Mailbox

• The installation of mailboxes and letter slots began in the late 18th century in Paris, as the circulation of mail began around Europe. In the middle to late 19th century the British postal service asked its patrons to install mailboxes or letter slots to speed the delivery of mail, according to Yard & Garden Review. In the U.S., the Free City Delivery began in 1863 with delivery persons taking mail door to door and waiting for the patron to answer the door before leaving a letter. The advent of mailboxes and letter slots sped up the delivery of mail. Roadside mailboxes were introduced in 1896 with the beginning of the Rural Free Delivery. In 1923 the U.S. Post Office mandated every household provide a mailbox for the delivery of mail.
  
  

Height

• The USPS governs the installation of mailboxes, which must be positioned at a height of 41 to 45 inches from the road surface. Where a road surface, curb or roadside conditions do not allow a mailbox to be installed at the correct height, the postmaster must be consulted on the placement of a mailbox, the USPS reports. The mailbox must alo be positioned 6 to 8 inches from the front edge of the curb or roadside to the mailbox door when closed.
  
  

Support

• The support post of a mailbox must be installed to USPS regulations, but unlike the mailbox itself, the post is the responsibility of the resident. The support post can be positioned with a receptacle for other deliveries, such as a newspaper. Regulations require any additional delivery receptacles not be in contact with the mailbox and not interfere with the delivery of mail. Mailboxes are only permitted to be used by USPS employees for the delivery of mail dispatched under USPS services.
  
  

Design

• The first design of a mailbox approved by the U.S. postmaster general was created in 1915 by post office employee Roy J. Joroleman. The USPS must approve the design and manufacture of a mailbox, which is stamped with the words "U.S. Mail" or "Approved by the Postmaster General."
  
  

Exceptions

• According to the USPS website, a local postmaster can consider exceptions to any standard that "imposes an extreme physical hardship" on the customer.