Adhering to the US Postal Service (USPS) standards described in this section will increase the effectiveness of OSC barcoding and subsequent USPS scanning, reduce the volume of undeliverable mail, and increase postal discounts for the State.
Abbreviations
1. Post Office boxes should not be spelled out.
For example:
Post Office Box #28 should be PO Box 28
2. Rural Route addresses should use RR as a designation. Do not use the words 'RURAL', 'ROUTE', 'NO.' or '#'. 'RFD' or 'RD' should be changed to 'RR'.
For example:
RFD Route 4 #87A should be RR 4 Box 87A
3. Use correct secondary designators to further indicate delivery points. The most common secondary designators that should be used in their abbreviated form are:
APT - Apartment
FL - Floor
STE - Suite
RM - Room
DEPT - Department
BLDG - Building
Examples:
102 MAIN ST APT 101
1356 EXECUTIVE DR STE 202
55 SYLVAN BLVD RM 222
600 CENTRAL PL BLDG 14
4. The number sign, #, should not be used as a secondary designator if the correct designator is known. If the correct designator is not known and the # sign must be used, there should be a space between the # sign and the secondary number.
For example:
425 FLOWER BLDG # 72
5. Abbreviate and use directionals in the address line.
For example:
234 NW SMITH ST
678 MAIN DR S
101 N BAY DR
59 BAY BLVD SW
For a complete listing of USPS abbreviations for States, Street Suffixes and Secondary Unit Designators, go to http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/abbreviations.html#secunitdesig
Content/Format
1.Use a valid physical street address. Do not use addresses that use cross streets to designate delivery or that are otherwise imprecise. For example:
“Entrance on 60th Street”
should be
“1200 W 60th ST”
“Between 16th and 17th Streets on Seventh”
should be
“101 Seventh Ave”
2. The delivery address line (the line immediately above the city, state, and zip code) should be broken down into its individual components. If the floor, room, suite, etc. is known, it should appear on the delivery address line with one space between address components. Punctuation (periods, comas, number signs (#), etc.) should not be used.
For example:
“101 West-Main Street, Apartment No.12”
should be
“101 W Main St Apt 12”
“1400 N. Front St.--Suite #3”
should be
“1400 N Front St Ste 3”
3. Eliminate dual address lines if possible. Although the mailer may have both a mailing and a physical address, try to determine which is the intended delivery address and place it immediately above the city, state and zip. For example:
100 Ocean Ave
PO Box 85
Brooklyn, NY 12229
should be either
PO Box 85
Brooklyn , NY12229
or
100 Ocean Ave
Brooklyn , NY 12229
4. If a Substation is involved, the format should be:
PO Box 99
Substation XYZ
Brooklyn , NY 12229
5. Addresses must be uniformly aligned on the left margin. When entering payee name and address, begin in the first position; do not lead with space.
6. Punctuation should not appear in the address line (i.e. periods, commas, etc.) with the exception of the hyphen in the Zip+4 code. Instead, use one or two spaces.
Other Points Related to Addressing
1. To ensure confidentiality do not enter Social Security Numbers in any portion of an address (or name) field. (SSN’s should be entered only in Payee ID fields.)
2. Do not enter any portion of address in a Payee Name field or city and state in a street address field.
3. Do not enter other extraneous data such as Originating Agency code in the address lines.
For More Information
For more information on USPS addressing standards, go to http://www.usps.com/business/customersupport/welcome.htm to find various free publications and services, or call the USPS 24 hour business mail hotline 1-800-ASK-USPS.
To speak with a USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst about your addressing questions or problems, in Albany the telephone number is (518) 452-2479. Other State agencies can go to http://pe.usps.com/mpdesign/mpdfr_mda_lookup.asp to find their local contact.
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