Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 31
  1. #1
    JustMe is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    7,688

    Default Does the US post office completely determine the location/placement of mailboxes

    Weird question, I know. I am moving into a new house and there was no mailbox, only a post. The previous owners had a p.o. box. So, I hired someone to install a mailbox on the post for me (should be an easy job, but I didnt know how so I hired someone). I went to the store and bought a nice locking mailbox. Well, the house right across the street was recently purchased as well and the woman comes to talk to me. She says she thinks she is supposed to share my post, as the post office told her they want all the mailboxes on the same side. I look across to her side of the street and sure enough I see no mailboxes. We are both perplexed by this and we are both in a hurry doing other things so part ways. (I was at the new house only for a few things, we have not moved in yet). As I drive down the street I see that in between the next 2 houses on my side, there are in fact 4 mailboxes and at least one I can identify as belonging to the house across the street from it. There is one difference in that these 2 houses have a small space between them and the mailboxes are in that space so it is not on anyone's property. .So now I think that the post office has said all the mailboxes have to be on my side of the street and therefore hers should be on my post or on a separate post next to mine. I realize I think the original post probably could have fit 2 mailboxes the way it was designed, although the person working for me had changed it a little already. Its weird b/c we had gone for a walk and right around the corner there is a mailbox in front of every house on both sides of the street.

    It seems petty, but it also seems weird to me that I would have to have someone else's mailbox on my property (now perhaps my property ends right before the mailboxes not sure_. I feel bad and dont want to be a jerk to this woman...but are there any thoughts on this other than just letter her do it? Do I have my mailbox installer person (who realized he did not have some parts) come back and make it so we can install both mailboxes, let the other woman install a separate post (which she said she would do)? Thanks!
    lucky single mom to 20 yr old dd and 17 yr old ds through 2 very different adoption routes

  2. #2
    Kymberley is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    2,240

    Default

    Our across the street neighbor's mailbox and our own is in our yard. The postal worker only drives down our street once, so all of the mailboxes are on the right side of her vehicle on this route. Hope that makes sense!

  3. #3
    Pear is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    1,856

    Default

    All boxes on one side of the street and multiple addresses worth of mail at each mail stop is the norm here. Our postal carrier only stops once per block.

  4. #4
    elliput's Avatar
    elliput is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    On a hill near a lake
    Posts
    9,352

    Default

    Since your mail box is roadside, you probably need to check with your county and/or state for any installation regulations, especially if you are on a road which will be plowed by county or state services.
    Erica
    DD 1/05
    DS 9/08

    Since one just does not simply walk into Mordor, I say we form a conga line and dance our way in.
    Excuse me, are you in a play​?

  5. #5
    kristenk is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Nov 1999
    Location
    .
    Posts
    6,041

    Default

    It seems to be a neighborhood-by-neighborhood kind of thing here. In my neighborhood, each house has its own mailbox in front of it. In a neighborhood not too far away, there's one large metal structure divided into multiple boxes (like my old apartment complex) that's shared by 8+ houses.

    I think she's correct that she's supposed to be on your side of the street. I'm guessing their sellers shared the post with your seller.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    3,991

    Default

    Where I grew up, mailboxes were all on one side of the road, but we did have separate boxes. My mother's house is the same way now. She walks across the street to get her mail from her neighbor's yard, but does have her own mailbox. I would have two separate mailboxes installed.

  7. #7
    JustMe is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    7,688

    Default

    Thanks everyone! I was ignorant about this, having never really lived in a non-attached home before and it took me by disguised. I am thinking I should call my installer back and have him make it so there can be 2 mailboxes on the post (the post was there already, so no questions about it placement).
    Last edited by JustMe; 07-04-2014 at 09:24 PM.
    lucky single mom to 20 yr old dd and 17 yr old ds through 2 very different adoption routes

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    ...
    Posts
    5,984

    Default

    Is her house directly across from yours or offset a bit? I guess I'd be surprised if the post was meant to hold both boxes unless the original owners went in on it together or it was original to the development (in which case you'd see this situation throughout). I'd think about what will look best to you and try to steer her in that direction. And she or you should stop by the post office to ask about the box. You likely don't own at least the front five feet of your property.

    At my new house all the boxes are on the same side (across from my house) but none of them are bunched together. The mail truck drives through and stops at each box he has mail for. Apparently the old woman who lives up the street had her box removed by the person across the street and the police had to get involved to have it put back where it should go. It kind of varies here but often the mailbox belonging to the house is at the end of the driveway and the mailbox belonging to the house across the street is opposite their driveway or path. We have open space across the street and our mailbox is neither so I have no idea why it was installed where it is. Where we were living last year ( a couple miles away but different town) they didn't deliver mail to our street and our box was out on the corner of the nearest major intersection about two blocks away. Each box was on a separate post and people just added to the end of the row willy nilly if they needed a box.
    momma to DD 12/08 & DS 3/13

  9. #9
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    .
    Posts
    47,708

    Default

    Is she new too? I'm so confused. Seems like she should already have had a mailbox.

  10. #10
    lhafer is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    5,534

    Default

    Sounds like you need something like this, where you and the across the street neighbor would split the cost.

    http://media-cache-cd0.pinimg.com/23...9a959aab47.jpg

    http://www.mailboxworks.com/resident...ultimount.html

    But it seems weird to me that you have to supply your own mail box if you live in a normal neighborhood (vs out in the country).
    Last edited by lhafer; 07-05-2014 at 11:07 AM.

Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •