Contact the local post office before moving a mailbox. USPS must approve the delivery location, and a change that looks minor to a homeowner can affect carrier access, route safety, and the established delivery arrangement. HOA or contractor approval does not replace postal approval. [1]
Describe the proposed location
Give the postmaster a simple drawing or photographs showing the road, driveway, proposed box, and existing delivery point. Ask about the required height, setback, support, and vehicle clearance for that location. Curbside, wall-mounted, centralized, and accessibility-related arrangements can involve different requirements.
Do not assume a diagram for one roadway or development establishes the correct placement everywhere. Road authorities may have additional safety rules. A request to change sides of a road requires particular attention to the delivery route.
Install only after checking
Before digging a support hole, contact the applicable utility-location service and follow its instructions. Federal transportation guidance emphasizes calling 811 before excavation. [2]
Keep the approval and confirm how delivery will continue during the move. If disability makes the current box inaccessible, explain the need and ask about available delivery accommodations. Installing first and asking later risks missed delivery and the cost of relocating the box again.
Example: a driveway project changes access
If a new driveway, gate, or landscaping project would move the mailbox farther from the established route, obtain postal guidance during planning. A contractor may be able to install the box physically while overlooking whether the carrier can serve it safely without changing the route. Ask about visibility, stopping space, and access in snow or other local conditions.
Utility marking is also a practical step, not a substitute for postal approval. The box can be in a postal-approved location but still require compliance with digging and road-right-of-way rules. Keep those permissions distinct. [2]
For a new development or cluster-box arrangement, the local delivery plan may determine where residents receive mail. An individual resident cannot necessarily create a curbside delivery point unilaterally. If the existing arrangement creates a disability-related barrier, document the functional problem and request the appropriate accommodation process rather than moving the receptacle without notice and hoping the carrier will use it.
Mailbox access can be affected by a dog-related delivery interruption or a USPS hold, each needing its own resolution.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.