Mailbox placement

[Jim Oaks]

Anyone know if there are any rules governing rural mailbox placement??

The house I may be buying is on a busy 2-lane rural state highway and the box is on the opposite side of the street. I don't want to have to walk across it every day getting my mail. Just wondering if anyone knew if there were any rules that govern which side of the road they're on.

 

[organic]

I'm pretty sure you have to ask the postal service. They put the box on the other side to make it easier for them.

 

[kcm1582]

I know there are some rules but I don't know what they are. Your best source would probably be the local post office.

 

[willievhook]

When I was working construction, and was replacing a mailbox from across the street, I just had to ask the mailman where it would be convenient for him.

 

[caveman_joey]

Well here is my 2 cents, because this one hits a nerve. Yes there are some hard written rules for rural mailbox placement and height...BUT... as I was told by the postmaster since these rural mail carriers deliver your mail for "FREE" (trust me I called her card on that one) you need to ask your route driver their prefferences in regards to the height and location of your mail receptical. Ok now with my long winded remarks about this topic.

I came to this knowledge after a month long battle with my mail carrier not closing my mailbox and leaving it wide open for who knows who to come by and just go through and for all of my mail to get soaking wet when it rained ... he stated my box was too low for him to close after opening... So after an arguement with him that my mail box was dead on Federal Regulations for placement and height and proving so with my tape measurer I confronted the Post Master twice. That was when I was told that these poor mail carriers wake up at the crack of dawn and drive allday long to deliver my mail out of the kindness of their hearts and that is why I should put my box higher or lower than the Federal Guidelines on behalf of the rural mail carrier so he'll close my mailbox and won't have to move his arm an extra inch out the window of his truck to close the door of my mailbox.... that's when i brought up the fact that my mail is paid to be delivered by postage stamp just like a P.O. Box and City residents mail is paid to be delivered and that if they were doing it for free I would not have to purchase such a ridiculously high priced postage stamp... I was told then that I could rent a P.O. Box or work with my carrier so I could recieve my mail. Round two involved me going over my local Post Master's head to prove my point of why we have such Federal Regulations for this because if my current mail carrier quit I would just have to change the height of my box again to suit the replacement carrier. In the end I did receive a very nice apoligy and my mailbox has not been left open anymore. Thanks to my call to a higher official telling them not to worry about paying anybody at my local Post Office because they all deliver my mail for "free" and reporting a few instances of my and other route drivers lounging at their friend's home that was on their route while on the clock.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Pretty much what's been said, it would be best to talk to the post office that delivers your mail. I know on a lot of roads they put all of the mailboxes on one side of the street so the carrier only has to make one pass down your street. Or at least around here thats what they do in the rural areas.

 

[red85]

I know that up here in Ontario, our boxes have to be a minimum of 3m from the edge of the roadway (the tarmac). My mom delivered the mail for many years and it's just one of those useless facts I happened to remember.

ps- Let us know if you buy the house Jim. We'll all be there for the house warming party LOL

 

[MrE_Powers]

if in the least the great google will know

 

[Mac]

Jim, Just had to replace my mail box due to the kids playing "Mailbox baseball", nother joy of living in the country. The box says always best to call local P.O but then states the general rule is that the bottom of the opening is to be 41-45" from ground and set back 6-8" from the road. As to it being on the opposite side of the road, even the postmaster in our small town had her's on the opposite side. Enjoy country living!
DAve

 

[chittybangbang]

http://www.usps.com/receive/mailboxstandards.htm

 

[Legend]

When my mailbox was destroyed and I replaced it, I didn't think about their being actual standards on height. I parked my car at the site and measured to put the box in the middle of the window. Felt very proud of myself for making it convenient for the carrier.

Then the carrier left a copy of the regulations and a message that I wouldn't be getting any more mail until I lowered the box by 3/8 inch. THREE-FLAPPING-EIGHTHS OF AN INCH!!! I took a sledge hammer to it an pounded it down 1/2 inch and began to get mail again.

Mostly the placement seems to be up to your local carrier who may or may not be an a*****e. If they want to prove a point, they haul out the regulations and point to where it agrees with them. Unlikely that they would risk their job just to hassle you, but there are plenty of ways for them to make your life a little more miserable if they choose.

BTW, they are paid an hourly rate (and mileage if using their own vehicle). The route length and mail volume is measured and after calculations the USPS determines the amount of time it should take to run the route, and that is the amount of time the carrier is paid for - regardless of how much time it takes them to run the route. If they stop to socialize with their friends along the route, it might delay the mail downstream a little, but doesn't affect the amount of their pay, only their hourly rate.

 

[koda6966]

Yeah, they're paid. My mail lady is a good friend of the family (actually.. shes family, my mothers cousins wife or something) and leaves the box open sometimes. It's not always that they leave it open, but sometimes our box gets "loose" and a tractor trailer will drive by and blow it open. I saw it happen.

Anyway, if all the other mail boxes are on that side of the road keep it there. I walk across a busy rural highway (NYS Route 206) every day to get my mail as well. Plus, I live on a blind knoll, from both sides.

Ask the post master anyway, you never know.

 

[yyc_tbird_sc]

From a post on WeldingWeb....check out some of these mailboxes. One guy even went so far as to make a mailbox to spec using 5/16" plate, set it in concrete, and cabled it to a tree. Could you imagine the poor kid that tried to play mailbox baseball with that? LOL

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=36891&highlight=mailbox

 

[Spitfire1975]

From a post on WeldingWeb....check out some of these mailboxes. One guy even went so far as to make a mailbox to spec using 5/16" plate, set it in concrete, and cabled it to a tree. Could you imagine the poor kid that tried to play mailbox baseball with that? LOL

My neighbor did a similar thing to my box (I love retired, capable neighbors!) since it was upstream of his. Welded a solid 1/4" "cage" around my box and set the pole in concrete. Looked like a large mailbox. The "cage" would get dented but the box would be fine. That and it acted as a shield for his box.

I was in the shop working one night when the guys came by and hit the thing.....all heard was a loud smack and a "OWWWW!! God Dammit..son of a bitch!!!"

 

[turtle3.0]

You have to be careful when making mail boxes "over to top". In my neck of the woods, the county is cracking down on brick and stone mailboxes. Apparenty my county in paticular has some rule that a mailbox has to "give" if it is struck. They have notified some people that I know that their mailbox is in violation of this rule and that fines will begin to be issues sometime in the summer. My one buddy just built a real nice stone mailbox last summer, now he has to knock it down and replace it with a cheap wood setup. Another guy has this nice steel setup (probaly 1/4" or 3/8" steel) and it is in violation. Apparently my county says that they can't be set in concrete either . . . gotta love the government.

Anyways, long story short, check with the USPS for placement and your local codes for any restrictions.