Mailboxes

Mailbox Maintenance

As the sports saying goes, the best offense is a good defense.  To defend your specialty mailboxes against the forces of snow removal operations, replacing a decorative or oversized mailbox with an inexpensive standard mailbox is a good offensive action.  Snow and ice coming off the plow at 35 MPH and in the mass quantities pack a much bigger punch than any snowball ever could!   

Before the ground freezes is a good time to check your mailbox installation to be sure it can weather the upcoming winter season by answering the following questions.

*Is the wood board your mailbox is setting upon in good condition?  Wood does rot over time and a deterioriated board is a major cause of your mailbox landing in your front yard from the snow coming off the plow.

*Are the nails to the board loose?  If so, it can become a projectile.

* How about the wood post in the ground?  Again, an old wood post may be rotten or that one small knot in it may become the place where the post "splits." 

* A simple check:  If you can physically juggle your mailbox installation and it "gives" a little, it will give out when the snow and ice removal season is here.

*If your mailbox has been in place for any length of time, weather can compromise a good installation.

*We do not recommend plastic mailboxes.  Plastic becomes brittle and shatters very easily in cold weather conditions. 

The Road Commission does not replace or repair mailboxes and posts. It is up to the landowner.  Landowners put their mailboxes in the road right-of-way without a permit from the Road Commission and at their own risk.  See the picture above and on our home page - that's a lot of snow (or ice) coming off.  Be prepared - "A stitch in time can save nine." and keep your mail coming.

Installation

Standard mailboxes are allowed without a permit in the road right-of-way as a public service.  Mailbox installation requirements are as follows:

The face of the mailbox shall be placed a minimum of 6' off the edge of the blacktop OR 1' behind the road shoulder, whichever is farthest from the centerline of the road.

Single mailboxes should be installed on 4" x 4" or 4.5" diameter wood posts or steel posts less than 3 lbs per foot.

These supports should be embedded with no more than 24" in the ground.

Multiple mailbox installations should be placed on individual supports spaced at least 3' apart.  Planks or structures for multiple installations are NOT allowed.

Mailboxes shall have colored or reflective numbers that are not less than one inch in size.  Groups of mailboxes must be in sequential order, if the box is not on the same side of the street as the residence.