Keep your mailbox safe this winter

SANDPOINT — As the snow decides whether it will stick around this winter, Bonner County Road and Bridge director Jason Topp warned residents of the risks snowplows can pose to mailboxes.

While it was alleged that the department is not liable for any damage caused to mailboxes, Topp said that is not the case.

“The fact is if we actually hit the mailbox with a plow, we will fix it,” he said. “If it is hit with snow, we will not fix them.”

More often than not, damage to mailboxes comes from the sheer force of the snow that is pushed off the road by the plow.

“The wet snow is very heavy and weighs several hundreds of pounds coming from the plows,” Topp said. “This snow can cause considerable damage that the county is not responsible for.”

Topp said mailboxes are the responsibility of the owner to maintain and are often not allowed in the right-of-way or directly on the edge of the road. Mailboxes that are set closer to the road are more likely to be damaged by plowed snow, he said.

For vehicle and passenger safety, the director said all postal boxes must be on a “shearable post,” as outlined in the county’s road standards. This prevents significant damage or injury should a car collide with one, Topp said.

“Anytime [a mailbox] is reported that a plow hit it, we investigate and take pictures to see if it had contact with a plow or not,” he said. 

To prevent damaged mailboxes this winter, the director suggested that individuals clear snow from around their mailboxes before plows come through the area. This way, the snow that would do the most potential damage is already dispersed and will not come in contact with the mailbox, Topp said.

“I always recommend people putting the mailbox on their own property and provide an area for the mailman to pull off the road,” he added. “This is the best way to keep them safe, and is what I did with mine.”