18 USC § 1733 - Mailing periodical publications without prepayment of postage

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s1733"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "18 USC § 1733 - Mailing periodical publications without prepayment of postage"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "1733"
section_name: "Mailing periodical publications without prepayment of postage"
chapter_number: 83
chapter_name: "POSTAL SERVICE"
part_number: "I"
part_name: "CRIMES"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 86–682, § 7, Sept. 2, 1960, 74 Stat. 705; amended Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(j)(36)(A), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 780; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)"
---


# § 1733. Mailing periodical publications without prepayment of postage

Whoever, except as permitted by law, knowingly mails any periodical publication without the prepayment of postage, or, being an officer or employee of the Postal Service, knowingly permits any periodical publication to be mailed without prepayment of postage, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 86–682, § 7, Sept. 2, 1960, 74 Stat. 705; amended Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(j)(36)(A), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 780; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1994— substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”.

1970— substituted “Mailing periodical publications without prepayment of postage” for “Affidavits relating to second class mail” as section catchline, struck out subsec. (a) penalty provision for fine of not more than $1,000 for each refusal to make affidavits relating to second class mail when tendering for mailing such mail without any affidavits, and reenacted subsec. (b) as the section without any subsection designation, inserting “, except as permitted by law,” and substituting “periodical publication” for “second class mail” in two places, “prepayment of postage” for “payment of postage” where first appearing, and “officer or employee of the Postal Service” for “postmaster or postal official”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1970 Amendment

Amendment by  effective within 1 year after , on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see , set out as an Effective Date note preceding , Postal Service.

### Effective Date

Section effective , see , , .