‘Tis the season for packages, but some Deer Park residents must update their shipping addresses to avoid returned packages. This new Post Office policy, which arrives just before the holiday shopping season, adds an extra layer to logistics for those shipping their gifts this year. 

Holiday shoppers in Deer Park are facing a new shipping deadline, and it’s not from an online store. Residents who rely on a PO Box for their mail, many of whom were ineligible for home delivery, must update their shipping addresses by November 14, 2025, or risk having their packages returned to the sender. The change was announced in a November 4th letter to postal customers from Postmaster David Hampton, citing “a change in addressing requirements within the Postal Service.” This new enforcement policy, beginning just as the holiday shopping season kicks off, is the latest challenge in a long-running local issue.

For years, the local post office has operated an informal system in which carriers deliver parcels to a resident’s corresponding PO Box, even when only a street address is listed. This helpful practice relied on the carrier’s personal knowledge of the routes and residents. This was a necessary workaround, especially for those in the Deer Park core who, before 2019, were not eligible for home delivery and were required to use a PO Box.

According to the notice and further clarification from the post office, this informal practice will now end. The change is part of a new, national directive from the Postmaster General to increase security and efficiency. The new policy requires all packages to be delivered precisely as addressed, and local carriers will no longer be permitted to redirect packages based on route knowledge. 

Effective November 14th, any package sent via the United States Postal Service (USPS) to a street address that does not receive home delivery and does not include a PO Box will be returned to the sender.

This presents a challenge many of these residents are all too familiar with: “shipper roulette.” Many online retailers do not specify which carrier, such as USPS, FedEx, or UPS, they will use for a shipment. Complicating matters, some retail websites actively block customers from entering a PO Box, especially in the “Address Line 2” field, forcing them to use only a street address. This leaves residents in a bind: if they use their PO Box, the retailer might reject the order. If they use just their street address, the USPS will now reject the package.

The notice provides two official solutions for all USPS deliveries, which have been confirmed by the post office as the correct formats. The first is to use a “dual address,” listing the street address on the first line and the PO Box on the line directly below it.

For Example:

The Grinch
1 Moody Mountaintop Lair
PO Box ####
Deer Park, WA 99006-####

The second, and perhaps more versatile solution, is for residents to use the Post Office’s address as their own. PO Box customers are permitted to have packages addressed to 19 S Vernon Ave with their PO Box number listed as a “Unit” or “#”. This alternative address should, in theory, provide a single, reliable format that works for all carriers, including USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

For Example:

The Grinch
19 S Vernon Ave Unit ####
Deer Park, Washington 99006-####

For eligible residents who prefer a permanent alternative, home delivery is also an option. This process involves the resident purchasing and installing a USPS-approved mailbox. According to the post office, the mailbox must meet specific requirements, such as having the opening be between 41 and 45 inches from the ground. Once the mailbox is installed, the resident must notify the post office by using “PS Form 4232 Rural Customer Delivery Instructions.” A carrier will then verify the installation when they make delivery to the newly added address. 

This “street address” option appears to formalize a system that has been in transition for years, as noted in a 2019 DP Gazette article titled “Post Office In Transition,” which detailed the introduction of home delivery options.

Customers with questions about the new policy can contact Postmaster David Hampton at 509-276-1091.

Sources:

• Post Office Box Notice – Received November 7th 2025
• Phone Interview with Deer Park Post Office – November 7th 2025
• Post Office In Transition – DPGazette.com/3pihl Published: Sept 18th 2019