1964.

Pub. L. 98–151Nov. 14, 198397 Stat. 975, §§ 102, 106, , .

Pub. L. 98–107Oct. 1, 198397 Stat. 740, §§ 102, 108, , , 741.

Pub. L. 97–377, title I, § 111BDec. 21, 198296 Stat. 1912, , .

Pub. L. 97–35, title XVII, § 1722Aug. 13, 198195 Stat. 759 Pub. L. 98–369, div. B, title II, § 2209July 18, 198498 Stat. 1061, , , as amended by , , .

Pub. L. 96–499, title IV, § 412Dec. 5, 198094 Stat. 2607, , .

Prohibition of 9-Digit ZIP Code

Pub. L. 97–35, title XVII, § 1726Aug. 13, 198195 Stat. 761Oct. 1, 1983Aug. 13, 1981Dec. 31, 1982, , , prohibited Postal Service from implementing ZIP code system using more than 5 digits before , and prohibited executive agencies from taking action to conform mailing procedures to ZIP code system using more than 5 digits during the period from to .