Written on:
If you’re wondering why USPS won’t deliver to your house, it’s okay to be confused (and frustrated)! However, before you go storming into your local Post Office, there’s almost always a rational explanation. This guide lists some of the main reasons why USPS won’t deliver mail and parcels directly to your door.
The Main Reasons Why USPS Won’t Deliver to Your House
USPS delivers mail and parcels to every single residential address in the country. However, some homes are different from others. For some homes, you may need to go elsewhere to retrieve your mail and packages from USPS. This can get confusing at times, since you’ll likely still receive packages at your doorstep from other carriers such as UPS and FedEx.
We’ve listed the main reasons why USPS won’t deliver to your house below.
Do You Live in a Rural Area?
Sometimes USPS won’t deliver to your home if it’s located in a rural area, or if it’s in a place where there aren’t many other homes around. USPS needs to deliver mail and packages to every single residential address in the country, which can get fairly time-consuming. It’s easier for them to make deliveries when homes are clustered together, like they are in major metropolitan areas or a lot of suburbs. However, when homes are too spread apart, it saves USPS time and resources to cluster deliveries in a specific location where residents need to go to pick up their mail and packages.
You Have a PO Box or a Community Mailbox
Similar to our last point, community mailboxes are often the solution when USPS doesn’t deliver directly to your door. If you live in a remote area, it’s not uncommon for USPS to assign you a PO Box. Any mail and small packages will appear in these boxes at your local Post Office. If you get a larger package, USPS will give you a key to open a locker where they’re keeping it.
USPS Can’t Deliver to Your Home if Your Address Doesn’t Exist in the USPS Database
Lastly, you may not be getting any packages or mail from USPS if your address doesn’t exist in their database. This is fairly common for newly-constructed homes, and for apartments or condos within new developments. It takes a while for addresses to update. Until that happens, USPS won’t deliver to you because they don’t have a “delivery point code” for your address!
A good way to see if USPS has a delivery point is to enter your address into their ZIP Code Lookup tool. If your address exists in the USPS database, you’ll see a complete ZIP code returned, containing the first five digits plus an extra four (these designate the delivery point). If your address isn’t in the database, you won’t see those extra 4 digits at the end of your ZIP code. For context, here’s an example of a ZIP code with a designated delivery point: 10001-1234.
The good news is, you can do your part to ensure that your address gets added to the USPS database. If you need a walkthrough of how to do that, we’ve written a guide that shows you how to add your address to the USPS database.
Glenn W Heisey
I live in East Boothbay, ME and our local UDPS Post Office over a year ago coming up on two years. We are forced to travel miles because we are not allowed to have our mail delivered to our homes.
So,USPS, when will you open a PO in our town OR deliver mail to our homes?
Robert
FYI…
Since USPS doesn’t offer street delivery of your towns postal mail/packages each address will be offered a fee free USPS PO Box.
The more addresses in your town that open a free USPS PO Box in the nearby PO the more likely a PO will open in your small town.. Why? USPS will see the “need” for a PO in your local town.
If neighbors have opened a private PO Box (ex. UPS store) convince them to change to an USPS PO Box.
If there is a waiting list for free USPS PO Box have everyone in town add their name/address even if they already have a private PO Box.
T Beattie
I live in the suburbs of Salt Lake City on a private lane with 6 additional homes. Our mailboxes are at the end of the lane on the public road. We have been notified that due to road construction on the main road where the mailboxes are located we will no longer receive mail service until it is completed late August. We must pick up our mail at the post office. Is this permitted, we have access on our road, the delivery person drives on our private lane to deliver packages that don’t fit in the mailbox. Why can’t they deliver our mail every day to our homes?
Robert
Be prepared – your USPS packages will also may need to be retrieved at USPS until road construction is complete.
Why? USPS will temporarily mark addresses as “no street delivery” in their system during construction. Which will “skip” said addresses during mail carriers delivery route.
NOTE: You will still receive packages delivered by other carriers (ex. UPS, FedEx, Amazon, etc.) at front porch.
NOTE: If you live in an area where other carrier packages are turned over to USPS to deliver – last mile delivery – these packages will also be available at USPS to retrieve.
Kavesh
A better title would be minus the S @ the end of the word Reasons = Reason
J. Lintecume
My mail carrier has threatened not to deliver my mail because of plant surrounding the mail box. It has been trimmed back twice, but she still says it’s in the way. I can reach it from my car.just fine. Is this legal?
Robert
I am not sure if there is USPS guidelines on foliage at mailboxes. But I would assume if there were guidelines foliage wouldn’t be allowed.
Why? Plants attract bugs which can cause unnecessary hazardous conditions for mail carriers.
As a courtesy I wouldn’t plant anything that grows above 24 inches. Having to trim foliage is an indication of above 24 inches.
USPS can
Robert
Keep in mind USPS has complete control over the delivery of your USPS mail/packages. They can site anything as being a hazardous condition. Which will result in your mail delivery being suspended until safety concern is resolved.
Example – neighbors dog can be a safety concern and next door neighbors/entire street can have their USPS mail suspended.
Your USPS mailbox basically is federal property after it is installed. Which protects it from mail tampering, unauthorized access, etc. I am sure they could twist this argument to fit this situation.
An USPS mailbox can’t be blocked – which means everything must be 10-15’ away. They could use this argument.
A mailbox is usually placed inside a utility easement – 30 to 50 feet from center of road. Which means you don’t own the land your mailbox is located on. Does your city/county have laws regarding maintaining property/yard.- high weed ordinance? Usually it is 12 inches.
If you live in a HOA they can have their own mailbox guidelines.
Completely remove the foliage – problem solved.
You don’t want to pick a fight with USPS.
thom
In our neighborhood master keys for the community mailboxes have been circulated to those willing to break the law and the post office can’t do anything about it. When a person gets caught and convicted they have no connection to the others doing the same thing. Why can’t we have our mail delivered to our doors if USPS can’t ensure secure delivery of the mail that is delivered to the box
Robert
* Report mailbox issues via “email us” option via USPS.com. Google “USPS email us”
https://www.usps.com/help/contact-us.htm – Select “where is my mail” under “ What’s the reason for your inquiry?”, then “daily mail, delivery”, select “theft of mail” or “other”.
If the neighborhood mailbox main access is open or doesn’t lock properly OR has been vandalized select “other” and describe the situation.
If your individual mailbox slot has issues – doesn’t lock, needs to be rekeyed, etc. – visit USPS location that services your address and fill out a maintenance form for your mailbox slot.
If missing mail/packages – don’t report as theft UNLESS you know for a fact it was stolen and not just misdelivered to neighbors by mistake.
Missing packages – ask USPS delivery manager the GPS coordinates of package. If GPS shows misdelivered ask USPS to retrieve package.
* Register your address with USPS Informed Delivery – this free service emails you daily the USPS mail/packages addressed to/to be delivered to said address. This way you know exactly what should be received in your mailbox.
If a mailer appears but isn’t physically delivered – wait two days and then start asking neighbors if they received by mistake. Most individuals don’t know how to handle mail delivered not in their name (misdelivered and/or past resident). What do you do with mail not in your name? Most throw away!
Also, be sure to report mailer as not received via Informed Delivery account. This MUST be done within 7 days of appearing in informed delivery.
* If the neighborhood mailbox is maintained by USPS – have USPS rekey the CBU (cluster mailbox).
The arrow key (master key) is the mail carriers responsibility to keep safe..
* If the cluster mailbox is maintained by HOA – notify USPS that your neighborhood mailbox isn’t secure and request the box be replaced with USPS cluster mailbox OR keys turned over to USPS. Again needs to be rekeyed.
Alex Carrillo
9200190337202116640587
The above tracking number shows that someone pickup the package? Please advise.
Robert
I searched tracking number and it sates delivered 9/11 @ 1:37 pm.
If this packages was in fact delivered to address this means your USPS is using “picked up by individual” as a way to “stop the clock”.
NOTE: Expected delivery date means NOTHING – when tracking says “out for delivery” – means it should be delivered that day.
* If status changes to delivered and the package was NOT delivered to mailbox/parcel locker, etc – USPS may be using a “stop the clock” tactic – insufficient address/no access are other ones.
* If package isn’t delivered the next day – then report missing – ask for delivery coordinates – ask neighbors if they received it by mistake.
* If not delivered the second day (especially if insufficient address/no access was used) – physically visit your servicing USPS and retrieve your package before it is returned to sender.
* If tracking says addressee unknown – you haven’t properly introduced yourself to USPS/mail carrier – basically package/mail is in a name that they don’t recognize for that address.
How to properly introduce yourself to your mail carrier – I suggest every address do this to prevent problems with USPS mail/package delivery. These steps also will help reduce past resident mail.
* Properly label mailbox with street number and last name of who should receive first class mail/packages. If you receive mail in a CBU (cluster mailbox) there should be a current Resident label facing mail carrier – update/provide accordingly. – if apartment complex ask apartment management to supply mail carrier with a list of current residents periodically so the mail carrier can properly label mailboxes.
* Fill out “new customer/resident card” (even if not new to address) at servicing USPS – this card instructs mail carrier on what names should receive first class mail/packages at said address. I have used forms 4232 & the green VACANT card in the past.
Unsure of servicing USPS – search address in website Melissa Data (Melissa lookups/personator) – they will list the USPS location that services your address along with their contact info..
* Submit permanent USPS COA (change of address) from every old address to your current address every 2-4 years (or when move). A good mail carrier will place the VACANT card in mailbox when they receive new/old Resident COA. Fill this card out IMMEDIATELY with the names of everyone who should receive first class mail/packages.
NOTE: You MUST list all name variations (first/last, last/first, first initial/last, maiden, nickname, misspelled names, etc.) you receive mail in or run the risk of mailers being RTS or that name variation being MLNA (moved left no address. I highly suggest you receive mail in one name variation to avoid this issue.
* Return ALL past resident first class mail to USPS to properly process. Write “NOT at this address” and place in mailbox with flag up.
Nik
I just moved to KY in Catlettsburg and my local USPS refuses to deliver my packages to my home, instead manually holding the packages with out informing me, and forcing me to take the 10 mile drive to the post office multiple times a week.
They are claiming my driveway is long and that they can’t back up if someone comes down the driveway. Meanwhile the entire road to my house is a one lane road and dozens of people live on it. I will now have to escalated this issue beyond the local limit.
Beyond Frustrated
This must be a KY thing… We recently moved, but we were already in KY before the move. At our last place, we had no issues with our mail carrier leaving packages on our porch. He was awesome and very kind. Since we moved, still in KY, we’ve had off and on issues with our packages being dropped off. At first, he wouldn’t drop off any. We thought it might have been due to the previous owner having small dogs on the porch. Nope! After calling our local PO repeatedly and finally speaking to a lady who really wanted to help, she admitted (in a whisper) that our delivery guy was lazy and there was no real excuse or reason why he couldn’t leave our packages. She said he’d be talked to and afterwards, he started putting packages on our porch. Now, after months of successful deliveries, he has started back at leaving notices that there’s no secure place to leave the package, though nothing has changed, and we were told a note would be put on our file that packages were okay to be delivered to the porch. I’m beyond frustrated because our driveway is only a car-length and a half long and he drives right by it. It’s ridiculous, and my main issue is that we were told it wasn’t going to be a problem, and now it has suddenly become a problem again? After delivering for months? I think it really has come down to pure laziness on our delivery persons part.
After we talk to them AGAIN, we may also have yo escalate things because it is ridiculous.
Robert
Most don’t realize that USPS package delivery to porch/front door is a courtesy – if the package doesn’t fit in street mailbox/parcel locker then the package is available for pick up at servicing USPS.
Why courtesy? Mail carrier routes are established for them they are told when they can dismount vehicle and when they can’t. They are paid to deliver mail/packages to delivery point – which is usually a mailbox/CBU (cluster mailbox). So anything extra they basically aren’t getting paid.
A notice should be left in mailbox by mail carrier – PS Form 3849.
Robert
Most don’t realize that USPS package door delivery is a courtesy – if the package doesn’t fit in street mailbox/parcel locker then the package is available for pick up at servicing USPS.
Why courtesy? Mail carrier routes are established for them they are told when they can dismount vehicle and when they can’t. They are paid to deliver mail/packages to delivery point – which is usually a mailbox/CBU (cluster mailbox). So anything extra they basically aren’t getting paid.
A notice should be left in mailbox by mail carrier – PS Form 3849.
JC
Stop saying it’s a courtesy that USPS delivers packages!!!!! If I’m paying it’s not a courtesy it’s their damn job plain and simple. The problem is like with most is they want a $100 an hour and not have to do anything for it. Stop telling me they don’t have to deliver packages it’s a courtesy when it doesn’t matter if it’s a half ounce letter in an envelope or a 50 pound box, they get paid to do the same thing, deliver it, it’s that simple so stop making excuses for stupidity!
Robert
USPS mail/packages are delivered to “point of delivery” which has been established by USPS. The point of delivery is usually an USPS mailbox or neighborhood CBU (cluster mailbox). If the package doesn’t fit then it is available to pick up at servicing USPS.
Your paying for the package to be delivered to “point of delivery”
Just like your paying other carriers to deliver their packages. BUT they can’t legally access an USPS street mailbox and they don’t have the arrow key for CBU’s so they are forced to deliver to your front porch/door.
If other carriers do by chance place their package in an USPS street mailbox. uSPS has the right to confiscate it.
Robert
Most don’t realize that USPS package delivery is a courtesy – if the package doesn’t fit in street mailbox/parcel locker then the package is available for pick up at servicing USPS.
Why courtesy? Mail carrier routes are established for them they are told when they can dismount vehicle and when they can’t. They are paid to deliver mail/packages to delivery point – which is usually a mailbox/CBU (cluster mailbox). So anything extra they basically aren’t getting paid.
A notice should be left in mailbox by mail carrier – PS Form 3849.
Also, there are guidelines the mail carrier MUST follow when delivering USPS mail/packages for safety reasons. If they are injured not following the rules then their medical claim could be denied.
Example – postal vehicles aren’t supposed to back up. Their handhelds are known to keep track of this. So if your home doesn’t have a turnaround area then expect mail carrier not to deliver packages to door.
I have found that if you take steps to reduce your mail carriers workload that they tend to have “extra” time and may go the extra mile for their addresses.
* Make sure your mailbox is properly ready for USPS mail/package delivery – door shuts (test from your vehicle) and is on a sturdy post, installed properly (height, distance from curb, etc.), labeled with street number and last name of who should receive mail, even install larger mailbox if you receive lots of packages, etc.
* Reduce your unwanted USPS mail (past resident, deceased individuals, non-first class mail (aka junk/marketing). Less mail = Less issues!
TIP: Have neighbors do the same to help reduce mail carriers entire route.
* How to stop past resident first class mail –
properly label mailbox with last name of who should receive first class mail/packages.
Fill out new customer/resident card at USPS location – this card instructs mail carrier/USPS on what names should receive first class mail/packages. I have used the VACANT card and form 4232 in the past.
Return ALL past resident first class mail to USPS to properly process. This will help avoid confusion on what names should receive first class mail. Write “NOT at this address” on mailer and place inside mailbox with flag up.
Register your address with USPS Informed Delivery – this free service emails you daily the USPS mail/packages addressed to/to be delivered to said address (including past resident mail). I use this service to aid in emailed removal request to unwanted senders – attach image as reference.
TIP: Your goal is to have only your wanted mail appearing on this service. If a past resident mailer appears but isn’t physically delivered this means your mail carrier is sorting mail before delivery. Which is GREAT but this take time and remember you want to reduce their time spent on their route. Treat every mailer as if you physically received them. Request removal from senders mailing/marketing list.
I also have steps to help reduce non-first class mail – YOURS & Past residents. Reply if interested in these steps.
* Here is a list of common USPS junk/marketing mailers with easy opt outs – don’t forget to opt out past residents – updated list upon request – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VGd4iEy9jTsDbDcTj6EGcje-CkqoIeRCowXNhY2hmtk/edit?usp=drivesdk
Glenn
My local post office just closed and we are now required to travel three miles to get our mail in a PO Box. We were told that mail would be delivered to our home if it was more than two miles from our home. When I asked the local PO person I was told that to contact a person above them. I am very frustrated. A person who lives at the end of our street gets their mail delivered to a box in front of their house. What’s up? BTW, I’ve sent a letter to the Address Person at the state level.
Michelle
We live in Dallas TX in a house in a zip code with at least 50% apartments. For the past 16 years we have delt with other people’s mail, days without any delivery and mail sticking out of our locked mail box. But the main issue is our local post office’ inability to manage “hold mail”. We’ve tried on line, in person, filing complaints and most recently obtained a large temporary PO box, as we were gone over a month. When we returned, our locked mail box was stuffed and there were a few items in the PO box. I extended the temporary PO box as we will need to use it again in 2 months and I have registered yet another complaint at my local post office (after waiting in another long line because in 16 years they have never had enough clerks to not have a long line). Is there anyone above my local PO that can make sure the mail carriers in our neighborhood deliver the right mail to the right locations and follow instructions for temporary hold mail requests? I’ve heard other neighborhoods do not have this problem
Jeff Lepak
Call: 1-800-ASK-USPS ® (1-800-275-8777) Hours of Operation. Monday – Friday 8 AM – 8:30 PM ET. Saturday 8 …
This a nationwide person above the local level. I’ve called it after similar frustration at the local leve. The woman, this was her purpose – fix issues that local post office does not.
Nik
I just moved to KY in Catlettsburg and my local USPS refuses to deliver my packages to my home, instead manually holding the packages with out informing me, and forcing me to take the 10 mile drive to the post office multiple times a week.
They are claiming my driveway is long and that they can’t back up if someone comes down the driveway. Meanwhile the entire road to my house is a one lane road and dozens of people live on it. I will now have to escalate this issue beyond the local limit.
Jackie Carey
I was informed by the mail carrier for Palisade MN that the mail route was set 50 years ago and even though there are full-time homeowners living in the route they will not increase the distance 2 miles to deliver to their homes. They must either drive a 1/2 hour to Palisade Post office or go to the 50 year old limit set when there were no homes and do a group box. Why can’t the Post office expand a 50 year old route to now include the residents that live there where before were forests and fields?
Robert
Contact USPS Address Management for assistance.
Google “USPS address management” and search by your zip code.
Glenn Heisey
I live .2 miles from the PO and I am forced to use a PO Box instead of having home delivery. People at the end of my street (a street full of homes) have home delivery. Today, we were informed that our PO is being closed on 8/15/23. The next nearest PO is more than 3 miles away. Will we now get our mail delivered?
Robert
Contact USPS Address Management for assistance – Google “USPS address management” and enter your zip code for nearest location.
Depends on if your address will now be eligible for USPS “street delivery”. If yes, then you will need to install a proper USPS mailbox OR a community mailbox will be installed.
I would suggest obtaining an USPS PO Box (forward mail to new box) at the new location before there isn’t any available boxes. This way your mail is safe while USPS figures out what is next for your address.
Ron
Your reply has absolutely nothing to do with my problem. Just USPS making excuses and ignoring real issue that mailman will not get off his butt and take oversized packages to my front door. It ain’t me
Robert
Your replying to the wrong comment…
As I stated in my original reply – “USPS package door delivery has always been a “courtesy”.” Which means it is up to the driver to decide if they deliver to the door. And if you receive mail in a CBU (cluster mailbox) there is NO package door delivery.
Large packages will need to be picked up at servicing USPS.
NOTE: The reason other carriers (UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DHL, etc.) delivery to your door is because it is illegal for them to use an USPS mailbox. So their only option is door delivery.
Brad Keith
You do not know what you are talking about.
Most of McCall, Idaho does not get mail at all.
You are told at the post office it will be over $290 annually to get a PO box.
The problem one has is when you buy on line most companies deliver to your mail box which does not exist so the USPO returns the product..
Robert
If USPS does NOT provide “street delivery” to an address that address should qualify for a free USPS PO Box (class E).
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/PO-Box-The-Basics
5.2Free Box Service (Group E)
Customers may qualify for free (Group E) post office box service if their physical address or business location meets all of the following criteria:
a. The physical address or business location is within the geographic delivery ZIP Code boundaries administered by a post office.
b. The physical address or business location constitutes a potential carrier delivery point of service.
c. The USPS chooses not to provide carrier delivery to the physical address or business location.
d. The customer does not receive carrier delivery via an out-of-bounds delivery receptacle.
5.3Additional Standards for Free Box Service
Only one free (Group E) post office box may be obtained for each potential carrier delivery point of service. Group E customers are assigned the smallest available box that will reasonably accommodate their daily mail volume. Eligibility for Group E boxes does not extend to individual tenants, contractors, employees, or other individuals receiving or eligible to receive single-point delivery such as delivery to a hotel, college, military installation, or transient trailer park. A customer must pay the applicable fee for each additional box requested beyond the initial box obtained at the Group E fee.
Ron Whitehead
The USPS Carrier will not deliver packages to my house if the package is larger than m street mailbox. I live in the city within a large neighborhood, not in the country. Is this legal or part of their regulations
Robert
USPS package door delivery has always been a “courtesy”.
However, with the influx of USPS package deliveries this courtesy has decreased.
Also, package theft has become an issue as well. USPS takes USPS mail/package safety serious.
If a package is too large for mailbox (or needs signature) expect to pick up package at servicing USPS location.
NOTE: If you receive mail in a CBU (cluster mailbox) – courtesy package door delivery doesn’t exists. UNLESS you have an extremely helpful mail carrier. They need to be thanked with cool drinks, food, gifts, etc. for going out of their way to provide this service.
Jojo
USPS does not deliver to my home. I have a PO Box in our local town. Of mail is sent to my home address and ends up at our post office, the post office will return it to the sender rather than put it in my box, when they have our physical address on file. This has caused lots of frustration! Are they allowed to return to sender when they won’t deliver to the house in the first place??? All they have to do it look up which P.O. Box is ours.
Robert
What you don’t understand is – Most USPS mail/packages are sorted by machines now instead of humans. This is done at a regional sorting facility and then the correctly addressed items are delivered to your local PO for delivery.
Incorrectly addressed items are returned to sender by the sorting facility so they can contact addressee to obtain a correct mailing address. Your local PO NEVER sees these incorrectly addressed mailers.
It is your responsibility to make sure your USPS mail/packages are addressed correctly. Which in your case is your PO Box address.
Search your street address in website Melissa Data (Melissa lookups/personator). I bet your street address says “no mail delivery”. Which means anything addressed to this address is rejected by the sorting machines.
NOTE: Since USPS doesn’t deliver to your street address make sure you use the correct address variation when ordering online. Most online retailers don’t allow PO Box addresses which means you will need to use a special format called “street addressing” so these packages can be delivered to your PO Box.
Also, USPS delivers other carriers (Amazon, UPS,mFedEx, DHL, etc.) packages via “last mile delivery” which means you MUST use “street addressing” format for these packages to be properly delivered to your PO Box since you don’t have USPS street delivery.
Terry
I agree with most all people here. I am in a town and post car absolutely available drive, however many elderly people etc have to walk and bring very heavy stuff, I think UPSA and UPS and FEDEX should work together to coordinate situations.
Susan
Two people have moved from my home and still get mail delivered here. When I send it back to the sender does that affect my mail being delivered for myself.They have my same last name, I don’t know their new mailing address
Robert
Since you share the same last name there is a possibility that USPS/mail carrier may by mistake forward/return your mail as well.
Have they submitted an USPS COA (change of address)/mail forwarding? Make sure they select “individual” instead of “family” or your mail will be forwarded as well – since family forwards ALL mail in that last name.
It is best to have them update their address directly with each sender to avoid confusion.
If individuals aren’t willing to update their address or submit COA – email each sender and inform them that your receiving past resident mail and you would like that to stop.
* Here is a list of common USPS junk/marketing mailers with easy opt outs – don’t forget to opt out past residents – updated list upon requests – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VGd4iEy9jTsDbDcTj6EGcje-CkqoIeRCowXNhY2hmtk/edit?usp=drivesdk
Also, register your address with USPS Informed Delivery – this free service emails you daily the USPS mail/packages addressed to/to be delivered to said address. This way you will know what to expect..
Franshesko
In my City there do not delivery any mail by usps, so we are forced to pay for a P.O. Box
now I’m paying $210 a year, is this right? why our city people should pay for the P.O. Box and how can we change this issue and make the postal services to start delivering to the fiscally addresses, which the city has a 2595 population back in 2020
Robert
If USPS doesn’t offer “street delivery” to your address you should be provided a free USPS PO Box (class E).
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/PO-Box-The-Basics – see “How do I qualify for a free PO Box”
If USPS has your address classified as to receive “street delivery”you will need to determine where your addresses “point of delivery” location is. This is where either your home mailbox needs to be installed OR where a neighborhood CBU (cluster mailbox) should be located.
Contact USPS Address Management for assistance.
Tan
How do I get a P.O. Box only area changed to an area with mail delivery? It is a rural area but more people live in the area than were there years ago.
Diane Alexander
We received mail delivery for 35 years with no problems. We live on a hillside close to town. We have requested the Post Office to hold the mail in case of snowstorm which they have faithfully done. Two years ago there was a disagreement between the postman and our next door neighbor. Shortly thereafter rather than resolving the dispute, the Post Office refused to deliver mail stating that it was an unsafe area. Why was it safe for 35 years then? It is impossible to put a mailbox up as it is too close to the street on a hillside that goes down to the street. We are unable to afford to renew our post office box this year. How can we, then, receive our mail?
Robert
You will need to locate the official “delivery point” location of your address. If the delivery supervisor is unhelpful with giving this info contact USPS Address Management for assistance.
If a delivery point has been already established – this is the location of where said addresses mailbox MUST be placed. Ask for a mailbox placement diagram/guide for your address.
If an official delivery point has not been established – you will need to request this to be established.
NOTE: Make sure your address I has been validated by local/state agency that establishes 911 address for your area. Known as the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) director.
Search your address in USPS address lookup – if address is NOT listed then it hasn’t been officially validated for 911 purposes and submitted to USPS to add to their address delivery database.
Roger Crane
If the Post Office is required to deliver mail, and I don’t have a deliverable site–rural location where they do not deliver–why do I have to pay for a P.O. Box? It should be provided for me, since postage on all mail has already been paid. Isn’t that true?
Robert
* If your address doesn’t have “street delivery” – then yes a free USPS PO Box (class E) will be provided for said address.
https://pe.usps.com/archive/html/dmmarchive20030810/D910.htm
(Copied from above link) – 5.2Free Box Service (Group E)
Customers may qualify for free (Group E) post office box service if their physical address or business location meets all of the following criteria:
a. The physical address or business location is within the geographic delivery ZIP Code boundaries administered by a post office.
b. The physical address or business location constitutes a potential carrier delivery point of service.
c. The USPS chooses not to provide carrier delivery to the physical address or business location.
d. The customer does not receive carrier delivery via an out-of-bounds delivery receptacle.
* If your address does have street delivery but your address hasn’t been properly added to USPS’s address database. Then you will need to establish your address with the local/state agency that establishes addresses for 911 purposes. This agency (Master Street Address Guide (MSAG). will then submit the validated address to USPS to add to their database.
Then you will need to establish a “delivery point” for your address via USPS. USPS address management office can help with this task.
Then you install an USPS certified mailbox at said delivery point – ask mail carrier what location they would like the mailbox placed. Be sure to obtain instructions from USPS on how to properly install your mailbox at said location.
D Goldberg
I live in an area where there is no delivery to individual houses. Historically the area was considered rural- farms and vacation homes. However there are now many more homes and many more residents living in the area full time. The wait times at the PO are long and the situation is becoming unworkable. Is there a process we can begin to petition for house to house delivery?
TC
We’re in kind of the same situation. Post office offers home delivery to half the town, but not the half we live in. Also their hours are like 12pm-3pm Mon-Fri, so unless we want to take off work to go get our packages we can’t get anything delivered. We want to petition whomever we need to to get our mail and packages delivered to the house and not have to deal with the local post office and their terrible hours (and teeny tiny po boxes that only hold like 3 letters).
Richard
I pay taxes, so I shouldn’t have to go 2 blocks from my house to get my mail and drive another 8 miles to pick up a package that the mail carrier won’t deliver to my house. You are a government agency and you get paid for doing a job that you applied for. On my block alone we have 4 full time houses with older people that should have the right to have a mail box in front of their house.
Robert
The older residents can submit a hardship case to USPS.
Sounds like you receive USPS mail/packages in a CBU (cluster mailbox) 2 blocks away.
Most don’t realize that porch package delivery is a courtesy. Mail/packages are delivered to “point of delivery” which is normally a street mailbox or CBU. If the package doesn’t fit inside your mailbox/parcel locker then it must be retrieved from USPS location that services your address.
CBU USPS packages are NEVER delivered to porch/home address! Point of delivery is the CBU – in fact mail carrier probably hasn’t even paid attention to where your home/address is located. Why would they – point of delivery is the CBU for your neighborhood.
Also, keep in mind if neighbors don’t retrieve their packages in a timely manner then a package that would have fit doesn’t have a spot so that package you will need to retrieve at servicing USPS.
Don’t blame your mail carrier – they are doing the job they are instructed to do and can NOT make exceptions. If they are injured while doing something outside their job description they run the risk of not getting reimbursed for injury.
Their job description is determined by their mail route. They are told when they can dismount/leave vehicle (ex. delivery to CBU), how much time they have to deliver their route, etc.
Darlene
I live within city limits of a small town. I’ve lived at two other small towns prior to this that had almost the same population as this one. the first two had mail delivery to your house. this USPS Post Office does not. no matter what. I’m with in town limits. I’m disabled. I have no vehicle. however they do give me a free post office box. which is pretty useless when you can’t get there. and if you do get there you better make sure it’s during very limited hours. that includes the lobby. unlike other post office you don’t get to just walk in and check your post office no matter the time of day or night. here you got to follow by their hours or get no mail.I’ve been reading all I can trying to figure out if this is supposed to be this way and why. I did read a couple of different times that they delivered to every residential address. that is the worst joke that I’ve heard so far.in the beginning I asked a few times why this was and what I could do or whatever.. the only answer you get is oh we don’t have mail delivery. you get a free post office box. that only explain why so I can find out if there’s an option. why should I have to pay someone $10 each time to get my mail? that’s paying twice for the same service. isn’t the post office getting paid from the stamps and the shipping fees? aren’t they getting paid to make sure you can ship and receive your mail? what what why do they get paid and then I still have to pay someone in order to get it? when I first moved here I put in a complaint and you know what happened? the next time I walked in the post office lady goes oh I knew that was you putting in that I told you already we don’t have mail delivery. I already knew complaining to them wasn’t going to work because I already done it. how am I supposed to reach someone else that can either explain it to me, fix it, give me an alternative, something. I would have never ever bought this house had I been informed that there was no such thing as mail service here.I had a small business when I moved here that was doing pretty well. not no more. no mail service. if anyone anyone can give me some advice please do. I’ve even tried to get a map of where I can get mail delivered here. if I have to move a mile out of town or five blocks down the street or something I I don’t know they’re I can’t even get that I can’t even find out what houses do you have mail service. this is so bad it’s so difficult for me that I’m seriously considering renting out my house and finding a house that has a mailbox and renting it for myself. I would sell my house in a heartbeat but nobody would want it. that’s how badly I need a mailman. any help or advice or information would be very much appreciated. thank you
Virgo
Darlene, sorry that’s happening to you. Your wall of text isn’t helping your case: most people will skip reading a wall of text. You are using ‘defeatism”: you’re saying no one will want your house. You don’t know that: you wanted it, didn’t you? In what state is this happening? You can try to hire someone to pick up your mail but how can you trust someone you don’t know. Why did you move to a small town if you’re alone and disabled? I’ve wanted to move to a rural area for peace & quiet but I’m in the same boat as you, so there’s no way i can manage that on my own. It’s been 20 years I’ve wanted to do so and here I am, amidst noise & chaos and medically needing a stress free life. 🙁
And yes, complaining in a small town kinda defeats the purpose, plus you risk retaliation. I don’t know what to tell you other than try to post an ad for a helper on Craigslist or try to find someone by putting ads on billboards or talking to neighbors: how do you even manage to buy groceries? That’s my #1 reason for being unable to move to a rural area, as I no longer drive. Good luck to you.
Leo
So all you’re doing is scolding someone with that snotty reply? What a jerk!
Virgo
Learn to read English, a**hole cos no one was scolding no one until dumbazz you trucked along. You can just truck on outta here, you’re not wanted, like eveywhere else you go!
notwoke
Virgo, your reply was amazingly condescending and not useful.in both posts.
Also Not Woke
Agree with Not Woke. Scolding is verboten.
Robert
Hardship/Medical issues – https://faq.usps.com/s/article/If-I-have-Hardship-or-Medical-Problems-how-do-I-request-Door-Delivery
Katy
So obviously I didn’t know anybody these rules and I ordered a bunch of stuff to my vacation rental. And they all were “undeliverable” or “returned to sender”. Why isn’t jr told to people that they shouldn’t expect packages to be delivered?
Robert
Your vacation home address may be classified as vacant/no mail delivery. This is done when mail isn’t retrieved on a regular basis (daily/weekly) from an USPS mailbox.
OR not in USPS’s system which they can’t deliver mail to an nonexistent address. Search address in USPS address lookup – https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm. If not listed contact your city/county planning/zoning department and have them add address to the 911 address system. Then ask them to submit address to USPS so they can add to their database for mail delivery.
Be sure to register this address with USPS informed delivery this way you know exactly what mail is being delivered/addressed to this address.
Ask neighbor to retrieve mail weekly when your not at this address.
Reduce your unwanted USPS mail (past resident, deceased individuals, non-first class mail (aka junk) being delivered to this address so neighbor doesn’t have to check as often.
Search vacation address in website Melissa Data (lookups/personator) – any error codes attached to this address.
Correct with USPS Address Management – https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/address-management-system
Heidi
My address is listed in the rural route. Should they be delivering to my home.
Jay
So when I order stuff online, I pay to have my package delivered to my house. I live out of town and they don’t come within 5 blocks of my house, yet they lie to the consumer and tell them they will deliver to my address when they clearly do NOT. Is there any way to cancel package delivery only? I need them to stop lying to people about the deliveries. Every time I have to drive 2 hours and spend 4-5 gallons of gas to do what they were already paid to do, it’s getting really old.
Mary
The post office refuses to deliver mail to my home because of a prior tenants issues they had a dog the dog died the tenant no longer lives here and I am the new tenant Can they refuse me delivery of my mail
Michelle
I would go to the post office and even take your lease with you and let them know that person no longer lives there and you’re the new tenant. Tell them to take that note off your address and start delivering your mail.
Carl
I was told I could not have a free po/box because I live in a private community. A lot of my neighbors have free boxes but I was told they were grandfathered in and if I want mail delivered I can put a mailbox in the next town that has a road going by our development
Bonnie
Oh wow. That’s both absurd and enlightening. The next town? Unbelievable.
After the worst storm in recent history to hit Southeast Texas, renting a PO Box was the only option for many of us and they made that process simple and quick. Additionally, we could use the post office’s physical address for deliveries. As far as I knew, anyone in a temporary shelter could do the same.
Turns out that’s not at all the case as I found out last week when attempting to rent a PO Box a few towns away because much to my dismay and surprise, I am again moving. I’ve lived here peacefully (minus the mail that never arrives) for two years and I’ve never been a day late paying rent. But that’s the breaks.
The good news is, as of this Thursday I’ll no longer live in the land of vanishing mail. The bad news is, this is my eighth involuntary move in five years, I don’t yet have a place to go, so I have no physical address as of right now, and I’ve read horror stories about putting mail on hold but I’m on a fixed income and I have no other options.
This oughta be interesting. Another adventure awaits! Ugh.
Thanks so much for sharing your ordeal. It’s amazing how a service we rely on heavily can abruptly pull out the rug from under us when our options are limited at best.
Robert
FYI…
Placing mail on hold actually holds all mail for that address. USPS doesn’t usually hold mail by individual name.
You may want to check into an USPS box again and have your mail forwarded to the new PO Box.
Virgo
Hi Bonnie, Don’t know if you’ll ever see this but a few things:
1) Informed Delivery is the name of an EMAIL service provided by USPS to let you know mail is coming. That’s all.
2) EVERYONE on the planet is on “fixed income”, unless you’re a billionaire. So no need to repeat that fallacy. Try “I’m on a very very LOW income bracket” drives the point across better.
3) I get you. I’m homeless, was evicted due to COVID & a nasty manager, and been made to move every 3 weeks for the past six months. Haven’t done the math but several dozen times and it continues. I am disabled too. My first year on my own, I moved 87 times in 12 months. That was decades ago, and it continues. I must have moved a couple thousand times altogether.
4) Because we have similar paths & you asked for help, here it is: you are likely to have negative entities attachments. I am seriously looking into this. Moving so much means I encountered “things” as in paranormal or hauntings. I am not joking. Currently looking for a shaman to help me rid of whatever is causing these patterns of moving. You (&I) cannot change others and the postal workers are rude & inconsiderate and most of them are foreigners who have 0 USA customer svc skills and treat you as badly as they do at home. It’s time for a change, inside out. This is what I’m looking for and I hope it helps you as well. Even if you don’t believe it, do research, watch vids & you’ll see it prob applies to you as well Good luck on your next move, I was forced to move day after Xmas, was busy alone packing on Xmas day.
Virgo
Clarification: because someone earning $15,000 a month salary is also on ‘Fixed” income, so that does not convey what you were trying to. “I”m on a fixed income!” “OH yeah? What do you do?” “I’m a cop, I earn $179,000.00 a year”. See how that goes? Readers don’t know if you’re earning $7.20 an hour or $480 an hour on your fixed income. ;o)
Jc
They told me the same but the town told me it’s against the law to put a mail box anywhere but in front of the house it belongs to
Bonnie
Hi! I moved to a new location two years ago and was surprised to find out that Informed Delivery isn’t available at this address. I called the folks at USPS several times to try and find out why that was but no one I spoke with could explain. I didn’t give it a whole lot of thought afterwards until a few weeks later when I was waiting on a piece of personal first class mail that had been sent to me by the former occupant of this house and she was waiting for me to acknowledge having received It but it was taking forever to get here. It never showed up. I filed a missing mail claim online and within no time at all I had another piece of first class mail that failed to arrive, a doctors prescription that I had to have mailed out to me once a month due to the pandemic. After waiting weeks for it to show up I again filed the online paperwork to report the missing mail. I never got any response so I then filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General. At some point after that I received an email from the post office in the nearby town that services this area. That email basically said someone there would call me the next day and it at the bottom of the email it stated something like Case Closed. Naturally the promised call never came. Whether or not I receive my important mail items appears in my view directly linked to its contents. I gave up trying to keep up with how much of my postal mail that I’m expecting to receive ends up vanishing into thin air. But as a recent example of this ongoing problem I paid for my car registration renewal online a month ago and I have yet to receive my license plate sticker. I’m disabled btw and on a fixed income and these issues have been an ongoing struggle to find solutions to. as they would for anyone, especially during a pandemic, but I have no other choice but to work out alternatives to my missing mail. For instance I spent over a year driving to my doctors house to pick up my monthly prescription that his wife would tape to the outside of their mailbox as I had no other options. The hardships I’ve endured due to the insanity of mail that never arrives are almost as bad as being ignored and dismissed. That became solidified after I wound up finding out that each state has an oversight person for the USPS and I was able to contact them by telephone only to be met with an incredulous attitude and the astonishment that Informed Delivery isn’t available everywhere and finally as is customary, I was again summarily dismissed. At one point I contacted the USPS and asked if they had any suggestions for me to which they replied that I could ask for a free PO BOX. Which I did, at the closest location to me, after explaining the situation, and the guy behind the counter rolled his eyes so hard I swear it was audible.
This ain’t my first rodeo. I’ve had mail destroyed by the machines but it eventually showed up, lost mail isn’t an anomaly as far as I know and it’s happened before to plenty of us, and there’s the stolen mail that happened age 17 when I was already living on my own having just graduated high school and working already for the past two years and that mail item happened to be a credit card that I applied for but never received which I knew nothing about credit at that time and I never even knew that happened until I got denied repeatedly by subsequent creditors and reamed by the one car lot willing to finance a car for me at an interest rate that should have been illegal but it was years of ruined credit that resulted from that piece of stolen mail and I had to fight that credit card company forever and tolerate their abusive collection tactics before finally convincing them that I wasn’t at fault. By the time that ordeal was finally over, the damage had already been done so I just moved on to the next … dare I say …fiasco. So all things considered my vanishing mail here at my current location hasn’t yet ruined my life but then again my life was already ruined when I got here
If I could afford it I’d just pay for a PO BOX but that’s not even a remote possibility. And for all the craziness and chaos and criminality that I endured concerning the place I lived before. at least I did eventually get my mail. even if I had to pay an extortionist to get it. I’m forced to start over after having to walk away from my paid for house and losing my every possession and due to the insane aftermath of that storm within a year and a half I was homeless and penniless, I find a place to rent roughly 1,000 miles away, and these fools don’t even care if they deliver mail and packages or not. They certainly aren’t going to own up to there being a problem, let alone address it. I’ve already moved seven times in three years and I have no where else to go unless my disability income miraculously doubles so I give up. Unless you know of a solution,, and I am completely open to suggestions assuming they don’t require me to incur costs for which I have no available funds, I would be entirely grateful to have any input on how I can resolve this problem once and for all as there is obviously something rotten in Denmark.
Joe
You have waaaay too much time on your hands
Bonnie
Thank you for your astute observation! It’s called PTSD. It is my sincere wish that you have the good fortune to never be directly and permanently negatively affected by abruptly occurring, soul crushing, life shattering events.
David G.
NOTE: anyone with a locking or similar box with a slot to insert mail (lock isn’t the actual issue) needs to be aware that “…if the package would fit in a ‘regular’ box, it will not be delivered.”
It’s a USPS approved box in place for 11yrs with no issues. Known carrier this long and they know I’m disabled.
My question: is there an actual postal code for this?? Regards to all
M H
I just moved to a new apartment and ordered a lot of things from Amazon. Apparently the very large apartment complex is considered rural. Everything came to my door except a package sent thru the post office. It went to the main post office & the mail carrier lied and wrote that customer requested shipment to be held for collection. I never talked to anybody & was home. I called the post office and could never reach a live person to talk to. So I called the Fraud Dept because someone fraudulently claimed I requested it to be sent to the post office.
So I will cancel any orders that use the Post Office to deliver & I’ll just buy the same thing from another vendor.
I guess the Post Office doesn’t care that they are losing business.
M H
They changed their policy and started delivering!
Edie
Packages sent to me via UPS are then delivered to me via USPS……the problem they report delivered to porch— and there is no porch. They delivered it to inside my garage! In the past deliveries had been put inside my covered breezeway. Today another package and it was left at the end of my sidewalk, in the driveway! What is going on?
Bo Brandon
Yeah sounds like my post office they are now leaving mine at my porch…
I have a ring camera and doorbell because a lot of our packages are time sensitive. And we had several stolen…
To the point I came out of my basement last year to seeing a shadow of someone on my porch. My immediate was to protect my property and get the police involved…
I almost had to do it again this weekend was in the bathroom and came out to the sound of a viehicle pulling off…
I immediately did the first reaction until luckily I saw it was a USPS viehicle…
It’s 6 ft from the end of my porch to the front door… Literally 6 ft.
I caught the driver and told him what I thought because it could have been bad
Now they are trying to refuse to deliver any package as me making a rude gesture and calling out the carrier for not doing his job as a threat. Because I warned them I am armed and I don’t take to people sneaking around my property.
Why are you not following your own code
Section 63 631.1
Says you will deliver TO THE DOOR
Deborah Konawel, Danielle Konawel & Darlene Curtisgoo
I’ve had a pobox for approximately 8 years (because of my mailbox being hit by farm vehicles, completely run over by cars & last was 9/1/21 a tornado ripped it up & it completely disappeared) before my renewal on 7/30/22 I went into my post office and did a change of address ‘back to my home address’ where YES another mailbox was put up a week before that. It was over $200. a yr. for my pobox & with gas prices as they’ve gone up as well it was my decision to Close my pobox & get my mail’At My Home’; I’ve received mail only yesterday 9/6/22 & now today 9/7/22 for the FIRST TIME But Today I Also Had A Short Note From My Mailman Saying If I Didn’t Change My Town that my mail will Start To Be Returned!! This is Ridiculous, it’s been Well Over A Month With Absolutely No Mail In My Mailbox Until Yesterday 9/6/22 & mail ‘Has Been Being Sent Back Since 8/1/22 When My Pobox Was Closed. I get No Bills, Prescriptions Have Been Sent Back 3 Times For My Daughter With A Mental Illness, I get no junk mail, bank statements etc….. Also I’ve been to my post office where I had the pobox Fourteen Times Regarding This. I even spoke with the Supervisor, Post master etc.. Now I’m being told it’s my fault because I wrote the wrong town. I’m pretty sure I 100% know where I live, pay taxes etc…what can I do before the threat of this mail carrier to start returning my mail as it’s been happening for over a month anyway???
Robert
Did the USPS clerk fill out COA form or did you?
Did you get a COA confirmation letter at the home address?
NO this means there is an an issue with COA. Which you have just found out.
YES – visit the USPS COA website and select “ Want to View, Edit, Cancel or Dispute your USPS Change-of-Address®?” – enter confirmation code from letter.
Are you able to see exactly what you entered for the COA?
Search your address in USPS address lookup tool – https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm – this is the address variation you need to be using. Enter this address in the COA form.
NOTE: If you are receiving mail/packages in an incorrect address variation (other than variation in USPS lookup) update this IMMEDIATELY!
Start with your free yearly credit reports – https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports. Call the dispute number on each report and ask what creditors are reporting said info. Correct with creditors.
Robert
Forgot –
Search your address in website Melissa Data (lookups/personator) – any error codes/incorrect info?
Error codes – contact USPS address management and have this corrected – https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/address-management-system
Are you able to register your address with USPS informed delivery? I highly recommend this – this service emails you daily the USPS mail/packages to be delivered to your address (including past resident mail). Let me know if you aren’t – I have tips.
I also suggest doing these steps as well –
Make sure your name is on/in mailbox
Fill out “new customer card” (even if not new to address) at servicing USPS. This card instructs mail carrier on what names should receive mail at your address. I have used forms 4232 & the VACANT card in the past. Include ALL name variations that will receive mail at your address. Forget one and these mailers may be returned to sender. (First/last, last/first, first initial/last, nicknames, maiden, misspelled, etc.)
I suggest having ALL mail delivered in one name variation – again start with credit reports. Ask what creditors are reporting this info and then correct with crediotrs.
Eliminate past resident mail – this will avoid any confusion on what names should receive mail at your address.
Past resident first class mail – write “NOT at this address” and place in your outgoing mail. If the individual moved 18+ months ago (COA’s expire after 18 months) write “NOT at this address – MLNA” (moved left no address) instead.
Examples of First class mail – presorted first class, forever/first class stamp, metered, priority, special endorsed
Non-first class mail (yours & past resident) – the ONLY way to stop these mailers is to contact the sender and request removal of name/address from their USPS mailing list.
Examples of Non-first class mail – marketing/junk, presorted STD, presorted standard stamp, “or current resident”, EDDM/ECRWSS/ECRWSH, charity, political, non-profit
Here is a list of common USPS junk/marketing mailers with easy opt outs – I have more if needed and let me know if any info is incorrect or needs to be updated.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VGd4iEy9jTsDbDcTj6EGcje-CkqoIeRCowXNhY2hmtk/edit?usp=drivesdk
Pat
Check with your Post master what town they want listed. I know it may sound stupid, but the PO does not always use the same municipality as what you write down.
If you are using the correct town then send a complaint to the PO Consumer Affairs for your area.
Good luck.
rick
I think I may have a new one no one has mentioned yet. We have 2 properties on the oregon coast that we often rent out as airbnb’s. The addresses are valid, we have worked with the local post office to place a mailbox, and were receiving mail fine up until a couple months ago when a new post master was installed. The new post master refuses to deliver to short term rentals, and we need supplies delivered. He cites illegal activity, I guess illegal things being delivered to other rentals and usps being liable. He also says that since you arent permanently living there they do not have to deliver mail. I was under the assumption that if you owned a home with a good valid service address you were entitled to delivery? Can someone point me to official usps policy about them having to or not? I also work for the government and know everything HAS TO be in writing to be enforcable.
Robert
Sounds like the new postmaster has dealt with the many issues of short term rentals (Airbnb) allowing mail/package deliveries.
They seem to take the well being/safety of mail/packages, addresses, owners at heart. Just try to look at in their perspective.
They are preventing you from having these issues –
If a short term rental is accessible for mail/package delivery you will start having issues with renters receiving illegal items.
In some states – You set yourself up for having to “evict” renters since they are able to establish residency by receiving mail.
Renters can use your address on their government documents, credit reports, bank accounts, etc. and then you have to hire a lawyer to force them to remove this address.
I know this is an inconvenience for your particular situation because you just want your supplies delivered via USPS. But allowing for your packages to be delivered also allows for others to have USPS packages delivered.
I suggest – get creative…
locating a supply company that doesn’t deliver via USPS
Have supplies delivered when cleaning/repair crew is there via various delivery services.
Do you have a company that manages the properties? Are they able to add this service to their duties – delivery of supplies.
Rick
Hi, thanks for your response. I believe you are correct on this, it’s really unfortunate because there are no ups stores that I can have it delivered to outside of 30 miles away. Having the supplies delivered to a cleaner is also tough because of theft related issues. We manage the properties ourselves, property management companies want 30 percent in the area and don’t take good care of your home (investment).
Chris K.
My neighborhood has 12 residential homes within 1/2 mile from the main road. We all live on this one paved road. They won’t deliver packages here. My town’s post office is a 45 min drive round trip. They are open only 11:30 – 1:30 M-F. That’s 10 hours per week at a very inconvenient time for the working person. What a shame the postal employee won’t deliver to us when he delivers mail. He won’t even deliver to the first house that is just in front of him. The post office, for our neighbor town, is just 15-20 min away, with more open hour, and they won’t transfer packages there.
Our mish mash group of mailboxes is an eye sore: very trashy. What’s up? Our crabby postmaster for the area refuses to address the issue. She just dismisses our complaint.
Robert
USPS isn’t responsible for individual mailboxes. This is the responsibility of each homeowner to properly maintain the mailbox as well as the post.
Have you spoken with the other residents to see if they are interested in installing a CBU (cluster mailbox)? Again, the residents will be responsible for this CBU maintenance. These CBU”’s usually come with parcel lockers.
Robert
Door delivery is a courtesy – most don’t realize this.
Carriers don’t usually get paid to deliver packages to your door – so most won’t take the extra time to deliver packages. Especially, if your “point of delivery” (mailbox) is separate from your driveway.
With the increase of packages this courtesy service is being squeezed out – I expect door delivery to cease within the next few years.
NOTE: If you obtain an USPS PO Box you can have ALL packages delivered to the PO Box via street delivery.
Chris K
Hi, thanks for addressing the package delivery issue. Never knew that package delivery was at the discretion of the mail carrier.
However, aren’t they required to deliver the first class mail to your residential mail box that is accessible by street on your property? I have read on the USPS site that they need to deliver mail within 1/2 mile of main road.. I am not the only one on this street. I speak for the neighborhood of 12 residences within 1/2 mile from main road. We do live on a fully maintained paved road.
I thought about a po box. These packages won’t all fit and I would need an postal worker to get them for me. So I still have to get there within the 10 hours per week they are open. Thanks.
Robert
Delivery of first class mail – USPS determines the “point of delivery” for each address. Not sure of the distance issue you asked – This may be at local postmaster discretion.
Sometimes the point of delivery is your front porch, street delivery to single mailbox near your driveway (could be on opposite side of street), group of single mailboxes (your case ), CBU (cluster mailbox), free PO Box for non-street delivery addresses, etc.
Once that point of delivery is in place it is extremely difficult to change. UNLESS it benefits USPS/carrier or there is a safety issue.
Benefits the carrier – safer, shortens delivery route, less stops, etc.
Are you wanting to change the location of your mailbox (closer to your driveway)?
Chris K.
It would be nice to have my mailbox closer to my home instead of being on a highway with traffic. I do hate getting my mail. My main grief is that I can’t get packages delivered to me. All the neighborhood mailboxes across this busy road. Instead, we have to pick up packages at the PO. It is difficult to drive one hour to get there between the hours of 11:30-1:30 weekdays. The area has grown so much over7 years. The PO operates like a rural town. Crazy. The carrier is already at our street. We need to cute down on emission on top of it.
Jordan
The ones at my place are lazy. I live in an apartment complex and they don’t deliver on Sundays. They just put driveway blocked and undeliverable. I’m always home Sundays and they just wait til Monday to leave it at my landlord. Bunch of lazy people who get hired to work routes on Sundays.
Robert
Apartment door delivery is becoming a thing of the past.
More than likely your packages are delivered to the leasing office and they are closed on Sundays. That is why the package is then delivered on Monday.
Do you have a mail room?
Are there parcel lockers? NO – ask apartment management to install these so at least small packages can be delivered to the mail room.
Brooke
My name is on the package that I am trying to deliver but it has my parents address and the package keeps getting forwarded. Is this because I do not technically live at this address even though that is where I want my package to go?
Robert
Forwarded where….or do you mean returned to sender.
Do you have an active USPS COA (change of address in the system.
COA’s expire after 18 months but may stay in the system longer.
Kimberly
What’s up with the post office in Trent,Sd? We can’t get mail delivered to our homes. We have to have a PO box in our part time post office. Now they want to charge us for a box! What happened to the 1 free mail box per household? I don’t want my mail wet, dirty and slush covered out on some highway…
Robert
If the USPS doesn’t have street delivery for your address then yes your entitled to a free PO Box if one is available.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/PO-Box-The-Basics
(Copied from above link)
There is no mail delivery where I live. Can I apply for a PO Box online?
You can search for an available PO Box online, but you need to apply for a PO Box at a Post Office and determine whether you qualify for a no-fee PO Box.
https://pe.usps.com/archive/html/dmmarchive20030810/D910.htm
(Copied from above link)
5.2Free Box Service (Group E)
Customers may qualify for free (Group E) post office box service if their physical address or business location meets all of the following criteria:
a. The physical address or business location is within the geographic delivery ZIP Code boundaries administered by a post office.
b. The physical address or business location constitutes a potential carrier delivery point of service.
c. The USPS chooses not to provide carrier delivery to the physical address or business location.
d. The customer does not receive carrier delivery via an out-of-bounds delivery receptacle.
5.3Additional Standards for Free Box Service
Only one free (Group E) post office box may be obtained for each potential carrier delivery point of service. Group E customers are assigned the smallest available box that will reasonably accommodate their daily mail volume. Eligibility for Group E boxes does not extend to individual tenants, contractors, employees, or other individuals receiving or eligible to receive single-point delivery such as delivery to a hotel, college, military installation, or transient trailer park. A customer must pay the applicable fee for each additional box requested beyond the initial box obtained at the Group E fee.
KA
Twice now USPS had failed to deliver packages that require a signature. They instead leave a slip in our mailbox which is a community mailbox that says no one was available to say. This is false. Both times we were intentionally home all day to be able to receive the package. One of those times my husband needed the package to take on a trip for work but since USPS made a false delivery it delayed the package and wasn’t available even for pickup until the next day which was when he had to fly out. When he returned from his trip he asked the postmaster if they are supposed to bring the package to the door for one that requires a signature and he said yes. This is now the second time it has happened. What is our recourse?
Robert
Unfortunately, when your postal mail is delivered to a CBU (cluster mailbox) NO packages/mail will be delivered to your front door/porch.
Packages that are too large for parcel lockers aren’t even placed on the mail carriers delivery vehicle. Instead an “unable to deliver slip” is prepared and placed inside your addresses mail slot.
Packages/mail that need to be signed for are handled the same way – they aren’t placed in mail carriers vehicle. Why? It is very unusual for an individual to be standing at CBU waiting for mail carrier to deliver mail.
TIP: Do NOT stand at CBU waiting for mail carrier and/or watch mail carrier place mail in slots. They can see this as an unsafe environment and may skip CBU that day.
I receive my postal mail in a CBU as well and I assume every package will need to be retrieved at USPS. Even if I think package will fit in parcel locker my community mailbox members aren’t speedy on retrieving their packages. Which causes mail carrier to not have space for new package.
wendy
the last 3 package deliveries I have had show out for delivery all day and still not delivered I called usps and still took two more days to find out it was at local post office and than had to go pick it up. I am again waiting for packages that show out for delivery and am on second day. I have to drive 12 miles to pick up my packages and am not happy that I can’t get packages delivered to my house. What can I do to get packages to get deliverd to my house again?
Robert
This is becoming the norm – picking up packages at servicing USPS if they cannot be placed in your mailbox.
Just remember that delivery to our doors (unless mailbox is on porch) is a courtesy. UNLESS you have filed a hardship case with USPS.
Most addresses are converting to PO Boxes for this and many other reasons.
* Keeps mail/packages safe
NOTE: You can have ALL packages delivered to your PO Box by using “street addressing”. Just choose an USPS location that offers this service.
Things you can try to resolve the issue…
* Make sure your name is on/in mailbox (especially cluster boxes)
* Fill out “ new customer card” at servicing USPS – this instructs mail carrier on what names should receive first class mail/packages at said address.
I have used forms 4232 & the VACANT card in the past
* Reduce your mail carriers “load” – Eliminate unwanted USPS mail
Past resident first class mail – write “MOVED – MLNA” (moved left no address) and place in your outgoing mail.
Examples of First class mail – presorted first class, forever/first class stamp, metered, priority, special endorsed
Non-first class mail (yours & past residents) – the only way to stop these mailers is to contact the sender and remove e the name/address from their mailing list
Here is a list of common USPS junk/marketing mailers with easy opt outs – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VGd4iEy9jTsDbDcTj6EGcje-CkqoIeRCowXNhY2hmtk/edit?usp=drivesdk
Sharon
I’m actually trying to reply to Robert, but there’s no link after the last repy; however, thanks Robert! You are great to help. Re the mailman though, we’ve known him for a million years it seems …. practically since 1970 when we bought the house, and I communicate with the neighbors regularly, so all he has to do is ask them if I’ve dropped dead.
They’ve cost me precious time, money, and have forced me to waste Zazzle’s time over the missing checks … and basically, recall that they contradicted themselves. They lied to do a CYA, and if the Ohio Postmaster doesn’t correct it, they are bringing her down which I doubt she’ll allow.
Sadly, I loved the postmaster and staff that seems to no longer be there. Oh well, it is costing me time, but saving me money since I showed my appreciation to the old crew with Chick fil A, Cheryl’s, etc. while I was out of town…
Taking a break to get a medical letter to have mailed delivered to my door when I return (serious spine injury needing 13 hr Cleveland Clinic scary – risky surgery). When the carrier has to drive up my driveway in the snow, he’ll probably have it all returned to sender – hah.
Excuse typos – rushing and buried ….
Lori
We moved in, we had a mailbox on our house. The Post man left a note that we need a mailbox on the street instead. We installed one. Then received another note that the mailbox needs to be across the street. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Sharon
I am fighting a local post office who has given FOUR recorded conflicting stories as to why mail has not been delivered to my 2nd home where neighbors would collect it daily if it and checks sent were delivered – a problem for the first time since 1972 , and I am filing federal charges against them.
Good luck.
Does USPS have to deliver mail to your house?
“USPS needs to deliver mail and packages to every single residential address in the country, which can get fairly time-consuming.Jan 26, 2022”
Robert
Try this…USPS changes have caused issues with “long term/grandfathered in” customer addresses
My parents long time address has been affected like yours!
* Make sure your name is on/in mailbox (especially cluster boxes)
* Fill out “new customer card” at serving USPS (even if not new to address). – this card instructs mail carrier on what names should receive first class mail/packages at said address. I have used forms 4232 & the green VACANT form. Include ALL name variations you receive mail in (first/last, last/first, first initial/last, nicknames, maiden, etc.). If you forget a name variation these mailers may be RTS.
* Register with USPS informed delivery – this service emails you daily the USPS mail/packages to be delivered to said address. EACH address will need their own account and different email.
* Eliminate any past resident mail that you are physically receiving – write “MOVED – MLNA” (moved left no address) and place in your outgoing mail.
* Eliminate any past resident mail that is appearing in ID but you don’t physically receive it. Email the sender a removal request – Google the rerun address – normally a companies email is found in their privacy policy.
“I am receiving past resident mail and I would like that to STOP! Please remove this individual from your USPS mailing/marketing list.”
* Here is a list of common USPS junk/marketing mailers with easy opt outs – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VGd4iEy9jTsDbDcTj6EGcje-CkqoIeRCowXNhY2hmtk/edit?usp=drivesdk
* Eliminate your unwanted USPS mail (aka junk mail)
* work on having mail delivered in the same name variation – start with your credit reports (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion & Innovis)
Sharon
I am printing your reply. Thank you so much Robert!
Sharon
By the way, since both parents died the past 8 years, I am trying to take care of property (and with a severe spine injury myself, it is a slow process), and we never had this problem between 2 houses before. Knowing I’d have to be away a while, after forwarding expired, I paid 3 young boys next door to collect my mail daily until I return; yet, they said no mail was there. They were told my mail was being RETURNED TO SENDER.
Knowing I should have checks from a major online design site (Zazzle), Zazzle verified checks had been sent and were not returned, so I called the local post office there. Where’s my money? (Federal offense …)…
First, I was told I could not talk to the postmaster there since she wanted the person who answers the phone to handle the problems. Then, I was told all the following in the same conversation (which makes no sense – ‘felt as though I’d fallen into the Alice in Wonderland Rabbit Hole ….):
1. My mail was not returned to sender (so where are my checks?).
2. They could not deliver to a home if the resident was not there (yet, my taxes are paid, I have lawn service, etc. … and people do go on long vacations, etc. … and I paid good money to have my mail collected DAILY if it was there ….).
3. NO MAIL HAD COME TO ME at the post office (not true … recall the paychecks for instance…).
4. I could pay PREMIUM FORWARDING which is something like $20.00 weekly …
HOWEVER, why would I if they said no mail had come to the post office for me (which was a lie)?
I have spoken to quite a few people since as I contacted everyone up to the Governor and US Attorney General, and I guarantee you, they most probably returned my mail to sender and have totally screwed up everything …
Robert
Did you by chance do a temporary forwarding? These now have issues – my parents are snowbirds and they used to temp forward their mail to FL each year. Three years ago they did this like normal and it was a sh*t show.
They now only have important mail being delivered to their main home (eliminated all unwanted mail) so if there is anything they physically need they have a neighbor mail that to them.
They used to have the neighbor “forward” the mailer but last year they had issues with that so now the neighbor places in new envelope with new postage.
Robert
To help you understand USPS’s comment – “ They could not deliver to a home if the resident was not there”.
Mail carriers are trained to look for signs of addresses being used fraudulently and some take this to the extreme.
They also look for signs that something medically has happen to resident – welfare check type i
scenarios.
They are also trained (take it upon themselves) to Hold then RTS any mail that is left in a mailbox for over a certain time frame. The normal is check your mailbox once a week. But if you receive lots of mail this could change to every other day.
Your mail carrier uses those weekly/monthly mailers (coupon inserts/magazines) to determine when you last checked your mailbox. They may also use the delivered paid/free newspaper in your driveway. And magazine subscriptions.
So work on eliminating those mailers first – weekly/monthly coupon inserts like SAVE, MsPark, etc.
SAVE – https://www.save.com/mailing/delivery-options
MsPark – https://mspark.com/list-removal/
Enter name as it appears on mailer (Postal -first name & Customer – last name). Phone number 555-555-5555. Email use your fake/junk email (use an old AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail account). Unsure of your old email accounts – see website truepeoplesearch.
Val-Pak – https://www.valpak.com/coupons/show/mailinglistsuppression
Clipper Clipper Magazine, Local Flavor, Mint magazine, REACH, Great Deals, Market magazine, Get1Free, Prestigious Living, Home & Decor Ideas, House 2 Home) – https://clippermagazine.com/mailing-list-removal/
Vegas we have –
Home Concepts – http://www.homeconceptsmagazine.com/contact/
LV Gold – email removal request to [email protected]
I have a list of opt outs for the free newspapers delivered via USPS or thrown in driveway if need be.
Sharon
I’ actually trying to reply to Robert, but there’s no link after the last repy; however, thanks Robert! You are great to help. Re the mailman though, we’ve known him for a million years it seems …. practically since 1970 when we bought the house, and I communicate with the neighbors regularly, so all he has to do is ask them.
Bea
Is there any way to determine if an address can/cannot receive USPS? We get packages returned back to us for “undeliverable as address” and turns out the customer is in a rural area where post office packages needs to be sent to a PO BOX address, but the customer gave us their physical address instead.
Robert
Search the address in website Melissa Data (lookups/personator) – they get their info from USPS.
You can also search the address in USPS address lookup – https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm
Bea
Thanks Robert! The Melissa website is very helpful.
Richard Warren
Lady at the post office said USPS would not deliver to my address as it was a rented property. Do you know if this is true?
Rockwell Sands
Hi Richard – this doesn’t seem to be accurate. As long as you filed a change of address with USPS, they should deliver to any address you currently keep residence at. It doesn’t matter if it’s rented or owned.
Robert
Search your address in the website Melissa Data – any error codes?
Contact USPS address management to have these error codes corrected – https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/address-management-system
Robert
By rented do you mean Airbnb?
Airbnb’s don’t receive mail/packages – this helps protect the owner from having to evict someone who receives mail.
Also, when you forward your mail everything isn’t forward (only first class). So this keeps the address from receiving past resident non-first class mail (aka junk mail). Can you imagine how many individuals stay at Airbnb’s that would be a huge amount of unwanted mail being delivered.
Keith
My guess it is one of those unknown rules that most people would never consider, but something that allows property owners of short term rentals can deny because of the nature of those properties where people rent for a long weekend or vacation week.
If it affected all rental properties to deny address changes to, then those who rent an apartment or house for the long term would never get mail at their home they rent. I’ve made numerous address changes over the past 30 years to apartments and never had a problem, my mail has always followed me.
I would have questioned her about what specifically was the reason and find out if it was actually because it was something short term that maybe the property owner didn’t want to occur because it was merely an airbnb or similar type property.