Regulation For The Accomodation Of Mailboxes
And Newspaper Delivery Boxes On Public
Highway Rights-of-way

No mailbox or newspaper delivery box (hereafter referred to as mailbox) will be allowed to exist on Hancock county rights-of-way if it interferes with the safety of the traveling public or the function, maintenance. or operation of the highway system.

The location and construction of mailboxes shall conform to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Postal Service as well as to standards established by Hancock County.

A mailbox installation that conforms to the following criteria will be considered acceptable unless in the judgment of the Highway Engineer, the installation interferes with the safety of the traveling public or the function, maintenance, or operation of the highway system.

Location:
Mailboxes shall be located on the right-hand side of the roadway in the direction of the delivery route except on one-way streets where they may be placed on the left-hand side. The bottom of the box shall be set at an elevation established by the U.S. Postal Service. The roadside face of the box shall be offset from the edge of the traveled way as follows: the width of the all-weather shoulder present plus 8 to 12 inches or on curbed streets, the roadside face of the mailbox shall be set back from the front face of a flat faced curb 6 to 12 inches or 6 to 12 inches from the back of a roll curb, or 8 to 12 inches behind the edge of pavement/road.

Where a mailbox is located at a driveway entrance. it shall be placed on the far side of the driveway in the direction of the delivery route.

Where a mailbox is located at an intersecting road, it shall be located a minimum of 100 feet beyond the center of the intersecting road in the direction of the delivery route. This distance shall be increased to 200 feet when the average daily traffic on the intersecting road exceeds 400 vehicles per day.

Structure:
Mailboxes shall be of light sheet metal or plastic construction conforming to the requirements of the U.S. Postal Service. Newspaper delivery boxes shall be of light sheet metal or plastic construction of minimum dimensions suitable for holding a newspaper.

No more than two mailboxes may be mounted on a support structure unless the support structure and mailbox arrangement have been shown to be safe by crash testing. However, lightweight newspaper boxes may be mounted below the mailbox on the side of the mailbox support.

Mailbox supports shall not be set in concrete unless the support design has been shown to be safe by crash tests when so installed.

A single 4-inch x 4-inch or 4-1/2-inch diameter wooden post or a metal post with a strength no greater than a 2-inch diameter standard strength steel pipe and embedded no more than 24 inches into the ground will be acceptable as a mailbox support. A metal post shall not be fitted with an anchor plate, but it may have an anti-twist device that extends no more than 10 inches below the ground surface.

The post-to-box attachment details should be of sufficient strength to prevent the box from separating from the post top if the installation is struck by a vehicle.

The minimum spacing between the centers of support posts shall be three-fourths the height of the posts above the ground line.

Mailbox support designs not described in this regulation will be acceptable if approved by the Highway Engineer.

Removal of nonconforming or unsafe mailboxes:
All mailboxes and newspaper delivery boxes installed after February 1, 1997, shall in addition to the requirements of the U.S. Postal Service, be built and located in a manner that complies with these standards.

Any mailbox that is found to violate the intent of this regulation shall be removed by the landowner upon written notice by Hancock County. At the discretion of the County, based on assessment of hazard to the public, the landowner will be granted not less than 24 hours nor more than 30 days to remove an unacceptable mailbox. After the specified removal period has expired, the unacceptable
mailbox will be removed by Hancock County at the owner's expense.