Guidelines Regarding Snow Removal & Mail Delivery

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has a motto: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Like all mottoes, however, this affirmation needs to be taken with a few grains of salt, preferably rock salt. When snow and ice make roads and walkways treacherous, reasonable people will take precautions to preserve life and limb. The USPS will do no less while adhering to the spirit of its creed.

Who Makes the Rules

• Whether mail is delivered or not is largely determined by individuals rather than hard and fast rules.

  While the USPS board of governors is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, it nonetheless maintains a certain degree of sovereignty in its business operations. In fact, the Code of Federal Regulations only addresses the issue of snow removal in the context of post offices and mail processing centers, all federal facilities. With respect to inclement weather and the letter carriers, postal executives call the shots.

Extreme Conditions Require Extreme Caution

• Snow and ice can hinder post office operations.

  The chief executive of the USPS is the postmaster general, based in Washington, D.C. While retaining full executive authority, he defers to regional officials when it comes to rendering judgments about local road and sidewalk conditions during snowstorms and blizzards. When the middle Atlantic states were buffeted with blizzard conditions in February 2010, district postal authorities suspended operations for an entire day in some locations and for part of the day in others. Where conditions were extreme, post offices were closed due to employee absence.

Protecting People and Packages

• Regional postal officials work with postmasters to evaluate road conditions during blizzards.

  Ceasing operations is a rare occurrence. More often the post office is open for collection and processing but local road conditions dictate that the leadership should err on the side of safety. If public works departments are slow in plowing and salting the streets, this can result in suspended delivery. San Juan Island, Washington, experienced this in 2008, as this Pacific Northwest community was accustomed to little snowfall and lacked immediate access to the equipment needed for removal.

Boots on the Ground

• Mail recipients are responsible for keeping their boxes and properties accessible.

  Even with trucks are on the roads, mail delivery is still not guaranteed. When a weather emergency is impending, a USPS regional media spokesman issues a press release requesting public cooperation with keeping driveways and footpaths clear, as the Greater Michigan District did in January 2010. This message is both a plea and a warning: The letter carrier will make a decision with regard to navigability. Moreover, the postal carrier can withhold delivery from clustered mailboxes found in condominiums and planned developments if snow piles block access to them. Discernment used by the troops on the ground serves as the final arbiter of mail delivery in hazardous conditions.