12/26/07                                 TOWN OF MATTAPOISETT                                        

HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

508-758-4181

MAILBOX  POLICY : 

    It is the intent of this policy that the Highway Surveyor of the Town of Mattapoisett will deal with the public fairly, when handling replacement/repair of mailboxes which may have been damaged by a Town owned or Town hired vehicle.

    Mailboxes and mailbox supports are the property of the mail route patron. The Town of Mattapoisett does not issue written permits for the placement of mailboxes within the road right-of-way and are placed there at the owners risk.

    When there is an accumilation of snow, the location of mailboxes close to the road way makes plowing operations difficult and boxes become quite susceptible to damage as a result of such activity. It is Highway Department policy to use care and consideration when plowing snow in their vicinity. Despite this, some mailboxes will be damaged during the snow removal season. In the vast majority of cases it is the weight of snow coming off the snow plow which damages a mailbox. On occasion, the plow will hit and damage them.

 

The Mattapoisett Highway Department will repair or replace any damaged standard mailbox and/or support post when the following criterias are met:

 

1. It is determined that the Highway Department operators damaged the mailbox ; and
2. The mailbox had been properly installed and maintained prior to the damage occuring.(Mailboxes must meet USPS* installation guidelines-listed below.)

 

Note: If a Town owned or Town hired plow vehicle did not come in direct contact with the mailbox or support, but instead was damaged by the weight of the snow, or the mailbox door being left open, the mailbox and/or support will not be covered under this policy.

 

  If both criteria noted above are met, the Mattapoisett Highway Department will repair or replace your mailbox with the standard mailbox and/or support post we offer. If you do not want the standard mailbox and/or support post, you may repair or replace the mailbox/support at your own cost. We will not remove mailbox supports secured with concrete. We will only trim broken supports to the top surface of the concrete. Placement of the new support will be to either side of the existing concrete, unless you specify a new location or remove any existing concrete.

 

Guidelines established per USPS regulations regarding mailbox installation:

 

-         Mailboxes installed on streets with a curb must be 41” to 45” above street surface.

-         The face of the mailbox must be between 6” and 8”back from the edge of the road.

You can contact the Post Office with any questions regarding USPS mailbox installation guidelines.