While postal carriers endeavor to deliver mail during or after a snowstorm, they are not required to do so to properties where there are hazardous conditions -- such as icy steps, snow-packed paths or icy overhangs. The U.S. Postal Service generally accepts the mail carrier’s judgment as to what constitutes a hazard. It is your responsibility to make sure your mailbox is safely accessible whether your mail is walked to your door or delivered curbside as part of a driven route.
If your mail carrier typically delivers to your door, shovel the sidewalk in front of your house as well as a path from the sidewalk to your front door or porch. Apply ice melt or salt to this path to prevent ice formation and check daily to ensure that drifting snow and other changing conditions have not created new hazards. Always salt painted porches and steps as they are particularly slippery when wet or icy and consider installing rubber-backed mats and treads. Clear porch roofs and other overhangs of accumulated snow if they present a hazard and you can clean them safely.
Dig out your mailbox if it is plowed in and create enough space for your carrier to safely pull up to and then away from your mailbox. If your mailbox is damaged or removed by a passing snowplow, contact your local authorities about replacing it – municipalities have different guidelines and processes for replacing mailboxes damaged by plows.
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