Curbside Mailbox Installation Policy/Procedure:

REGULATION FOR THE ACCOMODATION OF MAILBOXES AND NEWSPAPER DELIVERY BOXES ON PUBLIC HIGHWAY RIGHT-OF-WAYS.

No mailbox or newspaper delivery box will be allowed to exist on City of Superior right-of-ways if it interferes with the safety of the traveling public or the function, maintenance, or operation of the highway system. A mailbox installation that does not conform to the provisions of this regulation is an unauthorized encroachment under State Statue 86.04.

The location and construction of mailboxes shall conform to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Postal Service as well as to standards established by the City of Superior. A mailbox installation that conforms to the following criteria will be considered acceptable unless in the judgment of the City of Superior, the installation interferes with the safety of the traveling public of the function, maintenance, or operation of the highway stem. 

 LOCATION: 

No mailbox will be permitted where access is obtained from the lanes of a roadway.

Mailboxes shall be located on the right-hand side of the roadway in the direction of the delivery route. The bottom of the box shall be set at an elevation between 42" and 48" above the roadway surface. Mailboxes should be located so that a vehicle stopped at a mailbox is clear of the adjacent traveled way. On curbed streets, the roadside face of the mailbox shall be set back from the face of the curb with at a minimum distance of 6”. On residential streets without curbs, the roadside face of a mailbox shall be offset a minimum of 18” behind the edge of the pavement. Where a mailbox is located at a driveway entrance, it shall be placed on the far side of the driveway in the direction of the delivery route. Where a mailbox is located at an intersecting road, it should be located a minimum of 75 feet beyond the center of the intersecting road in the direction of the delivery route. Where a mailbox is installed in the vicinity of an existing guardrail, it should, where practical, be placed behind the guardrail.

STRUCTURE:

Mailboxes shall be of light sheet metal or plastic construction conforming to the requirements of the U.S. Postal Service. Newspaper delivery boxes shall be of light sheet metal or plastic construction of minimum dimensions suitable for holding a newspaper. No more than two mailboxes may be mounted on a support structure unless the support structure and mailbox arrangement have been shown to be safe by crash testing. Mailbox support shall not be set in the concrete unless the support design has been shown to be safe by crash tests when installed.

All exposed mailboxes should be firmly attached to supports that yield or break away safety if struck by a vehicle. Mailbox supports should be no more substantial than required to resist service loads and reasonably minimize vandalism. Nominal 4” X 4” square or 4” diameter wood posts or 1 ½” to 2” diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe posts, embedded no more than 36” in the ground, are the maximum strength supports that should be considered. Mailbox to post attachments should prevent mailboxes from separating from their supports under vehicle impacts. The lighter the mailbox, the easier it will be to meet this.

SHOULDER AND PARKING AREA CONSTURCTION:

It will be the responsibility of the postal patron to inform the City of Superior of any new or existing mailbox installation where should construction in inadequate to permit all-weather vehicular access to the mailbox.

REMOVAL OF NONCONFORMING OR UNSAFE MAILBOXES: 

Any mailbox that is found to violate the intent of this regulation shall be removed by the postal patron upon notification by the City of Superior. At the discretion of the City, based on an assessment of hazard to the public, the patron will be granted not less than 24 hours nor more than 30 days to remove an unacceptable mailbox. After the specified removal period has expired, the unacceptable mailbox will be removed by the City at the postal patron’s expense. 

Click here to view a standard curbside mailbox layout