Believe it or not, we’ve been asked this more than once. The short answer: no, it’s absolutely legal to run your own email server.
💡 In fact, the original architecture of Internet email was built around the idea that individuals and organizations would operate their own servers. The shift toward centralized mega-providers is a relatively recent development—and not necessarily a good one for the resilience or autonomy of the Internet.
This question gained traction around 2015–2016, when it became public knowledge that a high-ranking government official had stored classified communications on a privately operated email server located in her home. The legal violation wasn’t the existence of the server itself—it was the unauthorized storage of sensitive government documents on a system that lacked the required security protocols and oversight. That breach of federal recordkeeping and security laws is what made the act unlawful.
✅ So let’s be clear: running your own email server is perfectly legal. What matters is what you store on it and whether you're complying with applicable laws and regulations for your data.
Citadel makes it easy. Whether you're setting up a private system for your household or deploying a full-featured collaboration suite for your organization, you’ll enjoy the freedom, control, and privacy of managing your own infrastructure—without stepping outside the law.