Make Certain Your Mailbox Has This In New York State

The snow has stopped, for now, here in New York State. The winter is just a few days away and it looks like rain for at least the next few days. While we wait for the next snowstorm, you may want to get prepared.

Last week, portions of New York State received as much as 23 inches of heavy, wet lake effect snow. The interesting part for forecasters is that just days later, in the same area, there was a severe thunderstorm. That is very unusual for December.

When the snow was flying last week, the plows were out in full force. Once the snow stopped and the plows were parked, there was a new problem for some. Like most years, mailboxes were scattered on some of the roads. Whether it is a case of snowplow operator error, or a mailbox being placed in the wrong spot, every county and town has fielded calls about broken mailboxes at one time or another.

But did you know there is a certain height that the mailbox must be? The United States Postal Service has requirements as to how high a mailbox needs to be and how far from the curb it must be. This is not only to keep the snow from piling up over the mailbox but also for the letter carriers who drive along these routes.

Position your mailbox 41″ to 45″ from the road surface to the bottom of the mailbox or point of mail entry.

There are also certain dimensions for the mailbox if you decide to make your own or get a custom mailbox.

If you build your own mailbox or buy a custom-made one, it must meet the PMG standards.

Some towns will replace a mailbox that was hit by a plow as a COURTESY. For example, the Town of Wheatfield, in Niagara County says that:

...the Highway Department will, as a courtesy, place a temporary box so that a resident can receive mail.

As far as the forecast to start the first full week of December, there is more rain than snow.