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Mailbox Placement & Reinstallation
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Are you getting ready to install a new mailbox or newspaper delivery box along a county road? Here are some things you should know:
The location and construction of mailboxes shall conform to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Postal Service and the following standards established by the Van Buren County Road Commission. These standards were based on "A Guide for Erecting Mailboxes on Highways", published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, 1994.
Contact your local Post Office for instructions on the height (normally 42-46”) and side of the road where your mailbox should be located.
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Location
Reinstallation
Permitted Types of Mailboxes and Installations
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Location
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- On paved roads, the roadside face of the box must be offset the width of the shoulder plus 8 inches.
- On curbed streets, the roadside face of the box must be 8 inches from the face of the curb.
- On gravel roads, the roadside face of the box must be 2 feet from the edge of the graveled portion of the roadway.
- When a mailbox is installed in the vicinity of a guardrail, the box should be placed behind the guardrail when possible with the face of the box even with the back of the rail.
- When a mailbox is located at an intersection, the box must be a minimum of 100 feet on secondary roads or 200 feet on primary roads beyond the center of the intersection in the direction of the postal route.
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Documents/Forms:
Mailbox Placement Information
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Reinstallation
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reconstruction or utilities installation, it may become necessary to remove the mailboxes along a roadway. In this case, the Road Commission or contractor will reinstall mailboxes and posts to the standards specified by the Road Commission. Nonstandard mailboxes (i.e. multiple mailboxes, metal cylinders, structures made of brick, stone or other similar materials) and nonstandard posts (i.e. large steel post, railroad ties, telephone poles, etc.) will be replaced with a standard sheet metal mailbox and post. In the cases where the post or mounting system is in violation, then just the post will be replaced. This must be done because of the increased liability involved when an automobile leaves the road and strikes a nonstandard mailbox and post in the right-of-way.
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Permitted Types of Mailboxes and Installations
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- Mailboxes must be constructed of sheet metal, plastic or similar weight materials, with weight not to exceed 11 lbs.
- Newspaper boxes may be mounted below the mailbox on the side of the mailbox support or on their own post alongside.
- No more than two mailboxes can be mounted on a support structure unless the configuration has met U.S. Department of Transportation crash test standards.
- A single 4x4 inch square or 4 inch diameter wooden post, or light gage pipe with a strength no greater than 2 inch standard steel pipe, must be embedded no more than 24 inches in the ground.
- The mailbox and its support will be considered hazardous to motorists when the support exceeds the described structural limitations.
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Any mailbox that is in violation of these Regulations shall be immediately removed by the owner upon notification by the Road Commission. If the owner has not removed the mailbox, the Road Commission, in accordance with M.S. A. 9.251, will issue the owner an Encroachment Removal Order, whereupon the owner will be granted 30 days to remove the unacceptable mailbox. Thereafter, the mailbox will be removed by the Road Commission at the owner’s expense.
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