Government Standards for Residential Mailboxes
The United States Postal Service has regulations that determine the specification of mailboxes and letter boxes. In addition to the box, the USPS also regulates what items may be placed in or around the box. Newspapers, for example, because they do not carry postage, may not be placed in a mailbox. Exceptions exist for mail slots in residential dwellings and for bins that may be used in apartment houses.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
In 1863, the United States Postal Service began free delivery of mail in cities. The mail carriers walked door to door, knocked and waited for a person to answer. To make it easier to get mail when people weren't home, some people put boxes outside for the mail carrier to leave mail in. The first regulation came about in 1923 when the Postal Service required every house to have a mailbox, not just a basket or tin.
Mailboxes
-
Manufacturers of USPS mailboxes must follow specific guidelines for quality of construction, size and placement of the flag. People who want to build their own mailboxes may do so but must submit a design to the local postmaster for approval. Mailboxes may not have advertising on them, and the box owner's address should appear on the box in letters at least 1 inch high. Curbside mailboxes should be mounted between 41 inches and 45 inches from the surface of the road.
-
Sharing a Mailbox
-
More than one family may share a mailbox under some circumstances. In rural areas, up to five families may share a rural box if a representative from each family signs an authorization form acknowledging that the mailbox will have multiple users. The letter of acknowledgement must remain on file with the local postmaster. If unique postal addresses are assigned to the rural area, the families may choose one location for a shared mailbox. In that case the name of the person receiving the mail would appear on top of the address, with " c/o of the owner of the receptacle" below the recipient's name.
Access
-
Mailbox owners have the responsibility of maintaining clear access to the mailbox. If access is restricted or if delivery becomes a potential hazard to the mail carrier, the post office may stop delivery service. In general, mailboxes must be installed so that the carrier can access them without leaving his vehicle and on the right hand side of the road in the carrier's direction of travel.
Newspapers
-
Newspaper boxes may share a post with a curbside mailbox only if the newspaper box does not touch the mailbox in any way, nor interfere with the mailbox flag. The newspaper box cannot extend further to the front than the mailbox and may have no advertising on it other than the name of the newspaper.
-
References
- Photo Credit mailbox image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
