Effective October 3, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) in various sections for consistency.
The Postal Service will revise text in the Basic Eligibility Standards subsections under each class of mail for consistency and will also reverse the order of the Basic Eligibility Standards and Content Standards subsections under several classes of mail for consistency in the structure of the DMM.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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100 Retail Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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110 Priority Mail Express
113 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Priority Mail Express
[Revise the title of 2.1 to read as follows:]
2.1 Description of Service
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[Revise the title of 2.2 to read as follows:]
2.2 Inspection of Contents
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120 Priority Mail
123 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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2.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Priority Mail
[Revise the title of 2.1 to read as follows:]
2.1 Description of Service
[Revise the second sentence of 2.1 to read as follows:]
***Service objectives for delivery are 1 to 3 days; however, the USPS does not guarantee the delivery time.
[Delete 2.2, Service Objectives, in its entirety and renumber current 2.3 as new 2.2.]
[Revise the title of renumbered 2.2 to read as follows:]
2.2 Inspection of Contents
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130 First-Class Mail
133 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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2.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Priority Mail
2.1 Description of Service
[Revise the second sentence of 2.1 to read as follows:]
***The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of First-Class Mail within a specified time.
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140 Every Door Direct Mail-Retail (EDDM-Retail)
143 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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[Delete 1.1, General Description of EDDM-Retail Service, and 1.2 EDDM-Retail Characteristics, in their entirety and renumber current 1.3 and 1.4 as new 1.1 and 1.2.]
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[Reverse the order of subsections 2.0 and 3.0 by renumbering current 2.0 as new 3.0 and current 3.0 as new 2.0.]
[Revise the title of renumbered 2.0 to read as follows:]
2.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for EDDM-Retail Flats
[Revise the title and text of renumbered 2.1 to read as follows:]
2.1 Description of Service
EDDM-Retail flats are Standard Mail, and are generally subject to Standard Mail eligibility standards, with differences as described in 3.0 due to the use of simplified addresses. Standard Mail may receive deferred handling. The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of Standard Mail within a specified time.
[Add new 2.2 and renumber “renumbered” 2.2 through 2.4 as 2.3 through 2.5 to read as follows:]
2.2 Inspection of Contents
EDDM-Retail flats are not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at EDDM-Retail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents.
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[Revise the title and text of renumbered 2.5 to read as follows:]
2.5 Additional Eligibility Standards for EDDM-Retail Flats
Additional standards for EDDM-Retail Flats are as follows:
a. EDDM-Retail flats must weigh no more than 3.3 ounces and must have a length greater than 10-1⁄2 inches long, or a height greater than 6-1⁄8 inches high, or a thickness greater than 1⁄4 inch thick. See 101.2.0 for general minimum and maximum dimensions.
b. EDDM-Retail flats must be part of a saturation flats mailing with all pieces bearing simplified addresses meeting the saturation and addressing standards in 602.3.0. Each mailing must consist of 200 or more pieces or 50 or more pounds of mail up to a maximum of 5000 pieces per day per 5-digit ZIP Code. As an exception to this minimum quantity, a mailing to all addresses in a 5-digit ZIP Code area may contain fewer than 200 pieces when there are fewer than 200 deliverable addresses in the entire ZIP Code service area to which the pieces are mailed. All pieces in a mailing must be entered at the designated Post Office servicing the routes and Post Office Box sections to which delivery is intended.
c. EDDM-Retail flats are not subject to the ZIP Code accuracy or Move Update standards.
d. Additional basic standards for Standard Mail flats in 243.3.0 apply to EDDM-Retail flats, unless stated otherwise in 140.
3.0 Content Standards for EDDM-Retail Flats
[Revise the title and text of renumbered 3.1 to read as follows:]
3.1 General
EDDM-Retail flats consist of mailable matter that is neither mailed nor required to be mailed as First-Class Mail and that is not authorized to be mailed as Periodicals.
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[Delete renumbered 3.6, Inspection of Contents, in its entirety.]
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150 USPS Retail Ground
153 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for USPS Retail Ground
[Revise the title and text of 2.1 to read as follows:]
2.1 Description of Service
USPS Retail Ground is a ground shipping product for parcels, including oversized parcels, available only through retail channels. The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of USPS Retail Ground within a specified time.
[Delete 2.2, Service Objectives, in its entirety and renumber current 2.3 and 2.4 as new 2.2 and 2.3.]
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170 Media Mail and Library Mail
173 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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2.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Media Mail and Library Mail
[Revise the title of 2.1 to read as follows:]
2.1 Description of Service
[Add a new first sentence to 2.1 to read as follows:]
Media Mail and Library Mail are subclasses of Package Services.***
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200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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210 Priority Mail Express
213 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Content Standards for Priority Mail Express
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[Revise the title of 2.2 to read as follows:]
2.2 Inspection of Contents
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Priority Mail Express
[Revise the title of 3.1 to read as follows:]
3.1 Description of Service
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220 Priority Mail
223 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Content Standards for Priority Mail
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[Revise the title of 2.2 to read as follows:]
2.2 Inspection of Contents
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Priority Mail
[Revise the title of 3.1 to read as follows:]
3.1 Description of Service
[Add a new last sentence to 3.1 to read as follows:]
***Service objectives for delivery are 1 to 3 days; however, the USPS does not guarantee the delivery time.
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230 First-Class Mail
233 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for First-Class Mail
3.1 Description of Service
[Revise the title of 3.1.1 to read as follows:]
3.1.1 Service Description
[Revise the second sentence of 3.1.1 to read as follows:]
***The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of First-Class Mail within a specified time.
[Revise the title and text of 3.1.2 to read as follows:]
3.1.2 Minimum Quantities
First-Class Mail offers shape-based commercial prices for presorted mailings of 500 or more pieces.
3.2 Defining Characteristics
[Add new 3.2.1 and renumber current 3.2.1 through 3.2.3 as new 3.2.2 through 3.2.4 to read as follows:]
3.2.1 Mailpiece Weight
First-Class Mail must weigh 3.5 ounces or less for letters or 13 ounces or less for flats.
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240 Standard Mail
243 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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2.0 Content Standards for Standard Mail
[Revise the title and text of 2.1 to read as follows:]
2.1 General
Standard Mail consists of mailable matter that is neither mailed nor required to be mailed as First-Class Mail and that is not authorized to be mailed as Periodicals (unless permitted or required by standard) and that weighs less than 16 ounces.
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Standard Mail
3.1 Description of Service
[Revise the title of 3.1.1 to read as follows:]
3.1.1 Service Description
[Revise the second sentence of 3.1.1 to read as follows:]
***The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of Standard Mail within a specified time.
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250 Parcel Select
253 Prices and Eligibility
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2.0 Content Standards
[Delete 2.1, Definition of Parcel Select, in its entirety and renumber current 2.2 through 2.6 as new 2.1 through 2.5.]
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[Delete renumbered 2.3, Postal Inspection, in its entirety and renumber current 2.4 and 2.5 as new 2.3 and 2.4.]
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Parcel Select Parcels
[Revise the title and text of 3.1 to read as follows:]
3.1 Description of Service
Parcel Select is a Shipping Services ground product using permit imprint or metered postage when mailing 50 or more packages. When postage is paid using USPS-approved PC Postage in conjunction with barcoded Parcel Select Ground mailings, there is no minimum volume. The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of Parcel Select mailpieces within a specified time. Parcel Select mailpieces might receive deferred service.
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[Add new item 3.4 to read as follows:]
3.4 Inspection of Contents
Parcel Select packages are not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at Parcel Select prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents.
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260 Bound Printed Matter
263 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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[Reverse the order of subsections 2.0 and 3.0 by renumbering current 2.0 as new 3.0 and current 3.0 as new 2.0.]
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Bound Printed Matter
[Revise the title and text of renumbered 3.1 to read as follows:]
3.1 Description of Service
Bound Printed Matter (BPM) is a subclass of Package Services. The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of BPM within a specified time. BPM might receive deferred service.
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270 Media Mail and Library Mail
273 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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2.0 General Content Standards for Media Mail and Library Mail
[Delete the title of 2.1, General, and move the text under 2.0. Delete 2.2 through 2.4 in their entirety.]
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[Add new 4.0 and renumber current 5.0 and 6.0 as new 6.0 and 7.0 to read as follows:]
4.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for Media Mail and Library Mail
4.1 Description of Service
Media Mail and Library Mail are subclasses of Package Services. The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of Media Mail or Library Mail within a specified time.
4.2 Delivery and Return Addresses
Each Media Mail and Library Mail piece must bear a delivery address and the sender's return address formatted and placed according to 202.2.0 and 602.1.0. The delivery address must include the correct ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code.
4.3 Inspection of Contents
Media Mail and Library Mail are not sealed against postal inspection. The mailing of articles at Media Mail or Library Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents.
4.4 Enclosures
Material mailed at the Media Mail price or the Library Mail price other than books and sound recordings (see 2.2 and 3.4) may contain only those additions and enclosures permitted under 5.0.
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280 First-Class Package Service
283 Prices and Eligibility
[Revise the title of 1.0 to read as follows:]
1.0 Prices and Fees
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3.0 Basic Eligibility Standards for First-Class Package Service
3.1 Description of Service
[Add a new last sentence to 3.1 to read as follows:]
***The USPS does not guarantee the delivery of First-Class Package Service within a specified time.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of the DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http:⁄⁄pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Marketing and Sales, 8-4-16
