§ 167.1 Description of special handling. Special-handling service is available for third- and fourth-class mail only, including that which is insured or sent COD. It provides the most expeditious handling, dispatch, and transportation available, but does not provide special delivery. Special-handling parcels are delivered as parcel post and is ordinarily delivered on regular scheduled trips. The special-handling fee (or special-delivery fee) must be paid on all parcels that must be given special attention in handling, transportation, and delivery, such as parcels containing baby chicks or § 167.3 Marking of parcels.

Any mailable matter of no intrinsic value on which postage at the first class rate has been paid will be accepted as certified mail. This does not exclude articles of a nonnegotiable character and other matter which would involve a cost of duplication if lost or destroyed. The mail may be sent by air on payment of the required postage. Special delivery services are available on payment of the prescribed fees. Penalty and franked mail may be accepted as certified mail if the fee is prepaid. Official matter of the Postal Service may be sent as certified mail without payment of the fees. Business reply mail must be fully prepaid with postage and fees.

[27 F.R. 6980, July 24, 1962. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

(4) Through the United Nations, N.Y. post office.

(c) Where to mail. Patrons may mail certified mail at the post office, branch, or station or give it to a rural carrier. It may also be deposited in mail drops in post offices, street letterboxes, nonpersonnel rural stations and branches or any other receptacles for first-class mail, provided the specific directions in paragraph (d) of this section are followed.

(d) How to mail. Obtain blank certified mail coupons (no charge) at the post office or from rural mail carriers. Also obtain blank return receipt forms if needed. Following is the procedure:

(1) Enter on the receipt portion of the certified mail coupon the name and complete address of the person or firm to whom the mail is addressed.

(2) If return receipt is wanted check block on the mailing receipt to show the fee and endorse the article on the address side near the certified mail endorsement "Return Receipt Requested" or "Return Receipt Requested Showing Address Where Delivered." See § 58.3. The mailer must enter the certified mail number on the return receipt card, address it to himself, and attach it to the back of small envelopes and on front of packages and large envelopes if it will not cover the address. If the mailer desires that the return receipt show the address where the article was delivered, there is a block at the top of the form which must be checked by him.

(3) Attach to the envelope sufficient postage stamps to pay for the certified mail fee, first-class postage, return receipt fee, or special delivery fee.

(4) If a postmarked sender's receipt is desired, the sender must attach the certified mail sticker to the address side of the article and present the article and the completed coupon to the postal employee. If requested to do so, the postal employee will show on the receipt the time the article was accepted for mailing. If given to a rural carrier, he will return the postmarked receipt to the patron.

(5) If a postmarked receipt is not desired, the sender must attach the "Certified Mail" sticker to the address side of the article, detach his receipt, and mail the article. He must mark his receipt to show the date.

(6) If the sender desires to restrict delivery of certified mail to the addressee or someone named by him in writing, he must endorse the mail "Deliver to Addressee Only or Deliver to Addressee

or Order." This service is available only for articles addressed to specific individuals by name.

(e) Firm mailing books. If an average of three or more letters is mailed at one time, the sender may use mailing books, Form 3877a, "Firm Mailing Book for Registered, Registered COD, and Certified Mail," which are furnished by the Postal Service without charge, or specially printed mailing bills. A Series of numbers will be furnished the sender. The sheets of the books become the sender's receipts. If the sender wants the firm mailing bills receipted by the Postal Service, he must present the books with the articles to be mailed. He must also obtain at his expense a stamp for endorsing the certified letters, or he may have his envelope overprinted with the endorsement. The endorsement must be a facsimile or proportionate enlargement of the official endorsement shown in $168.1. Following are instructions for use of firm mailing bills:

(1) Insert the word "Certified" in the space provided at the top of the bill.

(2) The mailer must endorse and number the letters. If return receipt or special delivery services are requested, mark the letters "Return Receipt Requested, Return

Receipt Requested

Showing Address Where Delivered," or "Special Delivery." Prepare and attach return receipt to the back of the envelopes with the receipt side showing.

(3) Show on the bill the number of each article and the name and address of addressee.

(4) Enter only the amount of fees paid for return receipts.

(5) Affix necessary postage to the articles.

(6) The accepting employee will count the items, postmark and receipt the bill for the total number, indicate time of mailing, if requested, and return the bill to the sender.

[26 F.R. 11595, Dec. 6, 1961, as amended at 29 F.R. 2757, Feb. 27, 1964; 31 F.R. 8237, June 11, 1966; 31 F.R. 11103, Aug. 20, 1966. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 168.5 Delivery.

(a) Procedure. Mail for delivery by carriers is taken out on the first trip after it is received, unless the addressee has requested the postmaster to hold his mail at the post office. Certified mail not restricted in delivery will be delivered to the addressee or his authorized representative. Certified mail marked "De

liver to Addressee Only" will be delivered only to the person addressed. If marked "Deliver to Addressee or Order" delivery will be made to the addressee or to a person designated in writing by the addressee to receive the mail. Delivery rules are the same as for registered mail. See § 161.9 of this chapter.

(b) Notice of arrival. The carrier will leave a notice of arrival if he cannot deliver the certified article for any reason. The article will be brought back to the post office and held. If the article is not called for or its redelivery requested, it will be returned at the expiration of the period stated by the sender, or after 15 days if no period is stated.

(c) Rural delivery. For delivery by rural carriers or at personnel and nonpersonnel rural stations and branches, see Part 156 of this chapter.

(d) Star route delivery. Star route carriers will deliver certified mail if required by the contract, but delivery will be made only at the patron's box or along the route.

(e) Delivery records. The delivery records will be held for 2 years. At the end of that period the records will be destroyed.

[26 F.R. 11596, Dec. 6, 1961, as amended at 28 F.R. 1509, Feb. 16, 1963; 31 F.R. 8237, June 11, 1966; 31 F.R. 11103, Aug. 20, 1966. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

amounts. Postmasters may accept, at their own risk, from a person whose endorsement is acceptable, a Federal Government check in payment for a money order.

(c) Putting amount, dating stamp, and initials on money orders—(1) Amount. The employee who issues the money order shall enter the amount, as follows:

(i) Machine issuance. (a) Printpunch the amount requested by the purchaser in the order and both stubs in the manner described in the Operators Manual, copy of which was packed with each machine.

(b) Enter control stamp for the same or next higher amount after the words "Note Valid For More Than”.

(c) The illustration also shows the proper manner of issuing order for payment in Canada. (The rate of exchange use in the illustration is hypothetical.)

PAY TO

(c) Manual issuance of money orders must be kept to the minimum. Inoperable machines must be replaced as quickly as possible as provided in the Operators Manual.

(2) Dating stamp and initials. The employee who issues the money order shall put the all-purpose dating stamp (item 570) and his initials, in ink, in the spaces provided on form.

(d) Completion of money order by purchaser. After receiving cash for the order and fee, the postal clerk shall re

move the post office record stub, partially detach purchaser's receipt stub, give the order and receipt to patron, and remind him of necessity to complete information on the order. The purchaser must fill in the following information on the money order:

(1) Name of payee and name and address of purchaser. The patron must fill in his name and address as purchaser and the name of the person to whom it is to be paid. He should do this promptly to protect his rights in the event the

order is lost. The Post Office Department is not responsible for money orders lost before completion by the purchaser. Money orders may be payable:

(i) To purchaser, if desired.

(ii) To only one firm or person, by complete name. Don't put the name "Smith" for an individual. But "Smiths" may be used if it is the name of a company or firm.

(iii) To payee (the person to whom payable) by his official title. For example: Cashier, First National Bank; Superintendent of Insurance, New York State; Director of Internal Revenue, Baltimore.

(iv) To a person who has adopted a name in a religious order, such as Sister Theresa, or Brother Joseph.

(2) Identifying data. The purchaser should add his insurance policy number or other identification data to insure proper credit. Designate government agencies directly, as: Director of Internal Revenue; Superintendent of Documents; Veterans Administration.

(e) Issuance to rural patrons-(1) Application form. A rural patron must obtain from the carrier and complete Form 6001, "Application for Domestic Money Order." When the carrier receives the completed Form 6001 and money, he will give the patron a numbered receipt. If the carrier cannot give the correct change, he will meet and give it to the patron on his next trip. Money must never be deposited in a rural box. When a carrier does find money in a box with completed Form 6001, he will take it to his post office for issuance of the money order. The carrier will deliver the money order, with purchaser's receipt attached, to the patron on his next regular trip. The postmaster shall keep Forms 6001 in a separate file, in money order number sequence.

(2) Requesting the mailing of order to payee. If the purchaser wants the money order mailed to the payee, he should furnish the carrier with a stamped, addressed envelope large enough to accommodate the money order without folding. The carrier will take the application form, money, and envelope to the post office where a postal employee will complete the money order and mail it to the payee. No extra charge is made for this service.

(3) Form 6387 for rural carriers. Postmasters will furnish rural carriers

Form 6387, "Receipt of Carrier to Purchaser and Certificate of Postmaster for Issue of Money Order", for the purpose of transacting money order business. These transactions shall be conducted in accordance with instructions on the back of the book cover of Form 6387.

(4) Nonpersonnel rural stations and branches. The procedures outlined in subparagraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this paragraph will be followed in providing money order service to patrons of nonpersonnel rural stations and branches. Patrons should meet the carrier at the station or branch. A supply of applications is maintained at the station or branch.

(f) Issuance to star route patrons. If required to do so by the contract, star route carriers will accept money and applications for money orders and give receipts on Form 1096, Cash Receipt, for the money. Except when an intermediate office is involved, the application and money shall be turned in for issuance of the money order at the post office at which the carrier begins and ends his trips. Wherever possible, without delay to the issuance of the money order or to the proper dispatch of mail, the carrier will submit the money order application and money to the intermediate office for issuance. When the money order will not be issued before the carrier leaves the post office, he shall be given a receipt on Form 1096 for the funds turned in. In all other respects, money order procedures for star route carriers are the same as provided in paragraph (e) in this section.

(g) Spoiled or lost money orders—(1) Spoiled when being issued. (i) The purchaser must make sure that the money order received agrees with the amount requested. When a money order is returned after it has been issued and made a matter of record, a new one will be issued. If the post office was at fault, no fee will be charged for the new one. Should the purchaser spoil an order in completing it, no charge will be made for a new one if the purchaser returns it to the post office on the same day it was issued. The purchaser's receipt for all spoiled orders must be recovered.

(ii) Disposition of spoiled orders. Postal employees shall treat money order forms that are defective by misprint or mutilation or spoiled when being issued as follows: