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Parking in front of mailboxes now illegal in South Salt Lake

Jan 08, 2020 02:19PM ● By Bill Hardesty

It is now illegal to park a vehicle in front of a mailbox in SSL. (Pat Hardesty/City Journals)

By Bill Hardesty | [email protected]

Here is an interesting fact: there is no federal, state or city law against parking a vehicle in front of a mailbox. 

Until now. 

As of Dec. 4, you cannot park a vehicle within 10 feet of a street side mailbox within the South Salt Lake city limits. 

The 10-foot mark is on either side and the law is in effect between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The police will not be actively enforcing the law. However, the law now allows a resident to call about a vehicle that is blocking their mailbox.

The concern of the South Salt Lake City Council was that when a mailbox is blocked, the mail isn't delivered, which means important deliveries like medicine could be missed.

Another obstacle of not getting mail is the weather. A search of USPS.gov did not uncover specific guidelines on how far snow must be moved back from a mailbox. The website did mention that carriers are instructed not to get out of their vehicles to deliver or collect mail in a street side mailbox. This is to avoid hazards such as slips and falls on an icy road. 

The notice does mention that, "The approach to and exit from the mailbox should be cleared sufficiently on both sides to allow the carrier to drive ahead and not be required to back up after delivery."

It is up to the mail carrier to suspend mail service if the approach to the mailbox is not safe.