ACCOMMODATION OF MAILBOXES AND NEWSPAPER DELIVERY BOXES ON COUNTY ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY
It is the policy of the Board of County Road Commissioners of Ionia County to require mailboxes and newspaper delivery boxes (hereinafter referred to as mailbox) located in the Ionia County Road Commission (ICRC) rights-of-way to be constructed in a manner which does not interfere with the safety of the traveling public or the maintenance and operation of the road system. A mailbox installation that does not conform to the provisions of this policy will be considered an unauthorized encroachment on the rights-of-way and removal shall be administered in accordance with State of Michigan Act 368, Public Acts of 1925, as amended. This policy is consistent with the rules and regulations of the U.S. Postal Service.
LOCATION:
* Mailboxes shall be located on the right-hand side of the roadway in the direction of the delivery route except on one-way streets where they may be placed on the left-hand side. The bottom of the box shall be set at an elevation, established by the U.S. Postal Service, usually between 42 inches and 48 inches above the roadway surface. Typically, the roadside face of the mailbox is offset 8 inches to 12 inches from the outside edge of the road shoulder. The local postmaster shall be contacted to obtain exact locations and heights.
* Exceptions to the lateral placement criteria may occur on residential streets and certain designated rural roads where it is in the public interest to alter the location. On curbed streets, the roadside face of the mailbox shall be set back from the face of the curb a distance between 6 inches and 12 inches. On residential streets without curbs, or on all-weather shoulders which carry low-traffic volumes and which operate at low speeds, the roadside face of a mailbox shall be offset between 8 inches and 12 inches behind the edge of the pavement.
* Where a mailbox is located at an intersecting road, it shall be located no closer than a minimum of 100 feet from the intersection. The distance may need to be increased if safety needs so require.
STRUCTURE:
* Mailboxes shall be of light steel, metal or plastic construction conforming to requirements of the U.S. Postal Service. Newspaper delivery boxes shall be of light steel, metal or plastic construction of minimum dimensions suitable for holding a newspaper.
* No more than two mailboxes may be mounted on a support structure unless the support structure and mailbox arrangement meet American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. However, lightweight newspaper boxes may be mounted below the mailbox on the side of the mailbox support.
* Mailbox supports shall not be set in concrete unless the support design has been shown to be safe by crash tests when so installed.
* A single 4-inch x 4-inch or 4 ½-inch diameter wooden post or a metal post with a strength no greater than a 2-inch diameter standard strength steel pipe and embedded no more than 24 inches into the ground will be acceptable as a mailbox support. A metal post shall not be fitted with an anchor plate, but it may have an anti-twist device that extends no more than 10 inches below the ground surface.
* The post-to-box attachment details should be of sufficient strength to prevent the box from separating from the post top if the installation is struck by a vehicle. AASHTO publication “A Guide for Erecting Mailboxes on Highways” (1984) documents acceptable attachment details and acceptable mailbox support assemblies.
* The minimum spacing between the centers of support posts shall be three-fourths the height of the posts above the groundline.
* A 911 Emergency house number, 6" x 18", may be placed below or above a mailbox where the top of the sign is no more than 18" above the top of the mailbox.
REMOVAL OF NONCONFORMING OR UNSAFE MAILBOXES:
* Any mailbox that is found to violate the intent of this policy shall be removed by the owner upon notification. At the discretion of the ICRC, and based on an assessment of hazard to the public, the owner will be granted not less than 24 hours or more than 30 days to remove an unacceptable installation. If not removed within the specified time, the installation will be removed by ICRC at the owner’s expense as provided by Act 368, Public Acts of 1925, as amended.
MAILBOXES DAMAGED BY ICRC:
It is the policy of the ICRC to replace all mailboxes and/or supports damaged or destroyed as a result of road maintenance activities, even though, by law, ICRC has no legal responsibility to do so. The replacement mailbox shall be the standard aluminum or plastic box which is approximately 19" long by 6-1/2" wide and 9" high. The replacement will be in accordance with ICRC regulations for mailboxes. Individuals who maintain boxes of another standard do so at their own risk. The ICRC is not responsible for the installation of the replacement mailboxes and post.
In the event the owner of the damaged mailbox declines the standard mailbox and/or support offered as a replacement, the owner may receive a cash settlement in full settlement of any claim in lieu of mailbox replacement. The cash settlement, if requested, shall be $20 for a standard size mailbox; $20 for a medium size mailbox and $20 for the largest sized mailbox. On state trunklines, ICRC will supply a standard mailbox and post, but cash settlement will not be received if damaged by our equipment.
ENCROACHMENT AND/OR OBSTRUCTION
It is the policy of the Board of County Road Commissioners of Ionia County to prohibit and, when necessary, to remove any encroachment and/or obstruction in the county road right-of-way. It is recognized that encroachments and/or obstructions along the roadways severely impact the convenience and safety of the motoring public. The removal of such encroachments and/or obstructions promotes safety for the motoring public, improves the aesthetics of the roadway, and lawfully eliminates interference with public and private utilities within the public road right-of-way. When removal is necessary, it is at the owner’s expense.
Simply defined, an encroachment and/or obstruction is the unauthorized use of highway right-of-way or easements. An encroachment and/or obstruction includes any object, vegetation, landscape, earthwork, sign, fence, and/or building; and other objects, including oversized mailboxes or posts. Oversized mailboxes and mailbox posts are the accommodation of mailboxes and newspaper delivery boxes on the public road right-of-way.
It shall be the policy of the Board of County Road Commissioners that this encroachment and/or obstruction policy be uniformly and fairly administered. The Board recognized that there are many encroachments and/or obstructions within what is commonly recognized as the right-of-way of the county road system. The Board also recognizes that these encroachments and/or obstructions constitute hazards to the motoring public ranging from non to severe and that the staff time available to identify, assess, recommend action, and follow-up on these accommodations and/or obstructions is recognized as being limited.
The managing director shall be charged with the responsibility of developing a procedure to implement this policy in accordance with Public Act No. 368 of 1925, as amended (MCL 247.171, MSA 9.251).
