Does USPS Deliver Packages To Your Door Or Mailbox? 2024

By Phillip Adcock
Last updated: Dec 7, 2023
Does USPS Deliver To Door

The United States Postal Service is a government-operated postal service responsible for delivering letters, packages, and other mail matters.

USPS may be an old-fashioned delivery company, but its service is as important as ever. If you’re wondering, “Does USPS deliver to your door?” you’ve come to the right place. We’ll answer all of your questions that are related to this problem.

Does USPS Deliver To Door In Their Policy?

USPS will not deliver your letters or packages to the door; the carrier will then leave your items and any packages contained therein straight into your mailbox. If any heavier packages can’t fit in it, the postman may have to place these on the ground next to it instead.

Nevertheless, there is an exception that they bring the package to the front door if the recipient is considered in physical hardship. To get more detail, let’s dive right into these questions below!

Where Do USPS Leave Packages?

They will leave your package in your mailbox. However, some cases might happen: the parcel doesn’t fit your mailbox, or you don’t have one in front of your house.

They will leave your package in your house yard or near the door in this situation. However, if the parcel is valuable or it requires your signature, the courier may bring it back to the post office so you can go there to receive it later.

Where Do USPS Leave Packages

How Can You Have USPS Deliver To Your Door?

Some people in America live with mobility issues, which can be unpleasant. Getting the mail or packages delivered to your door sometimes is not an option when you have such an issue. 

Well, what happens if you need the postal service from America to deliver letters and packages to your home more often than normal? They also work with people who face challenges receiving mail due to disabilities or physical challenges like limited mobility.  

To qualify for priority, your physical accessibility can be one of the following cases:

  • Being bedridden or unable to walk due to surgery. 
  • Inability to retrieve mail at a mailbox across a busy street, up a steep hill, or down numerous steps due to mobility impairment (i.e., wheelchair).

You have to send the post office a request for special delivery privileges. 

To have your request approved, you need to fill out and send in the application form along with your doctor’s note. You will also need to send an additional personal statement supporting your request for door delivery.

Unfortunately, the U.S Postal Service might not approve your request whether or not you are in physical hardship if you’re not living alone. 

Nevertheless, should you feel this should not apply to you and give USPS proof for why this should not be so, you are within your rights to argue with them and make the necessary arrangements about this policy!

Can You Ask USPS To Leave The Package At A Specific Place?

Did you learn the fact that the postal service from America offers a service called Delivery Instructions? They give you the option of sending and arranging to deliver your mailpieces in either way that is convenient for you and as per your wishes, as long as your parcel is eligible. 

So, in case you wish to have them delivered further away from the mailbox or somewhere else, for instance, you can certainly arrange this through instructions online. You can also ask them to hold onto the mail entirely and pick it up yourself.

Additionally, you can also have the item forwarded to an alternative destination. You can send it over to a friend or neighbour if you’re not in town at that time. 

Feel free to check out their website for more information on how re-routing works. If you decide to use their Priority Mail service and pay the fees, you can get a bunch of other great options like money back and get faster shipping there!

Does USPS Priority Mail Get Delivered To Your Door?

USPS Priority Mail

By checking out the tracking information in US Post Service Priority Mail, you will know whether or not the Delivery Instruction option is available. 

If it is, then you can choose a location with which it will be left on your property (next to the door, at another address, or even in your mailbox) and avoid any unnecessary wait time.

Why Do They Bring Your Parcel Back To The Post Office?

You receive notification from the post office that your package is being held at the office, even though you didn’t ask for it. This situation happens a lot, and here are some reasons behind it:

Signature required

For documents or packages that require verification of the recipient’s identity, the shipper has to ask for your signature. In case you are not at home, they will keep the package at the post office.

Bad weather

Inclement weather can affect your mailman’s plans. They obviously won’t leave a package on your doorstep if there is nowhere to put it that isn’t going to make it wet or cold! 

So if you’re expecting a delivery and it’s rainy or snowy heavily outside, the best thing you can do is check your mailbox first. 

If they have taken a package back to the office, they will leave you a notice letting you know that it wasn’t feasible for them to drop off the piece of mail at your residence today.

No secure location

Every courier knows that delivery should take place in a secure area to avoid theft and damage, not like parking lots, front porches, or driveways. 

If your parcel is valuable and cannot find a secure place to leave it, they might bring it back to the post office.

Ferocious dog

The post office won’t deliver any packages to anyone’s house if they have a dog without any supervision. The simple fact is that it doesn’t like strangers, and they can’t risk being bit by an angry pet and losing time from work because of it.

That’s why if you happen to have a dog at your home, deliveries will be temporarily suspended until you are available at home. 

That’s not to say this is just some unwritten law; it’s simply common sense. There are 99 cases out of every 100 where a dog doesn’t get along with strangers in their homes, including the mailman.

Treacherous driveways

For those who live on the outskirts or in rural areas, the courier will experience long and winding drives that may be dangerous in the wintertime. Due to this, many delivery drivers can’t bring the packages all the way to your doorstep/residence.

It’s best to check with the post office beforehand if you’re in this situation so they can help you determine what options are available to you when it comes time for deliveries, so you don’t get let down later on.

Final Thoughts 

Here on our blog, we try to provide you with the most up-to-date information you must know about shipping and postal services, and that’s why we’re writing about USPS today because there’s nothing worse than having to wait all day for a package to be delivered.

We hope this article was able to help you answer any questions or concerns that you may have had.

Related USPS Source:

* Disclaimer: We do not buy, sell or provide service, we only share with you our trusted sources, and experience. In case of any changes in the products or services of the companies, all the information below is supposed to change at any time.

Phillip Adcock is the founder and Managing Director of the research agency Shopping Behaviour Xplained (SBXL), a shopping research organization using psychological consumer insight to explain and help consumers answer their questions about stores and services.

0 Comments
Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *