Postal regulations
require curbside mailboxes to be USPS approved. They must be
installed so that the
bottom is at a vertical height between 42”
and 48” from the road
surface.
Replacing a mailbox?
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Potentially Lethal
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Safe and Attractive
City code requires the
mailbox door face to
be 6” to 8” back from
the edge of the pavement.
Safe
Streets
Mailbox Basics
A Guide for Homeowners
Before you buy, ask if
your new mailbox is
NCHRP-350 compliant.
City of Berkeley Lake
4040 S. Berkeley Lake Road
Berkeley Lake, GA 30096
Phone: 770.368.9484
E-mail: [email protected]
Did you know that in 2010 there were 7 fatalities
in Georgia and as many as 100 nation-wide involving vehicle collisions with mailboxes? Massive
supports such as rock or brick columns, plow
blades and railroad ties are potentially hazardous
to drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
Since
1995, the City of Berkeley Lake has required
“stake and arm” types of mailboxes. In 2008, the
city adopted the Federal Highway Administration’s
standard NCHRP-350 as an alternative for mailboxes
in the public street rights-of way.
The standard is based on years of research and
crash tests of various products on the market and
is the basis for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s acceptable standard on state highways.
It requires that mailbox posts bend or break-away
at ground level and that the box be of lightweight
material and securely fastened to the support to
minimize the possibility that it would detach and
crash through a windshield upon impact. Lightweight sheet metal, fiberglass, plastic and other
synthetic sheathings can turn ordinary posts into
attractive curbside amenities. Adherence to the
design guidelines will help make the city’s
streets safer for everyone.
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION
ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS FOR
RESIDENTIAL MAILBOXES
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.
1. Mailboxes supports shall not be set
in concrete unless the support design
has be shown to be safe by crash tests
when so installed.
2. A single 4”X4” or 4”diameter wooden
post or a metal post with strength no
greater than a 2”diameter standard
strength steel hollow pipe and
embedded no more than 24” 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” below the ground
surface.
3. The post-to-box attachment details
should be of sufficient strength to
prevent the box from separating from
the post top if a vehicle strikes the
installation.
4. The minimum spacing between the
centers of support posts shall be threefourths the height of the posts above
the ground on multiple mailbox
installations.