• Rural mailboxes are subject to specific USPS guidelines.Mailbox Peak image by Brandon Wagner from Fotolia.com
  
  Although purchased and installed by the homeowner, a mailbox is considered the property of the U.S. Postal Service and is only to be used for deliveries by a mail carrier. An inadequate or non-regulation mailbox receives a notice from the postal carrier that delineates improvements to be made to the mail box. Rural homeowners are subject to specific guidelines provided by the U.S. Postal Service.
  
  

Height and Size Requirements

• Generally, the height of a curbside mailbox should be between 41 and 45 inches from the road surface. Lettering should be at least one inch high. The actual size of the box can vary, as long as mail can be deposited easily. The postmaster must approve custom-made mailboxes.
  
  

Placement

• In general, a rural curbside mailbox must be placed on the right side of the road in the direction of the carrier's route. Mailboxes may be placed on the left if the traffic conditions allow for the driver to safely drive to the left to make deliveries.
  
  

Multiple Users

• Up to five families may use the same mailbox on a rural route. The postmaster must have on file an agreement signed by all the families wishing to use the same mailbox.
  
  

Mail That Cannot Be Left in the Mailbox

• Carriers are not required to go to the door of rural residences in the case of a large parcel or postage due letter. They are only required to blow their vehicle's horn from the location of the mailbox and wait a short time for the resident to come to the vehicle. Large packages can be left at the mailbox if a written request is on file from the resident.
  
  

Mailbox Decorations

• Advertising may not be placed on a mailbox. Decorations either placed on or incorporated as part of a mailbox are acceptable, as long as the carrier is not impeded in delivering the mail by the decorations or hardware protruding from the mailbox.
  
  

Second Receptacle

• A newspaper delivery box may share the same pole as a mailbox. It must not touch the mailbox, however, and it must be flush with the front of the mailbox when the mailbox is closed. The newspaper receptacle may have the name of the newspaper on it and it must not rely on the mailbox for support.