MAILBOX & POST LOCATION
USPS Standards for Residential Mailboxes
Need to purchase or replace an existing mailbox or door slot? Get started with this basic information.
Policies for Curbside Mailboxes
- You need to contact your local Post Office before moving your mailbox or mailbox support, because your mailbox needs to be approved by the Postal Your postmaster will approve custom-made mailboxes on a one-time basis as long as they generally meet USPS standards.
- The name on your mailbox should be at least 1 inch.
- You should install the mailbox with the bottom of the box at a vertical height of between 41-45 inches from the road surface, unless you have a road or curb condition that prevents this. If you do, be sure to contact the postmaster before you change your mailbox location.
- Boxes must also be on the right-hand side of the road and in the carrier’s direction of travel in all cases in which driving on the left-hand side to reach the boxes would pose a traffic hazard or violate traffic laws and regulations.
- Your mailbox should be set back 6 to 8 inches from the front face of the curb or road edge to the mailbox door.
- A mailbox with a lock must be a model that’s USPS approved by the Postmaster General, with a slot large enough to accommodate your daily volume of mail.
- Advertising on a mailbox or its supporting post is prohibited.
- Our regulations cover what can and can’t be placed in a curbside mailbox or mailbox outside of your house, which generally includes only mail that has been sent through the USPS. However, our regulations don’t govern what can be placed in a mail slot on your door.
- You can attach a receptacle for newspaper delivery by a private company to the post of a curbside mailbox used by the Postal Service as long as it doesn’t:
- touch or use any part of the mailbox for support.
- interfere with mail delivery, obstruct the view of the mailbox flag, or present a hazard to a mailperson or vehicle.
- extend beyond the front of the mailbox when the box door is closed.
- display any advertising, except the publication’s title.
- For posts and supports, it’s up to you to keep them neat and adequate in strength and size. Ideally, its assembly should bend or fall away when struck by a vehicle. The Postal Service doesn’t regulate mailbox supports except for purposes of carrier safety and delivery efficiency. It’s also your responsibility to ensure a path is clear to your mailbox so that carriers can safely and efficiently deliver the mail.
Installation of curbside mailboxes must meet our specific construction standards, which you can find at your local Post OfficeTM.
For a copy of our standards (United States Postal Service STD-7B, Mailboxes, City and Rural Curbside), write to:
Delivery & Customer SVCS Equipment, Engineering, U.S. Postal Service
8403 LEE HWY
MERRIFIELD VA 22082-8108
Where to Locate Mailboxes
Do install 6” – 8” behind face of curb
Do Not Overhang Roadway
