What's the Law? Parking in Front of Mailboxes

If you have a street mailbox, you may have experienced this frustration. Someone, maybe a visitor to your street, parks in front of your mailbox, causing you to miss your mail or have to do gymnastics to check your box. It is frustrating. But what can you do?

Recently, the Mahomet Police took to Facebook to answer this question. With their permission, I have copied their response below.

Parking in Front of Mailboxes – What the Law Says / Clarification

The Mahomet Police Department has recently received several complaints about vehicles parking in front of residential mailboxes, particularly during the morning hours when student drivers are parking near the schools.

We want to provide some clarification. The Mahomet Police Department enforces Illinois State Statutes and local ordinances. At this time, there is nothing in the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) that makes it illegal to park in front of a mailbox. Because of this, officers cannot issue citations or tow vehicles simply for blocking a mailbox.

There is also no federal law that specifically makes parking in front of a mailbox illegal. The U.S. Postal Service may choose not to deliver mail if a mailbox is blocked, but that is a postal service policy, not a criminal violation. Additionally, local police departments do not enforce federal postal policies.

Our officers are aware of the situation and are often in the area during the morning hours. When possible, officers speak with drivers and educate them about the issue, encouraging them to avoid parking in front of mailboxes.

While addressing these concerns, officers have also observed teen drivers parking in other areas where violations do exist, such as:

 • Parking in front of fire hydrants

 • Parking in front of driveways

 • Parking too close to intersections

These are violations under Illinois law, and officers are enforcing these parking violations when observed.

Parents of new drivers, please consider having a conversation with your teen driver about being mindful of where they park and the impact it can have on others in the neighborhood, especially when it comes to residents receiving their mail.

We appreciate everyone working together to keep Mahomet a great community.

MPD is making an extra effort to answer questions like this through their Facebook page. Be sure and Like or Follow their page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064909501100 to catch their latest updates.

Would you like to get your questions about Mahomet answered here? Ask EM is your opportunity to ask a question, and let the staff of Everything Mahomet do the research for you. Go to https://www.everythingmahomet.com/chat and click the Ask EM button to submit your question to be answered in a later column.