Is it legal to write on US dollar bills?

Answer 1

Defacing US currency is indeed illegal. Defacement of currency in such
a way that it is made unfit for circulation comes under the
jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service:

United States Code
TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 17 - COINS AND CURRENCY
§ 333. Mutilation of national bank obligations

“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.”
FINDLAW
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/18/parts/i/chapters/17/sections/section_333.html
or
http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=defaces&url=/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000333----000-.html

Prior to 1994 when this law was amended, the statute read “fined not
more than $100”. This was changed in 1994 to read “shall be fined
under this title” which effectively gives the court the authority to
impose a fine at its discretion. Of course the imprisonment terms
mentioned in the statute speaks for itself.

NOTES TITLE 18 SECTION 333
http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000333----000-notes.html

This next statute concerns the defacing of currently circulated coins,
either foreign or domestic:

United States Code
TITLE 18
PART I
CHAPTER 17
§ 331. Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins

http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=defaces&url=/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000331----000-.html

“Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes,
falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of
the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current
or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States;
or whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or
sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into
the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered,
defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or
lightened— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than
five years, or both.”

Like the statute I previously discussed, prior to 1994 when this law
was amended, the statute read “fined not more than $2,000”. This was
changed in 1994 to read “shall be fined under this title” which
effectively gives the court the authority to impose a fine at its
discretion. Of course the imprisonment terms mentioned in the statute
speaks for itself.

NOTES TITLE 18 SECTION 331
http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000331----000-notes.html

“Do people sometimes do this and get away with it?”
Sure they do. We've all seen it and yet no one seems to be swooping
down on the violators to haul them off to jail.

“If this is the law spelled out before us in black and white then why
doesn’t the government prosecute everyone who does it?”
Your guess is as good as mine; but nevertheless, there’s the law, just
as it is written and just as you asked.

Answer 2

I'm not sure why you're making a big deal out of this. Marking a dollar bill is technically defacement, but so long as the currency is recognized and valid, there's really no problem. Also note that a $1 bill has a life of roughly 6 weeks on average (never mind that you ocasionally find a note minted in 1985), since the Fed destroys millions in worn-out currency every week and supplants it with newly-minted bills. If someone wants to deface their money, that's their prerogative. If they get upset that the fully-defaced $10 bill won't be accepted at a Git'n'Go, that's their problem. Dollar bills are legal tender, defaced or not.

Answer 3

Technically, it is illegal to deface the United States Federal Reserve Notes. This is an act of vandalism.

Answer 4

Actually it is illegal to write on paper currency. That is known as defacing currency. A Federal offense.

Answer 5

It's not legal, That's defacing gov/public property.But time won't be spent trying to find the artist.

Answer 6

i dnt think so...as long as its not scribbled all over, if its like something small like a name or a number then thats ok. I always see money where people write a number on it "wishing" that it was that amount

Answer 7

It is ilegal to deface US Currency to the extent that it renders the notes unusable for recirculation.

Answer 8

you could go to jail, but if the serial nuber is showing than ur fine

Answer 9

yes, as long as you can see the serial numbers on them

Answer 10

u can go to jail but no one gets counct doing it any more