Us Code § 5103 - Legal tender
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 5103 — Legal tender, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 5103. Legal tender
United States coins and currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues. Foreign gold or silver coins are not legal tender for debts.
(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 980; Pub. L. 97–452, §1(19), Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2477.)
| Revised Section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
|---|---|---|
| 5103 | 31:392. | July 23, 1965, Pub. L. 89–81, §102, 79 Stat. 255. |
| 31:456. | R.S. §3584. |
The words "All . . . regardless of when coined or issued" are omitted as unnecessary because of the restatement. The word "debts" is substituted for "debts, public and private" to eliminate unnecessary words. The words "public charges, taxes, duties, and dues" are omitted as included in "debts".
1983 Act
This restores to 31:5103 the reference to public charges, taxes, and dues because they are not considered to be debts. See, Hagar v. Reclamation District No. 108, 111 U.S. 701, 706 (1884).
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1983—Pub. L. 97–452 inserted ", public charges, taxes, and dues" after "all debts".
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1983 Amendment
Amendment effective Sept. 13, 1982, see section 2(i) of Pub. L. 97–452, set out as a note under section 3331 of this title.
SUBCHAPTER II—GENERAL AUTHORITY
About This Section
31 U.S.C. § 5103 is part of Title 31 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
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