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.
Historical And Revision Notes 1982 ACT Revised Source (U.S. Code) Source (Statutes at Large) Section 5103 31:392. July 23, 1965, Pub. L. 89-81, Sec. 102, 79 Stat. 255. 31:456. R.S. Sec. 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). AMENDMENTS 1983 - Pub. L. 97-452 inserted ", public charges, taxes, and dues" after "all debts". 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. Section Referred To In Other Sections This section is referred to in sections 5112, 5132 of this title.