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Installing a Mailboxes
This is a guide to residents on proper installation of a mailbox as well as other mailbox information. It is developed cooperatively with the Janesville Post Office and the City of Janesville. If you are constructing a new home within the City of Janesville, please have your builder follows these guidelines.
Where to Install a Mailbox
Contact a delivery supervisor at the Janesville Post Office (754-5555) to find out on which side of the street your mailbox should be installed. Mailboxes should be located far enough from the driveway so that the mailbox can be serviced without obstructing the driveway. Avoid installing mailboxes at blind spots or poor sight locations.
How to Install a Mailbox
All Mailboxes
- Mailbox door must be 6"-9" from face of curb.
- Mailbox height must be 42" to 48". (From bottom of mailbox to ground.)
- The box-to-post attachment should work well to prevent the separation of the box from the support post when struck.
- Mailbox supports should only be made out of wood, steel pipe, or steel channel. It can be dangerous if a car, bike, or motorcycle hits a mailbox made of brick or stone, etc., and the property owners may be held liable for damages.
- Even if your street number is on your mailbox, it must also be displayed on your house.
- Mailbox should state "Approved by U.S. Post Office Dept."
Wooden Post Mailboxes
Mailboxes with wooden supports are the most common in the City of Janesville. Wooden support posts should be 4" x 4" if square, or 4-1/2" in diameter if round. The wooden posts should be embedded no more than 24" into the ground and compacted with sand or gravel -- not concrete.
The diagram at below will guide you with your wooden post mailbox installation.
Metal Post Mailboxes
Steel pipe mailbox posts should not exceed 1-1/2" inside diameter. Steel channel mailbox supports should not exceed 2 pounds per foot. The post should be embedded no more than 24" into the ground. Do not embed in concrete. If you use anti-twist flanges, they should not be embedded more than 10 inches into the ground. Below is a sample of a metal post mailbox.
Multiple Mailboxes
No more than two mailboxes should be mounted on wooden or metal supports.
If you need to install more than two, the Department of Transportation recommends that the boxes be placed on independent supports and spaced at a safe distance from each other. Supports should be spaced apart at a distance equal to at least 75% of the height of the box and support. For example, if the mailbox is 46" off the ground, the supports should be at least 34" apart. See the illustration below.
Also, multiple mailbox units are commercially available. If you choose one of these, make sure it carries the AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officers) seal of approval.
Mailbox Complaints
If your mailbox is damaged as a result of snowplowing operations, please contact the City Services Center Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to report it. City crews will temporarily repair the mailbox according to postal regulations by installing a wooden post and box if needed. When the ground thaws, they will permanently repair it. For safety reasons, plastic and decorative (nonstandard) mailboxes and supports will be repaired only with standard mailboxes
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