You’ve Got Mail
Stricter multifamily mailbox rules now apply.
Building a new property permitted by local jurisdictions after Sept. 3, 2006? Then you will need to take note of new postal service regulations that became effective last month for the design, manufacture, and installation for wall-mounted mailboxes, outgoing mail receptacles, and parcel lockers. Among the new requirements:
- Individual resident mailboxes must have a minimum interior dimension of 3″high x 12″wide x 15″deep and must be oriented horizontally.
- Mailboxes must meet tougher tamper- and weather-resistance requirements.
- Parcel lockers are required if no other means of receiving a parcel is available. A minimum of one parcel locker with minimum interior dimensions of 15″high x 12″wide x 15″deep is required for every 10 dwelling units in a building.
- Retrofit requirements do not apply when mailbox units in existing buildings are replaced, unless the building undergoes a substantial renovation that involves structural alterations in the mailbox area that creates an opportunity to accommodate the new design.
Manufacturers estimate that costs for mailbox units will increase by 15 percent to 30 percent as result of the more stringent rules, according to the NAHB.
–Rachel Z. Azoff