The Escanaba Department of Public Works is reminding homeowners to check their mailbox to ensure it is sturdy and secure for the winter season ahead.

“Shake Your Mailbox” is a proactive maintenance activity to help minimize winter frustration. It encourages homeowners to check the stability of their mailboxes before winter snow removal begins.

Most mailbox damage during winter is not caused by a direct hit from a snowplow. Instead, the force of snow being thrown from the plow can damage mailboxes that are loose or unstable. While the city is not responsible for damage caused by snow, we will replace mailboxes that are clearly hit by our snowplows.

Mailboxes must meet certain rules and regulations for location and construction. For more information, visit the United States Postal Service website at www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm or our webpage at www.escanaba.org/publicworks/page/shake-your-mailbox.

For questions, please contact the Department of Public Works at (906) 786-1842 or email kdubord@escanaba.org.