Oh, You Beautiful Mailbox…

Your rural letter carrier is a Post Office on Wheels, providing a full range of services at your mailbox every day. But to do the job, they need help. According to Fulton’s Postal Officer in Charge, Dan Fleet, “we best serve you through a mailbox that is safe to use, is conveniently located, and is neat in appearance.” 

Consider these Postal Service tips if you plan to repair or replace your mailbox this summer:

• Mailboxes should be placed so the carrier can service them without leaving the vehicle. Generally, install mailboxes with the bottom of the mailbox at a vertical height of between 3 1/2 to 4 feet from the road surface. However, because of varying conditions, the Postal Service recommends that you contact the postmaster or carrier before replacing mailboxes.
• Remove obstructions around a mailbox.  Carriers must access the mailbox without leaving the vehicle.
• A mailbox should display the street name and house number on the side of a single mailbox or on the doors of grouped mailboxes visible to the approaching carrier. The street number and other address information must be in contrasting color, neatly lettered and not less than one inch in height.  

“Your mailbox identifies your address, not only for the letter carrier but for the police, the fire department, emergency workers and other service providers,” Mr. Fleet explained. “Make sure your address appears on both sides of the mailbox, so people who need to find you can do so, including your carrier.”

Other points to check include the mailbox door and its hinges. Make sure it closes properly to keep mail in and the wind or rain out. Sharp edges or nails sticking out? Protect your own hands, as well as those of your letter carrier, by filing sharp edges or replacing the box.

And finally, Mr. Fleet recommends that customers sand and repaint or replace a mailbox if it's rusted.  

“You don't want to start summer with an emergency tetanus shot, and neither does your letter carrier,” he said.