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Placement and installation of the mailbox

Posti is responsible for selecting the mailbox location

There is a lot to consider when selecting the location of a mailbox:

Can the delivery vehicle stop in a place that is safe for everyone?
How well can road maintenance and plowing be performed?
On which side of the street does the mailbox need to be so that the deliverer does not have to drive back and forth on the same street?
How should mailboxes be grouped to ensure smooth mail and newspaper delivery?

Posti is responsible for taking these and many other issues into consideration. This is why you can’t select the mailbox location yourself. Leave it to us! We also cooperate with municipalities and the Ely Centres in charge of road maintenance. Read more about the cooperation with municipalities ,

If you are erecting a mailbox, please contact Posti Customer Service first. Our local representative will get in touch with you and advise you with regard to the correct mailbox location based on your address. The principles of mailbox placement are based on the Postal Act as well as the regulations of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency.

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A good mailbox is easy to use

Select a mailbox that is

the right size for your needs
safe
easy to use
robust and practical for the Finnish weather conditions

You have to acquire and install the mailbox yourself and cover the related costs and maintenance.

Mail delivery is easier if the deliverer can open the mailbox wide enough to easily place all the mail inside. Make sure that there are no sharp edges in the opening of the mailbox to prevent the deliverer or the mail recipient from injuring their hand.

Mark your address on the mailbox

On the mailbox, clearly mark your complete street address including numbers and, preferably, the last names of each resident. You can also mark the names on the inside of the lid for added space and privacy.

Ensure sufficient distance from the road

To ensure safe road maintenance, the mailbox should be placed at a sufficient distance from the road. This way, the mailbox won’t fall over during snow plowing, for example.

In urban areas, mailboxes should be at a minimum distance of 50 cm from the edge of the sidewalk or roadway.

In sparsely populated areas, mailboxes are placed approximately 50–70 cm from the outer edge of the roadside or lay-by and approximately 1 m from the edge of the roadway. If the road slopes abruptly or it has been widened to accommodate mailboxes, the mailboxes can be placed closer to the road.

Set up the mailbox securely

Sink the feet of the mailbox or mailbox rack firmly in the ground at a minimum depth of 40 cm. Support the feet properly.

According to the official recommendation, the mailbox opening should be at a height of 100 cm from the road surface. Placing the mailbox 10–20 cm higher makes delivery from a vehicle easier. It will protect the deliverer from work-related strain injuries when reaching out from the window of the vehicle.

Dig carefully with a shovel as there may be subsurface cables or other technology. Avoid using an iron bar to avoid accidentally hitting them. Usually, the local electricity, phone or district heating company can provide you with more information on cable locations.

You can create a rack for a group of mailboxes

Grouped mailboxes can be installed either individually or on a shared rack. The mailboxes in the group don’t need to be identical but they need to be side by side and at the same height.

Between themselves, the mailbox owners can agree to build a rack for the mailboxes. The rack can be made, e.g. from metal or wood. Typically, the racks are similar in design to the picture. If there is a preference for a fundamentally different type of rack, this has to be arranged with the municipality’s building inspector.

Location of mailboxes and groups of mailboxes - diagram

Make sure that the mailboxes are mounted on the rack securely enough to withstand, e.g. the pressure of snow ejected from a snow plow.

Ensure access to the mailbox even in winter

Please make sure that the deliverer has easy access to the mailbox or group of mailboxes. For example, the residents are responsible for clearing snow in front of the mailboxes.

If your mailbox is in a group of several mailboxes in a public area or on another resident’s property, you should agree together on the way snow clearing and other maintenance work is shared.

Posti may be liable for damage that occurs to a mailbox when a public roadway or route is being plowed. However, we will assess each case individually.

What to do if you want to seek compensation:

Please notify us of the damage as soon as possible so that we can investigate the matter straight away.
Please let us know as accurately as possible when the damage occurred.
Please describe in detail the damage and the events leading up to it. Photos of the damage help with settling the issue.
Please provide your reasonable estimate of the value of the damage. It helps if you can include receipts to support your estimate, such as the receipt for the mailbox or the rack.

You can contact us here at Posti. You can find our contact information in the bulletin delivered to your home. We always try to come to an agreement with residents regarding mailbox locations.

If we are unable to reach a mutually satisfactory solution, you can refer the matter to your municipality’s construction supervision. If necessary, you can appeal the construction supervision’s decision to the administrative court. Cases are resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Postal Act.

The location of a mailbox is selected on the basis of several considerations. The seamlessness of mail delivery is important. Further considerations include road safety and road maintenance. We also discuss the location of mailboxes with the local newspaper company so as to take into account the work of newspaper deliverers.