Federal law permits color illustrations of U.S. currency only under the following conditions:
Federal law prohibits all of the following activities.
1. Creating Currency-Like Items and Attaching Notices to U.S. Currency
Under section 475 of the U.S. Criminal Code, “whoever designs, engraves, prints, makes, or executes, or utters, issues, distributes, circulates, or uses any business or professional card, notice, placard, circular, handbill, or advertisem*nt in the likeness or similitude of any obligation or security of the United States issued under or authorized by any Act of Congress or writes, prints, or otherwise impresses upon or attaches to any such instrument, obligation, or security, or any coin of the United States, any business or professional card, notice, or advertisem*nt, or any notice or advertisem*nt whatever, shall be fined under this title.” 18 U.S.C. § 475.
2. Defacing U.S. Currency
Under section 333 of the U.S. Criminal Code, “whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.” 18 U.S.C. § 333.
3. Creating Counterfeit U.S. Currency
Under section 471 of the U.S. Criminal Code, “whoever, with intent to defraud, falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, or alters any obligation or other security of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” 18 U.S.C. § 471.
4. Passing Counterfeit U.S. Currency
Under section 472 of the U.S. Criminal Code, “whoever, with intent to defraud, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or with like intent brings into the United States or keeps in possession or conceals any falsely made, forged, counterfeited, or altered obligation or other security of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” 18 U.S.C. § 472.
5. Creating Fictitious Instruments Resembling U.S. Currency
Under section 514(a) of the U.S. Criminal Code, “(a) Whoever, with the intent to defraud—(1) draws, prints, processes, produces, publishes, or otherwise makes, or attempts or causes the same, within the United States; (2) passes, utters, presents, offers, brokers, issues, sells, or attempts or causes the same, or with like intent possesses, within the United States; or (3) utilizes interstate or foreign commerce, including the use of the mails or wire, radio, or other electronic communication, to transmit, transport, ship, move, transfer, or attempts or causes the same, to, from, or through the United States, any false or fictitious instrument, document, or other item appearing, representing, purporting, or contriving through scheme or artifice, to be an actual security or other financial instrument issued under the authority of the United States, a foreign government, a State or other political subdivision of the United States, or an organization, shall be guilty of a class B felony.” 18 U.S.C. § 514.
FAQs
The creation or possession of any instrument used to produce counterfeit currency, such as metal plates used to print bills, is also considered a counterfeiting offense. This includes scanning or making digital copies of any bills or other “obligations or securities,” with the intent to use them in counterfeiting.
Is it illegal to scan currency? ›
The creation or possession of any instrument used to produce counterfeit currency, such as metal plates used to print bills, is also considered a counterfeiting offense. This includes scanning or making digital copies of any bills or other “obligations or securities,” with the intent to use them in counterfeiting.
Is it illegal to print money but not use it? ›
It's Illegal to Reproduce U.S. Currency
This includes scanning money and printing it from a regular old inkjet printer. So whether your goal is to spend the fake cash or just have some cool-looking prop money, making copies of real currency goes directly against federal law.
Is it legal to reproduce a US dollar note? ›
Title 18, United States Code, Section 504 permits black and white reproductions of currency and other obligations, provided such reproductions meet the size requirement.
Can you take a picture of currency? ›
Photographic or other likenesses of other United States obligations and securities and foreign currencies are permissible for any non-fraudulent purpose, provided the items are reproduced in black and white and are less than three-quarters or greater than one-and-one-half times the size, in linear dimension, of any ...
Is it illegal to print a picture of a dollar? ›
Under section 475 of the U.S. Criminal Code, “whoever designs, engraves, prints, makes, or executes, or utters, issues, distributes, circulates, or uses any business or professional card, notice, placard, circular, handbill, or advertisem*nt in the likeness or similitude of any obligation or security of the United ...
Is it illegal to photograph money? ›
Q. Is it illegal to scan money, even for educational purposes? A. Federal laws don't ban reproducing images of United States currency, but they do restrict how you can legally display those reproductions.
Is it illegal to own a $10,000 dollar bill? ›
The Treasury stopped issuing the bills, and they were soon no longer in use. If you have a $10,000 dollar bill, it is still legal tender, and since the US government printed it, it will still honor it.
Is it illegal to glue money? ›
18 USC 333 prescribes criminal penalties against anyone who "mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve Bank, or the Federal Reserve ...
Can you cash a million dollar bill? ›
So while the million-dollar bill may be a fascinating concept, it is not an official currency and holds no value as legal tender.
As a matter of policy, the Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent.
Is it illegal not to accept $100 dollar bills? ›
In the United States, there is no federal law that requires a private business, person, or organization to accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services.
Is it illegal to burn money? ›
In the United States, burning banknotes is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 333: Mutilation of national bank obligations, which includes "any other thing" that renders a note "unfit to be reissued".
Is defacing a penny illegal? ›
18 U.S. Code section 331: This statute addresses the mutilation, diminution, or falsification of U.S. coins. You can be charged with on offense for fraudulently defacing coins, mutilating coins, altering coins, diminishing them, impairing them, scaling them, or lightening them.
Can you photocopy US dollars? ›
Not only legally, but literally. Yes, you can't use a photocopy machine to copy money. If you try to print currency notes using any modern printing or scanning device, they will refuse to assist you in this criminal effort. Some might even have shut down completely.
Is it OK to post pictures of money? ›
To help protect your personal information from identity thieves or other fraudsters, don't ever post: Usernames or passwords to anything. Pictures of debit or credit cards, paychecks or any financial account numbers. Your Social Security number.
What happens if you try to scan money? ›
Many modern photocopiers make it physically impossible to photocopy legal tender in its original format. Any banknotes that have the EURion Constellation on them can be detected by photocopiers.
Is it illegal to mark currency? ›
As a matter of policy, the Mint does not promote coloring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent. The key word is fraudulent. When you take a 25 cent piece and try to pass it off as a Sacajawea Dollar, that's fraud.
Is it legal to tape a dollar? ›
Finding a couple of dollars on the ground can be exciting, but realizing that the bills are damaged can immediately ruin the mood. While it is illegal to deface or destroy US currency, accidents do happen, and money is occasionally damaged by natural means.
