diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
index d74b8ea..72c1ac4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
@@ -51,6 +51,6 @@ jobs:
             --service-account=treepolitics-api-runtime@treepolitics-prod.iam.gserviceaccount.com \
             --add-cloudsql-instances=treepolitics-prod:us-east1:treepolitics-db \
             --set-env-vars="^|^ENVIRONMENT=production|COOKIE_DOMAIN=.treepolitics.net|FRONTEND_URL=https://treepolitics.net|CORS_ORIGINS=https://treepolitics.net,https://www.treepolitics.net" \
-            --set-secrets="DATABASE_URL=DATABASE_URL:latest,SECRET_KEY=SECRET_KEY:latest" \
+            --set-secrets="DATABASE_URL=DATABASE_URL:latest,SECRET_KEY=SECRET_KEY:latest,RESEND_API_KEY=RESEND_API_KEY:latest,CONTACT_TO_EMAIL=CONTACT_TO_EMAIL:latest" \
             --allow-unauthenticated \
             --project=treepolitics-prod
diff --git a/app/config.py b/app/config.py
index 9488291..bfa6457 100644
--- a/app/config.py
+++ b/app/config.py
@@ -32,6 +32,12 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # Logging
     log_level: str = "INFO"
 
+    # Contact form — Resend delivery. Leave unset to disable the endpoint
+    # (it returns 503 until both key and destination are configured).
+    resend_api_key: str = ""
+    contact_to_email: str = ""
+    contact_from_email: str = "Tree Politics <noreply@treepolitics.net>"
+
     # OpenTelemetry
     otel_enabled: bool = False
     otel_service_name: str = "api-template"
diff --git a/app/email.py b/app/email.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f23551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/email.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+"""Outbound email via the Resend HTTP API."""
+
+import httpx
+import structlog
+
+from app.config import settings
+from app.schemas.contact import ContactCreate
+
+logger = structlog.get_logger("app.email")
+
+RESEND_API_URL = "https://api.resend.com/emails"
+
+
+class EmailDeliveryError(Exception):
+    """Raised when the email provider rejects or fails a send."""
+
+
+async def send_contact_email(contact: ContactCreate) -> None:
+    """Deliver a contact-form submission to the site inbox.
+
+    The submitter's address goes in Reply-To so replying from the inbox
+    reaches them directly; From stays on the verified sending domain.
+    """
+    body = (
+        f"From: {contact.name} <{contact.email}>\nSubject: {contact.subject}\n\n{contact.message}\n"
+    )
+    payload = {
+        "from": settings.contact_from_email,
+        "to": [settings.contact_to_email],
+        "reply_to": [contact.email],
+        "subject": f"[Contact] {contact.subject}",
+        "text": body,
+    }
+    try:
+        async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=10.0) as client:
+            response = await client.post(
+                RESEND_API_URL,
+                json=payload,
+                headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {settings.resend_api_key}"},
+            )
+    except httpx.HTTPError as exc:
+        logger.error("contact_email_transport_error", error=str(exc))
+        raise EmailDeliveryError("email provider unreachable") from exc
+
+    if response.status_code >= 400:
+        logger.error(
+            "contact_email_rejected",
+            status_code=response.status_code,
+            body=response.text[:500],
+        )
+        raise EmailDeliveryError(f"email provider returned {response.status_code}")
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index d1db77b..afeb491 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 from app.features import router as features_router
 from app.logging import setup_logging
 from app.models.user import User
-from app.routers import admin_router, notes_router
+from app.routers import admin_router, contact_router, notes_router
 from app.routers.auth_refresh import router as auth_refresh_router
 from app.schemas.user import UserCreate, UserRead
 from app.telemetry import setup_telemetry
@@ -69,18 +69,19 @@ async def get_current_user(user: User = Depends(current_active_user)):
     return user
 
 
-# Path-specific rate limits for auth endpoints
-_AUTH_RATE_LIMITS: dict[str, RateLimitItem] = {
+# Path-specific rate limits for sensitive public endpoints
+_PATH_RATE_LIMITS: dict[str, RateLimitItem] = {
     "/auth/jwt/login": parse("5/minute"),
     "/auth/register": parse("3/minute"),
     "/auth/refresh": parse("30/minute"),
+    "/contact": parse("3/minute"),
 }
 
 
 @app.middleware("http")
-async def rate_limit_auth(request: Request, call_next) -> Response:
-    """Apply rate limits to auth endpoints."""
-    rate_limit = _AUTH_RATE_LIMITS.get(request.url.path)
+async def rate_limit_paths(request: Request, call_next) -> Response:
+    """Apply rate limits to sensitive endpoints."""
+    rate_limit = _PATH_RATE_LIMITS.get(request.url.path)
     if rate_limit and request.method == "POST":
         key = get_remote_address(request)
         if not limiter._limiter.hit(rate_limit, key):
@@ -153,6 +154,7 @@ async def request_logging_middleware(request: Request, call_next) -> Response:
 
 # API routes
 app.include_router(admin_router)
+app.include_router(contact_router)
 app.include_router(notes_router)
 app.include_router(features_router)
 
diff --git a/app/routers/__init__.py b/app/routers/__init__.py
index 958073c..c54cf15 100644
--- a/app/routers/__init__.py
+++ b/app/routers/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from app.routers.admin import router as admin_router
+from app.routers.contact import router as contact_router
 from app.routers.notes import router as notes_router
 
-__all__ = ["admin_router", "notes_router"]
+__all__ = ["admin_router", "contact_router", "notes_router"]
diff --git a/app/routers/contact.py b/app/routers/contact.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00d2149
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/routers/contact.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import structlog
+from fastapi import APIRouter, HTTPException, status
+
+from app.config import settings
+from app.email import EmailDeliveryError, send_contact_email
+from app.schemas.contact import ContactCreate
+
+logger = structlog.get_logger("app.contact")
+
+router = APIRouter(prefix="/contact", tags=["contact"])
+
+
+@router.post("", status_code=status.HTTP_202_ACCEPTED)
+async def submit_contact(contact: ContactCreate) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Accept a contact-form submission and email it to the site inbox.
+
+    Public endpoint (no auth); rate-limited in main. Honeypot submissions
+    are accepted but silently dropped so bots get no signal.
+    """
+    if contact.website:
+        logger.info("contact_honeypot_tripped")
+        return {"status": "accepted"}
+
+    if not settings.resend_api_key or not settings.contact_to_email:
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=status.HTTP_503_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE,
+            detail="Contact form is not configured",
+        )
+
+    try:
+        await send_contact_email(contact)
+    except EmailDeliveryError as exc:
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=status.HTTP_502_BAD_GATEWAY,
+            detail="Message could not be sent",
+        ) from exc
+
+    return {"status": "accepted"}
diff --git a/app/schemas/contact.py b/app/schemas/contact.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab9777a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/schemas/contact.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+from pydantic import BaseModel, EmailStr, Field
+
+
+class ContactCreate(BaseModel):
+    """A message submitted through the public contact form."""
+
+    name: str = Field(min_length=1, max_length=120)
+    email: EmailStr
+    subject: str = Field(min_length=1, max_length=200)
+    message: str = Field(min_length=10, max_length=5000)
+    # Honeypot: hidden field in the form; humans leave it empty, bots fill it.
+    website: str = ""
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 14b3de8..a562e3a 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "opentelemetry-exporter-otlp-proto-grpc>=1.40.0",
     "opentelemetry-instrumentation-fastapi>=0.61b0",
     "scalar-fastapi>=1.0.0",
+    "httpx>=0.28.1",
 ]
 
 [dependency-groups]
diff --git a/tests/test_contact.py b/tests/test_contact.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19017b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_contact.py
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import pytest
+from httpx import AsyncClient
+
+import app.routers.contact as contact_module
+from app.config import settings
+from app.email import EmailDeliveryError
+from app.main import app
+
+VALID_PAYLOAD = {
+    "name": "A Reader",
+    "email": "reader@example.com",
+    "subject": "About the cherry trees post",
+    "message": "I have a question about the sources in that post.",
+}
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def reset_rate_limiter():
+    """/contact is rate-limited at 3/minute; reset the in-memory window per test."""
+    app.state.limiter._limiter.storage.reset()
+    yield
+    app.state.limiter._limiter.storage.reset()
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def configured(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "resend_api_key", "test-key")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "contact_to_email", "inbox@example.com")
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def sent(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> list:
+    """Replace the Resend call; record payloads instead of sending."""
+    calls: list = []
+
+    async def fake_send(contact) -> None:
+        calls.append(contact)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(contact_module, "send_contact_email", fake_send)
+    return calls
+
+
+async def test_submit_sends_email(client: AsyncClient, configured, sent: list):
+    response = await client.post("/contact", json=VALID_PAYLOAD)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 202
+    assert response.json() == {"status": "accepted"}
+    assert len(sent) == 1
+    assert sent[0].email == "reader@example.com"
+    assert sent[0].subject == VALID_PAYLOAD["subject"]
+
+
+async def test_honeypot_accepted_but_not_sent(client: AsyncClient, configured, sent: list):
+    response = await client.post("/contact", json={**VALID_PAYLOAD, "website": "spam.example"})
+
+    assert response.status_code == 202
+    assert sent == []
+
+
+async def test_unconfigured_returns_503(client: AsyncClient, sent: list):
+    response = await client.post("/contact", json=VALID_PAYLOAD)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 503
+    assert sent == []
+
+
+async def test_delivery_failure_returns_502(
+    client: AsyncClient, configured, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+):
+    async def failing_send(contact) -> None:
+        raise EmailDeliveryError("provider down")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(contact_module, "send_contact_email", failing_send)
+
+    response = await client.post("/contact", json=VALID_PAYLOAD)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 502
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "overrides",
+    [
+        {"email": "not-an-email"},
+        {"name": ""},
+        {"message": "short"},
+        {"subject": ""},
+    ],
+)
+async def test_invalid_payload_returns_422(
+    client: AsyncClient, configured, sent: list, overrides: dict
+):
+    response = await client.post("/contact", json={**VALID_PAYLOAD, **overrides})
+
+    assert response.status_code == 422
+    assert sent == []
+
+
+async def test_rate_limited_after_three_requests(client: AsyncClient, configured, sent: list):
+    for _ in range(3):
+        response = await client.post("/contact", json=VALID_PAYLOAD)
+        assert response.status_code == 202
+
+    response = await client.post("/contact", json=VALID_PAYLOAD)
+
+    assert response.status_code == 429
+    assert len(sent) == 3
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index befc459..1042f84 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "asyncpg" },
     { name = "fastapi" },
     { name = "fastapi-users", extra = ["sqlalchemy"] },
+    { name = "httpx" },
     { name = "limits" },
     { name = "opentelemetry-api" },
     { name = "opentelemetry-exporter-otlp-proto-grpc" },
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "asyncpg", specifier = ">=0.31.0" },
     { name = "fastapi", specifier = ">=0.135.0" },
     { name = "fastapi-users", extras = ["sqlalchemy"], specifier = ">=15.0.0" },
+    { name = "httpx", specifier = ">=0.28.1" },
     { name = "limits", specifier = ">=5.8.0" },
     { name = "opentelemetry-api", specifier = ">=1.40.0" },
     { name = "opentelemetry-exporter-otlp-proto-grpc", specifier = ">=1.40.0" },