How to Remove Curbside Mailboxes

Remove an old or damaged mailbox.

Remove your existing mailbox to install a new one when your mailbox becomes aesthetically unappealing or is damaged by weather or roving neighborhood vandals. Mailbox removal, while demanding some physical labor, is a do-it-yourself job requiring little expense and a few hours. You will need to check with the post office about removing a curbside mailbox.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Hammer
• Shovel
• Posthole digger
• Cart or wheelbarrow

Instructions

1. Contact the U.S. Postal Service to notify them that you need to remove your existing mailbox.

2. Unfasten any screws or nails attaching the mailbox to its supporting pole. Remove the mailbox from the post.

3. Using a posthole digger or shovel, remove the dirt on top of and around the concrete foundation surrounding the mailbox post. The concrete lies roughly 6 inches from the surface and typically extends 2 feet underground.

4. Place the excess dirt into a cart or wheelbarrow.

5. Lift the post and concrete foundation out of the ground.

6. Fill in the hole left by the post and concrete foundation with the excess dirt you removed, tapping the dirt periodically with a shovel. If you plan on installing another mailbox in the same place as the mailbox you removed, leave the hole vacant for the new concrete foundation.

Tips & Warnings

• Digging around the concrete foundation of a mailbox takes time. Take breaks as often as needed.

• The mailbox post and foundation are often heavy, so more than one person may be needed to lift it out.

• The excess dirt you remove from around the concrete foundation may not be enough to fill the hole left after you removed the post. You may need fill dirt.

References

• U.S. Postal Service: Residential Mailbox Standards