It is a good time of the year to check your mailbox and make sure that it is sturdy in the ground and to do any necessary maintenance to it before the winter weather comes. The following are United States Postal Service (USPS) guidelines for installing a mailbox along the road. View the Ottawa County Road Commission flyer for Mailbox Basics. It is important to remember when installing a new mailbox that if the mailbox support is struck by a vehicle, it must easily break away.
- Supports shall either be a 4” x 4” wooden post or 1” to 2” round diameter steel or aluminum pipe or standard U-channel post.
- A 4” x 6” or 6” x 6” wooden post can be used only if the post is drilled through with an appropriate spade bit to create a breakaway post.
- Supports shall not be embedded more than 2 feet into the ground, nor shall supports be cemented into the ground.
- Mailbox shall be set back a minimum of 1 foot from the edge of the road shoulder.
- Mailbox height should be set between 41-45” from the street level.
- Unacceptable supports: anything filled with concrete, masonry and stone structures, heavy steel structures, large diameter wood posts, posts filled with an anchor plate, posts set in concrete, and object that were intended for other uses (e.g., antique plows, I-beams, etc.)
If your mailbox is damaged by Road Commission equipment or snow thrown from Road Commission equipment during winter maintenance operations, the property owner may receive a new standard mailbox and/or a single 4” x 4” wood post at one of the garage locations that are open Monday through Friday (except holidays) between 7:30 am and 3:30 pm. Please call (616) 842-5400 to schedule an appointment. The property owner is responsible for removal of the old mailbox/post and to install the replacement mailbox/post.
Click here to view the Ottawa County Road Commission Mailbox Damage & Replacement Policy.
Do you want to protect your mailbox this winter? Click here for instructions on how to build a low-cost snow deflector.