Is it Illegal to Park in Front of a Mailbox in the Hudson Valley?

Is preventing someone from receiving mail by parking in front of their mailbox against the law? The answer may surprise you.

The next time you visit a friend or family member in the Hudson Valley, you may want to think twice about where you're parking. As someone who has a mailbox on the street in front of my house, I know how annoying it can be when someone blocks it with their car.

If I'm looking for a place to park during the day, I will go out of my way to make sure I'm not parked in front of a mailbox. The last thing I want to do is inconvenience a homeowner or mail carrier by getting in the way of a postal delivery. Unfortunately, I seem to be one of the few people who consider this, as I've seen many drivers parking in front of mailboxes with no concern for the potential trouble they're causing.

While interfering with mail delivery is a pretty serious crime, is the act of parking your car in front of a mailbox actually against the law? It turns out the answer is a bit more complicated than you may think.

Is Parking Your Car in Front of a Mailbox Illegal in New York?

No federal or state law makes it illegal to park in front of someone's mailbox. However, towns and cities have the authority to enforce their own ordinances about where residents are allowed to park.

We were unable to find any municipalities in the Hudson Valley with a law against parking in front of a mailbox. As far as we can tell, there is nothing stopping anyone from blocking mail delivery. But what happens if the mail carrier can't access your mailbox?

Will Your Mail be Withheld if a Car Blocks Your Mailbox?

According to the U.S. Postal Service, mail carriers are not required to get out of their trucks to deliver mail unless there is a package that is too large to fit in a roadside mailbox. If your mailbox is inaccessible due to someone parking in front of it, the mail carrier is encouraged to get out and make the delivery, but isn't required to do so.

According to our policy, the city or rural carrier should get out of the vehicle to make delivery if the mailbox is temporarily blocked by a vehicle. However, if the carrier continually experiences a problem in serving curb line or rural boxes where the customer is able to control on street parking, the postmaster may withdraw delivery service

With a reduction in local post offices and mail carriers being assigned longer routes, it's become more likely that postal workers just won't have time to keep stopping and getting out if a vehicle is regularly blocking your mailbox.

What Can You Do to Prevent People From Blocking Your Mailbox?

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be many legal options to prevent people from blocking your mail delivery. You can place signs near your mailbox requesting that drivers avoid parking in front of the mailbox, but if someone ignores them, they will not technically be breaking the law.

If there is a car that regularly blocks your mailbox and has caused you to stop receiving mail, a call to the police may not be a bad idea. Even if they're isn't a local ordinance they can enforce, officers may be able to explain the issue to the driver and encourage them to park somewhere else.