Mailbox location on a rural road

[Oaktree]

Here the same. I put mine before the drive and the gal very nicely asked that i move it over to the other side and put it down low enough so she can reach in!

Why does the post office care which side of the driveway your mailbox is on? I get that they'd want it at a height that matches the window of the carrier's vehicle, but the other part I don't get. It's not like you get so much snow in N.C. that keeping access clear should be a problem.
Mine has been before the driveway everywhere I've lived for the past 45+ years and the PO's never complained.

 

[ruffdog]

From the usps site:

Here are some helpful guidelines to follow when placing your mailbox:
Position your mailbox 41″ to 45″ from the road surface to the bottom of the mailbox or point of mail entry.
Place your mailbox 6″ to 8″ back from the curb. If you do not have a raised curb, contact your local postmaster for guidance.
Put your house or apartment number on the mailbox.
If your mailbox is on a different street from your house or apartment, put your full street address on the box.

 

[jaxs]

Even hipsters fresh out of bright lights should quickly realize why rural mailboxes should placed a few yards past owner's private drive. Life long country curmudgeons know but like going against the grain. Here's why. People often wait in their drive for mail delivery. When carrier approach's box she see's patron getting out of car or stepping to edge of road and pull's over to hand patron mail. If person in drive is a motorist pulled over using phone,changing a diaper or such the carrier can usually tell by their reaction so she pull's past them, throw's mail in box, and scoot's away. If carrier mis-judge's and pass'es patron,patron can still get mail from box. If box is before drive and carrier pull's past box before realizing it's only a loiter,mail isn't deliverd unless carrier back's up(which isn't going to happen). Now I'm going down and wait for my stemless check.

 

[Ford850]

If you put it past your driveway, your carrier can deliver your mail to your house when they have packages that don’t fit in the box. That way, if you are not home when they drop off a package they can put regular mail in the mailbox afterwards since they aren’t supposed to leave mail loose. If it’s before your drive, they will leave regular mail in the box then pull in your drive to deliver boxes at your house, not taking a chance in case you aren’t home to hand you letters.

 

[Wakey]

I’d suggest getting the largest box you can find. That seems to keep USPS off my driveway and from turning around on my lawn even though I have plenty of driveway area.
At my previous property I used the big box to cut down on the dreaded yellow slip which required you to pick up the package at their location. (I had a locked gate)

 

[MossRoad]

Many of the driveways in this neighborhood are near each other with a strip of grass between them. Both mailboxes are usually in that strip. So one is past the driveway and the other before it. Sometimes there's a 3rd for 4th mailbox in the grass strip for houses across the street. There's no rhyme or reason as to where they place them in relation to the driveways. The more mailboxes in a group, the fewer stops for the truck.

 

[goeduck]

We have a theft problem so almost everyone has lockable mailboxes. They solve the theft problem for sure, but make more work for the mail carrier. Not nearly as much fits in the slots which means they then have to drive to the house or in some cases they just leave mail on top or beside the box. I had a $40K check once in a big envelope that said Do Not Fold (not sure why). The carrier left it beside the box. I knew it was coming so I was checking every 15 minutes but still. After that I set up a P.O. Box for all important things.

 

[oosik]

Maybe it's just that we are out in the country/sticks here. The postal service has a few requirements. Approved mail box - specific height - specific side of the county road. On N/S roads box is to be on the East side. On E/W roads box is to be on the South side.

 

[JethroB]

Maybe it's just that we are out in the country/sticks here. The postal service has a few requirements. Approved mail box - specific height - specific side of the county road. On N/S roads box is to be on the East side. On E/W roads box is to be on the South side.

It seems pretty much the same here. I am hesitant to ask the PO or carrier as I might not like the answer. Sometimes its best to not ask and hope for forgiveness.

I am the OP. I am looking to avoid the muddy trench created by the the carriers right wheels making a mess across the end of my driveway. (where he pulls off the pavement onto the soft dirt shoulder.) I will put my box far enough to one side of my driveway to avoid his trench cutting across it. The common solution seems to be adding gravel to said trench occasionally.

Thanks for the posts.

 

[Wakey]

One of my neighbors has what looks like a full size commercial locking toolbox bolted to a slab. It is about 35 feet from the street on his long drive. It appears to be a secure place to leave deliveries.

We don’t have any theft issues and very few close their gates at the road.

This seems like another way to keep most delivery drivers off your drive but for me, I doubt it is a wise way to spend the money.