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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Mailboxes, buildings
must have numbersQuestion: I know someone who does not put numbers on his mailbox or house for whatever reason. What is the post office policy if an owner refuses to put numbers on his mailbox or house? Can his mail not be delivered? It would be disturbing if everybody did this, because the ambulance, police and fire departments all rely on numbers to find a certain address when responding to an emergency.
Answer: You're confusing two different reasons and requirements for having address numbers clearly visible from the street -- mail delivery and emergency response.
The first is part of a federal regulation and the second is regulated by the counties. Around town, it's clear not everyone is aware of the two specific requirements.
Under the U.S. Postal Service's Domestic Mail Manual, every curbside mailbox is supposed to be identified in a specific way.
A house number must be on the mailbox if street names and numbers have been assigned by local authorities and the postmaster has authorized their use as a postal address, explained postal spokeswoman Lynne Moore, manager of consumer affairs in Hawaii.
Address numbers should be placed on the side of the mailbox, so they are visible to a letter carrier's regular approach, or on the door if boxes are grouped together.
If the mailbox is on a different street from the customer's residence for some reason, both the street name and house number must be on the box.
All that said, Moore said the postal service in Hawaii has been "very flexible" about this rule, so long as the house numbers are visible, either on the house, on a wall next to a mailbox or even painted on the curb.
The point of having an address clearly identified is because "you want correct delivery to the correct box," Moore said. Clear identification is "for purposes of proper delivery to the addressee."
The Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, meanwhile, require property owners to clearly identify their addresses on their homes or buildings -- not on mailboxes -- so that emergency vehicles can properly identify a home or building, said Timothy Hiu, acting chief of the city Building Division.
Under Section 2-9.2, the pertinent portion says: "All numbers shall be placed in such manner as to be readily seen from the street, roadway or lane, shall be of different color from the background on which they are placed, and shall be at least 2 inches in height. The number shall be placed in a permanent manner, chalk or other effaceable material not being permitted."
The ordinance also says an owner may supplement the building numbers with numbers painted on the curb fronting the building, Hiu said.
This method requires approval by the building division and does not replace the requirement that the numbers be on the building.
By not complying, a property owner faces a possible misdemeanor charge punishable by a $5 to $20 fine, with the fine being added every two weeks until the house or building is properly numbered, Hiu said.
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