Mailboxes & Supports

Mailboxes shall be placed for maximum convenience to the patron, but shall be consistent with safety considerations for highway traffic, the carrier, and the patron. Mailbox locations shall minimize the walking distance within the roadway for the patron, maximize the stopping sight distance in advance of the mailbox, and shall not restrict the sight distance exiting the driveway. The placing of mailboxes along high-speed highways should be avoided if other practical locations are available.

Learn More About Mailbox Support Installation

Mailbox Support Diagram

St Louis County provides the following mailbox vendors as a convenience, but does NOT endorse any of them outside of vendors we are aware of. If you are a vendor and would like to be added to the list, please contact Public Works.

Proctor Builders Supply
132 3rd Avenue
Proctor, MN 55810
218-624-3651

Sim Supply
1001 7th Ave East
Hibbing, MN 55746
218-262-6125

Merher's ACE Hardware
48 East Chapman St
Ely, MN 55731
218-365-3129

See the Full Minnesota List

Any mailbox deemed unlawful by the St. Louis County Public Works Department, as defined by Minnesota Rules Chapter 8818 shall be replaced. If a support is deemed unlawful, the owner shall be notified in writing that the non-compliant mailbox or support shall be replaced within sixty days. Failure to comply with the County's mailbox policy will result in the removal of any non-conforming support at the owner's expense and misdemeanor prosecution of the property owner for a right-of-way violation.

The Public Works Department will replace all lawful compliant mailbox supports damaged by County equipment during snowplowing operations or other maintenance activities provided the support was properly installed according to U.S. Postal and St. Louis County Public Works Department standards. If the installation is a standard swing-away mailbox support and damage is caused to the vertical support by direct contact of the snowplow or maintenance equipment, then St. Louis County will repair or replace the support with a standard swing-away mailbox support as soon as possible. All replacements will be a standard swing-away mailbox support. St. Louis County will not be responsible for damage to non-standard mailbox support installations and will not replace supports damaged by third parties.

St. Louis County does not replace mailboxes. While our snow plow operators make all efforts to avoid causing damage, snow clearing activities are inherently abusive on mailboxes. The large mounds of snow moved by our plows can and have caused damage to mailboxes even if the installation is at the correct height and setback. Additionally, the different styles and materials used in manufacturing mailboxes present problems.