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A900 Customer Support
A910 Mailing List Services
Summary
A910 describes the services available for improving address quality of mailing lists. It includes the procedures for submitting mailing lists and the fees associated with these services. Also listed are the procedures for use of ancillary service endorsements and change-of-address information by election boards and voter registration commissions.
1.0 Basic Information
1.1Definition
A mailing list is a listing of names and addresses, or addresses only, produced on individual cards or in sheet form.
1.2Carrier Route File
The official city delivery scheme, called the Carrier Route File, is available to mailers.
1.3Purpose
To improve address quality, the USPS offers (for a designated fee) mailing list services to correct name and address lists; correct occupant lists; and sort mailing lists on cards by 5-digit ZIP Code (available only for multi-ZIP Code post offices). These services are available for mailing lists submitted by members of Congress; federal agencies; departments of state governments; municipalities; religious, fraternal, and recognized charitable organizations; and concerns or persons who solicit business by mail. For the designated fee, the USPS also provides address changes to election boards and voter registration commissions.
1.4Lists
In providing services, the USPS does not compile any mailing list, including an occupant list. All corrections are marked on the list submitted by the customer.
1.5Prohibitions
Persons other than USPS employees may not copy, or record by any means, names or addresses from carrier cases. Labels, wrappers, envelopes, stamped cards, or postcards indicating one-time use are not accepted as mailing lists.
2.0 Fee Assessment
2.1Corrections
The fee for correcting name and address lists or occupant lists is assessed for each name or street address on the list. Individual apartments are considered separate addresses. The minimum fee in R900 applies to lists with fewer than 30 names or addresses. For assessing the fee, the USPS considers a list to be all the addresses sent at one time to the appropriate postal facility.
2.2Rural Route Consolidation
No fee is charged for correcting name and address lists or occupant lists where rural routes are consolidated or changed to another post office, or where rural route and box number addresses are changed to city-style addresses. The lists must contain only names and/or addresses of persons residing on the routes involved, and the lists must be submitted for correction during the time when the local post office is required to keep the address conversion information.
2.3Cards
The fee for sorting mailing lists on cards by 5-digit ZIP Code is assessed per 1,000 addresses or fraction thereof.
2.4Election Board and Voter Commissions
The fee for address changes provided to election boards and voter registration commissions is assessed for each Form 3575 submitted. The fee is collected on a per card basis regardless of the number of changes made on the card and whether the change concerns a person on the board’s or commission’s list of registrants. Instead of the actual forms, the USPS may supply facsimiles of the forms or copies of the information they contain at no additional fee.
2.5Payment
The post office providing the correction service annotates the total fee due on the outside of the package containing the corrected cards or lists. Payment must be made to the postal installation to which the list was submitted. Payment must be in cash or by check or money order made payable to the postmaster. Payment for correcting a list submitted by a federal agency or a person authorized to send matter as official mail may be made under the official mail reimbursement program. Payment may be made when the list is submitted or when the corrected list is delivered.
2.6Time Limit
The USPS corrects and returns a mailing list to the owner within 15 workdays after receipt. This time limit does not apply to mailing lists received for correction between November 16 and January 1; they are returned as soon as possible.
3.0 Name and Address List Correction
3.1Preparation
If addresses are submitted in list form, the list must be typewritten, printed, or computer-prepared and in sheet form, with enough space between or next to each address to permit entry of corrections. The list owner’s name must appear in the upper left corner of each page or sheet. Lists must be separated by post office. A separate list must be presented for each carrier route served by a post office with 190 or more revenue units. Each post office can advise customers in this regard.
3.2Card Size
If the addresses are submitted on cards, the cards must be about the size (3-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches) and quality of a stamped card; data processing cards are acceptable. Information on the cards must be typewritten, printed, or computer-prepared, having only one name and address per card, and with enough space to permit entry of corrections. The list owner’s name must appear in the upper left corner of each card. Lists (groups of cards) must be separated by individual post office.
3.3Submission
The customer must submit the address cards or mailing lists to the district manager of Address Management Systems for addresses within the district. (The address of each district and the ZIP Codes each serves may be found in Publication 65, National Five-Digit ZIP Code and Post Office Directory.) Unless directed otherwise by the district, the customer must address the submission as follows:
MANAGER
ADDRESS MANAGEMENT systems
[STREET ADDRESS]
[CITY STATE ZIP CODE]
3.4Postage
Cards or lists may be mailed by their owners to the designated district, but the list owner must prepay the postage for such items at the applicable rate. The submitted items are returned free of postage.
3.5Elements Corrected
USPS employees:
a. Cross off names to which mail cannot be delivered or forwarded.
b. Correct initials and/or last names when the name apparently is known to the owner of the list.
c. Correct the house, rural, or post office box number; correct the last line (post office name, state abbreviation, and 5-digit ZIP Code); and, in multiple-unit buildings, add apartment, suite, or room numbers if known by the USPS employee.
d. Correct spelling of street names, suffixes, and placement of directionals to conform to the Carrier Route File scheme.
e. Provide new addresses, including ZIP Codes, for customers who have moved and filed permanent forwarding orders that are still active, and for addresses, if known, that are undeliverable because of USPS adjustments.
f. Mark an “X” in the upper right corner of the card or next to each entry on the sheet where no change is necessary.
3.6No Additions
In making list corrections, USPS employees do not add a new name or address to a card or list.
4.0 Occupant Lists
4.1Submission
Customers must submit occupant lists of street addresses in the same way as for name and address corrections. Customers must not submit lists that include more than 110% of the possible deliveries for a specific 5-digit ZIP Code delivery area.
4.2Elements Corrected
USPS employees:
a. Provide new addresses, if known, for addresses that are undeliverable because of USPS adjustments.
b. Correct last lines (post office names, state abbreviations, and 5-digit ZIP Codes), spelling of street names, suffixes, and placement of directionals to conform to the Carrier Route File scheme.
c. Cross off numbers representing incorrect or nonexistent street addresses, but do not change or add numbers.
d. Indicate business addresses with a “B” in the upper right corner of the card, or opposite the street number as printed on the sheet, as applicable.
e. Indicate rural route addresses with an “R” in the upper right corner of the card, or opposite the street number as printed on the sheet, as applicable.
f. Enter the number of separate family units opposite addresses of multiple-unit dwellings.
g. Mark an “X” in the upper right corner of the card or next to each entry on the sheet where no change is necessary.
h. Group the corrected cards or sheets by carrier route for return to the list owner.
5.0 Sortation of Lists on Cards by 5-Digit ZIP Code
5.1Coding
The customer must code mailing lists by 5-digit ZIP Code for single 5-digit ZIP Code post offices.
5.2Preparation
To allow the USPS to sort a mailing list to 5-digit ZIP Codes, a mailing list of addresses only for multi-ZIP Code post offices must be prepared on cards about the size (3-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches) and quality of a stamped card; data processing cards are acceptable. Only one address may appear on each card. The owner must separate the cards by post office of address and submit each group to the district manager of Address Management Systems serving that post office. The list owner must wrap mailing lists (cards) for mailing when practicable. The owner’s name and address must appear on the outside of the wrap or container.
5.3USPS Sortation
USPS employees sort cards by 5-digit ZIP Code and securely package them with a facing slip marked “All for ZIP Code Area (00000).” ZIP Codes are not written on individual cards.
6.0 Election Boards and Voter Registration Commissions
6.1General
Election boards or voter registration commissions may use the “Return Service Requested” endorsement and/or the National Change of Address (NCOA) system or NCOALink to maintain current address lists.
6.2Procedure
Election boards or voter registration commissions using permanent registration also may obtain residential change-of-address information from Forms 3575:
a. An authorized official of the board or commission must sign and submit to the manager, address management systems (district), a written request that lists the post offices for which change-of-address information is desired.
b. If the request is approved, an agreement must be obtained from and signed by an authorized official of the board or commission detailing the terms under which the change-of-address information is to be released.
c. The board or commission receives the requested information from the postmasters of the listed post offices and pays those postmasters the applicable fees.
DMM Issue 58 Updated 12-9-04