Effective June 6, 2011, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 602.3.2.1 to extend the option to use a simplified address format to Periodicals flats and irregular parcels and Bound Printed Matter flats, intended for distribution to city delivery routes and to Post Office™ (PO) box sections in Post Office locations with city delivery service.
In the article “DMM Revision: Extension of the Simplified Address Format” in Postal Bulletin 22300 (12-16-10, pages 46, 71–73), the Postal Service revised DMM 345.6.9.4, 445.7.6.4, 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 Postal Service city carriers or to PO boxholders at Post Office locations with city delivery service. These revisions were effective on January 2, 2011, but were limited only to mailers of Standard Mail® saturation (carrier route) flats and irregular parcels.
In response to inquiries from the mailing community, the Postal Service will now extend the simplified addressing option to mailers of Periodicals flats, irregular parcels, and Bound Printed Matter flats meeting saturation carrier route standards. Mailers are reminded that pieces bearing a simplified address for distribution to city delivery routes, or to PO boxholders at Post Office locations with city delivery service, must meet the applicable physical standards for flat-size pieces under DMM 301, or irregular parcels under DMM 401, in addition to all other eligibility criteria.
These new changes will be reflected in the June 2011 DMM, but mailers may begin preparing their mailings in accordance with these new standards immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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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
3.2.1 Conditions for General Use
The following conditions must be met when using a simplified address on commercial mailpieces:
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[Revise the introductory sentence of 3.2.1b as follows:]
b. Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter flat-size mailpieces and Standard Mail and Periodicals 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:
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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed version of the DMM and into the next update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 2-24-11
