Massachusetts Residents May Receive Their Mail Late This Winter

Massachusetts residents may see some days where they don't receive their mail this winter. I'm not just talking about the typical winter holidays. If you're a resident who fails to properly clear snow in front of your mailbox your mail carrier will skip your house for mail delivery resulting in late deliveries until the snow is properly cleared. Outgoing letters and bills won't be picked up either. Another option is you can pick up your mail at the post office but with the busy schedules everyone has nowadays that's just one more thing to suck up your time.

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I Made the Mistake of Not Properly Clearing Snow in Front of My Mailbox

There was a time at my house when I missed out on receiving mail for a day. Like anyone who has experienced our share of classic Massachusetts storms throughout the years, I would go outside after each storm, snow blow, and shovel. In my early years of owning a home, I shoveled in front of the mailbox but didn't clear enough snow to meet the post office's requirements. As you may expect, I didn't receive my mail and as a result one of my bills didn't get paid on time. You can imagine what happened next. You're correct. I ended up getting slapped with a late fee.

What is the Correct Way Massachusetts Residents Should Clear Snow From a Mailbox?

It is recommended that you clear snow from a 30-foot swath in front of the mailbox -- 15 feet before the mailbox and 15 feet after it.

See the Official Mailbox Snow Clearing Diagram from the U.S. Post Office

The United States Post Office also asks that the following three items be cleared of snow to prevent injuries to your letter carrier.

• walkways
• stairs
• overhangs

It doesn't matter where you live in Massachusetts whether it's Boston, Springfield, Worcester, etc. if you don't clear snow in front of your mailbox correctly there's a chance you won't receive your mail on time. Make sure you remove the snow right away and correctly and you'll save yourself a headache in the long run.