5/18/23 - Get Your Mailbox Ready For Summer

The U.S. Postal Service is asking homeowners to make some changes and repairs to their mailboxes.

Mailbox Improvement Week is May 21-27.

The United States Postal Service is asking residents to inspect their mailboxes and make any needed repairs. 

“The Postal Service makes this annual request because of the wear and tear that occurs to mailboxes every year. Repairing suburban and rural mailboxes improves the appearance of communities and makes delivering and receiving mail safer for postal carriers and customers,” USPS said in a statement.

Those repairs can include:

• Replacing loose hinges on a mailbox door.

• Repainting a mailbox that may have rusted or has started to peel.

• Remounting a loosened mailbox post.

• Replacing or adding house numbers.

If your mailbox has to be replaced, you can only use a USPS-approved traditional, contemporary or locking full/limited service mailboxes.

Customers can use a custom-built mailbox but should talk to their local post office to ensure it conforms with guidelines applying to flag, size, strength and quality of construction.

(Mlive.com, By Leada Gore | lgore@al.com)