What do you do if you lose your mailbox key?

Mailboxes have keys, and the reality of keys that they can easily get lost, damaged, or worn out. And when it does happen, eventually, it is a good thing to know what you should do about it. The first thing to know is that you shouldn’t try to pry it open. Very likely you will damage it beyond repair, which can only cause you additional problems.

The apartment complexes, HOAs, USPS, all have their own rules on what you can or cannot do with your mailbox. The common thing among them is that you can’t just go willy nilly destroying them. Here’s a guide on what to do when you are unable to unlock your mailbox due to a missing or damaged key. How to go about it depends on where they are located.

COMMUNITY MAILBOXES

Residency complexes, apartment buildings, and other community-based residency arrangements have their own rules on how to go about getting a replacement key for your mailbox. These mailboxes are almost exclusively maintained by the owner or building management. So, your best course of action is to notify the supervisor or the owner of the property and request a replacement key.

In case that the mailboxes are managed by the USPS you may need to go directly to them for a replacement. To do this you will first need to find out to which post office is attached your address. Then on the USPS’ website, you will need to fill a request form and pay a $4 refundable deposit and an $8 non-refundable fee for each replacement key.

You can request up to two new keys because you are supposed to have two copies.

PO BOXES

PO Boxes also come with a spare key, and if you lose both of them you should go to your post office and request USPS Form 1093. The fees are the same for the replacement PO box keys, a $4 refundable deposit that you will be repaid on termination of services, and an $8 non-refundable fee for each replacement key.

In case that your key is damaged or worn out, you can bring it with you and Form 1093 and get a replacement for free.

PRIVATE HOME MAILBOXES

One problem with private residencies is that post offices do not keep spare copies of mailbox keys for them, so you can’t get a replacement key from USPS. If your home is part of an HOA, you should request a replacement from the manager.

Otherwise, your best option is to contact the manufacturer of the mailbox. It will most likely cost you $10-15 and five to seven days of waiting.

CAN I MAKE A COPY OF A USPS MAILBOX KEY?

No. Most places where you could get your keys copied do not carry blanks for the mailbox keys. Besides this, nothing else prevents you from making a copy of the mailbox key.

IS MY MAILBOX OWNED BY USPS?

Yes, all mailboxes are owned by USPS, in other words by the federal government. This is why, no matter how silly it sounds, destruction of a mailbox constitutes the crime of destruction of federal property which carries a penalty of fees or prison time up to 10 years.

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