Effective January 2, 2011, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 345.6.9.4, 445.7.6.4, 507.1.2.3, and 602.3.2 to remove a restriction on the use of simplified addressing for saturation flat-size mailpieces and irregular parcels that are delivered by USPS® city carriers or to Post Office™ (PO) boxholders at Post Office locations with city delivery service, and to add reference to new standards related to updated delivery sequence data for use on mailpieces bearing a simplified address.
This revision provides mailers of Standard Mail® saturation (carrier route) flats and irregular parcels the option of using simplified addresses (typically, “Postal Customer”) in lieu of complete delivery addresses, and eliminates the need for mailers to maintain an updated database of delivery-sequenced specific addresses.
The Postal Service is making this revision to facilitate the process for mailpiece design and preparation, and to streamline the acceptance process for local businesses, national retailers having a local nexus, and first time saturation mailers considering advertising their products and services through the mail. We expect this revision to reduce mailer’s expenses for mailpiece preparation, enhancing their ability to advertise through the mail and to grow their businesses.
Mailers must use the simplified address “Postal Customer” when complete distribution is intended to all active deliveries (residential and business) on any designated city route. Mailers may address mailpieces “Residential Customer” to indicate that delivery is intended only to all active residential deliveries. Mailers may use a more specific address, such as “PO Boxholder” when delivery is intended to all active Post Office box deliveries.
As provided in existing DMM standards, mailpieces bearing a simplified address, for distribution to rural or highway contract routes or to PO boxes in a Post Office without city delivery, may continue to include the designation “Local,” instead of the city, state, and ZIP Code™ of the delivery office. To eliminate the potential for mailpieces becoming undeliverable, the Postal Service will require mailpieces bearing a simplified address format, for distribution to city routes or to PO boxes in a Post Office with city delivery service, to include the city, state, and ZIP Code, when not being dropshipped directly to the destination delivery unit (DDU). Mailpieces dropshipped directly to the DDU may optionally bear the designation “Local” (in addition to the simplified address).
Mailings using the simplified address format must meet the eligibility and preparation standards for saturation mailings applicable to Standard Mail flat-sized mailpieces or irregular parcels.
Mailers using a simplified address format on mailpieces for delivery to a city route or to a Post Office box section in an office with city delivery service must prepare enough pieces to provide complete distribution to each active residential delivery (household residence) or active delivery (residential and business) in accordance with the process described in the revised DMM 509.1.1, Delivery Statistics File. Delivery statistics for all city carrier routes, rural routes, highway contract routes, general delivery units, and Post Office box sections are included in the Delivery Statistics File. This database is available on CD-ROM for the entire nation. For information on charges and an order form, call 800-238-3150. To order the products, send a written request and appropriate payment to the USPS Delivery Statistics File, National Customer Support Center (see DMM 608.8.0 for address).
Mailers may optionally obtain delivery statistics from the Address Information System (AIS) viewer. The AIS viewer is an interactive CD-ROM that provides delivery statistics retrieval, in addition to other AIS products, and can be obtained by contacting the National Customer Support Center as provided above or by sending appropriate payment with the completed order form as directed on the form. Information and application forms for the AIS viewer are also available on the USPS.com® website at http://www.usps.com/ncsc. The cost to obtain the delivery statistics retrieval service using the AIS viewer is $75 per year.
The Postal Service is also developing an interactive website intended to provide information and assistance to small mailers making Standard Mail saturation mailings that bear simplified addresses. This new tool will be called the Simplified Mailing Process website and will initially be accessible through the USPS RIBBS website at http://ribbs.usps.gov. The Simplified Mailing Process website will provide mailers with the option to identify, and obtain delivery statistics for, specific carrier routes based on entered search criteria; generate saturation documentation required under DMM standards; generate facing slips; and provide general instructions on completing PS Form 3602 and PS Form 8125. Because this tool is primarily designed to assist small local mailers, customers will be limited to accessing the delivery statistics information for no more than five ZIP Codes per visit. Although this website will be available to all mailers, the larger and established mailers are expected to obtain their delivery statistics directly from the Delivery Statistics File or AIS viewer.
Subscribers to the Delivery Statistics File and AIS viewer are provided updated files monthly. The Postal Service requires mailers preparing simplified addressed mailpieces, intended for distribution to rural routes, to base their mailings on delivery statistics information obtained within 90 days before the mailing date, either from the Delivery Statistics File, AIS viewer, or from the postmaster of the destination office. To assure mailings are based on accurate delivery statistics, the Postal Service will require mailers preparing mailpieces with a simplified address intended for distribution to city routes and to PO boxes in a Post Office with city delivery to use statistics obtained only from the Delivery Statistics File or AIS viewer within 90 days before the mailing date.
The procedures currently in place to accommodate customer “do not deliver” requests from mailers of simplified addressed mailpieces intended for distribution to rural routes will be similarly extended to simplified address mailings intended for distribution to city routes.
The standards published in DMM 602.3.2.2, currently applicable to governmental mailers, are not affected by this revision.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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200 Commercial Letters and Cards
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240 Standard Mail
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245 Mail Preparation
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6.0 Preparing Enhanced Carrier Route Letters
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6.8 Delivery Sequence Standards
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6.8.4 Updating Delivery Statistics Information for Simplified Addressing
[Revise 6.8.4 to update the DMM references as follows:]
Mailpieces prepared with a simplified address must be based on delivery stop information obtained within 90 days before the mailing date, either from the Delivery Statistics File, in accordance with 509.1.1, or from the postmaster of the destination office (when authorized under 509.1.5).
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300 Commercial Flats
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340 Standard Mail
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345 Mail Preparation
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6.0 Preparing Enhanced Carrier Route Flats
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6.9 Delivery Sequence Standards
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6.9.4 Updating Delivery Statistics Information for Simplified Addressing
[Revise 6.9.4 to update delivery sequence standards as follows:]
Mailpieces with a simplified address, prepared for distribution to rural or highway contract routes or to PO boxes in a Post Office without city delivery, must be based on delivery stop information obtained within 90 days before the mailing date, either from the Delivery Statistics File, in accordance with 509.1.1, or from the postmaster of the destination office. Mailpieces with a simplified address, prepared for distribution to city routes or to PO boxes in a Post Office with city delivery, must be based only on delivery stop information obtained from the Delivery Statistics File, in accordance with 509.1.1, within 90 days before the mailing date.
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400 Commercial Parcels
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440 Standard Mail
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445 Mail Preparation
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7.0 Preparing Enhanced Carrier Route Parcels
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7.6 Delivery Sequence Standards
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7.6.4 Updating Walk Sequence Information for Simplified Addressing
[Revise 7.6.4 to update delivery sequence standards as follows:]
Mailpieces with a simplified address, prepared for distribution to rural or highway contract routes or to PO boxes in a Post Office without city delivery, must be based on delivery stop information obtained within 90 days before the mailing date, either from the Delivery Statistics File, in accordance with 509.1.1, or from the postmaster of the destination office. Mailpieces with a simplified address, prepared for distribution to city routes or to PO boxes in a Post Office with city delivery, must be based only on delivery stop information obtained from the Delivery Statistics File, in accordance with 509.1.1, within 90 days before the mailing date.
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500 Additional Mailing Services
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507 Mailer Services
1.0 Treatment of Mail
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1.2 USPS Address Adjustments
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1.2.3 Disposal
Mail that is undeliverable because of USPS adjustments is redirected and delivered to the destination without an additional postage charge as follows:
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[Revise item 1.2.3c to reference simplified addressed mail on city routes and to remove obsolete language as follows:]
c. For mail bearing the simplified address “Postal Customer,” “Residential Customer,” “Rural Route Box Holder,” “Highway Contract Route Box Holder,” or “Post Office Box Holder,” for 90 days or until the next June 30, whichever is later.
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509 Other Services
1.0 Address Information System Products
1.1 Delivery Statistics File
[Revise 1.1 as follows:]
Delivery statistics for all city carrier routes, rural routes, highway contract routes, general delivery units, and Post Office box sections may be obtained from the Delivery Statistics File or through alternate processes as follows:
a. The Delivery Statistics File database is available on CD-ROM or cartridge for the entire nation. Information by states also is available on CD-ROM. The information is updated monthly through transaction files and can be ordered either with a single base file in the initial shipment or with a base file provided bimonthly. For information on charges and an order form, call 1-800-238-3150. To order the products, send a written request and appropriate payment to the USPS Delivery Statistics File, National Customer Support Center (see 608.8.0 for address).
b. The Address Information System (AIS) viewer is an interactive CD-ROM that provides delivery statistics retrieval, and other AIS products, that is updated monthly. The AIS Viewer can be obtained by contacting the National Customer Support Center as provided in 1.1a, or by sending appropriate payment with the completed order form, available on the USPS.com website at http://www.usps.com/ncsc, as directed on the form.
c. Delivery statistics may be acquired directly from the Simplified Mailing Process website. This interactive website provides delivery statistics to mailers in accordance with the search functions selected, and is updated monthly. The Simplified Mailing Process website can be accessed through RIBBS at http://ribbs.usps.gov.
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600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
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602 Addressing
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3.0 Use of Alternative Addressing
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3.2 Simplified Address
[Revise title and text of 3.2.1 and reformat to extend the use of the simplified address format to city routes and PO boxes within city delivery Post Offices as follows:]
3.2.1 Conditions for General Use
The following conditions must be met when using a simplified address on commercial mailpieces:
a. The simplified address format (“Postal Customer” or one of the optional formats in 3.2.1a1 through 3)) must be used on mail when complete distribution is made to each family (household residence) or boxholder on a rural or highway contract route, and to Post Office boxes in offices without city carrier service. The following also apply:
1. Mailers may use a more specific address, such as “Rural Route Boxholder,” for mail intended to all boxholders on a rural route, followed by the name of the Post Office and state.
2. Mailers may use “Residential Customer” to indicate that delivery is desired to residential addresses only.
3. Use of the word “Local,” instead of the Post Office and state name, is optional; however the Postal Service recommends using the Post Office, state, and ZIP Code for mail not dropshipped directly to a destination delivery unit.
4. See 3.2.2 for governmental mail and 703.6.0 for Congressional mail.
b. Flat-size mailpieces and irregular parcels for distribution to a city route and to Post Office boxes in offices with city carrier service may bear a simplified address, but only when complete distribution is made to each active residential delivery or each active delivery, under the following conditions:
1. Mailers must use the simplified address “Postal Customer” when complete distribution is intended to all active deliveries (residential and business) on any designated city route.
2. Mailers may use a more specific address, such as “PO Boxholder” when delivery is intended to all active Post Office boxes.
3. Mailers may use “Residential Customer” to indicate that delivery is intended only to all active residential deliveries.
4. Mailpieces must bear the city, state, and ZIP Code, when entered at an origin facility (unless the intended delivery unit is located within the same facility) or deposited at a DNDC or DSCF.
5. Mailpieces deposited at a destination delivery unit (DDU) may bear the word “Local” instead of a city, state, and ZIP Code.
6. See 3.2.2 for governmental mail and 703.6.0 for Congressional mail.
[Revise title of 3.2.2 to clarify that the standards in 3.2.2 apply only to governmental mailers as follows:]
3.2.2 Use—Governmental Mailers
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 12-16-10
