Few things are as frustrating as hearing from the USPS that they can’t deliver your package.
Now, granted, this doesn’t happen all that often – or at least it shouldn’t – but it happens enough to make people really frustrated, really angry, and really disappointed.
Worse, it’s not immediately obvious what you can do to remedy the situation.
Sure, when you get a notification from USPS that “No Access to Delivery Location” issues have arrived (usually in the form of a little postcard) you’re at least given notice that something went wrong in the first place.
But you’re usually not told how to fix the problem, how to get your package, and how to make sure that the problem doesn’t happen anymore in the future.
That’s why we have put together this detailed guide.
Below you’ll learn what the “USPS No Access to Delivery Location” message means, why the USPS may not be able to deliver to me your address specifically, how to troubleshoot the problem quickly, and how to avoid these kinds of issues in the future.
Ready to get started?
Great!
Let’s get right into it.
What Does “USPS No Access to Delivery Location” Mean?
Right out of the gate, being told from the post office that there was no access to your delivery location is a bit of a generalized ever issue that can mean a couple of things.
Sometimes it means that there were unavoidable issues preventing the USPS workers from getting to your address and physically delivering the package as requested.
Maybe inclement weather dropped trees or obstructed the road in some way, making it difficult (if not flat-out impossible) for the USPS workers to get to your doorstep and drop your package off safely.
Sometimes it means that other issues – renovations, road construction, car accidents, etc. – have prevented them from getting to your address, too.
Other times, though, it simply means that the USPS has no record of the mailing address that is being used to deliver you your packages in the first place.
Believe it or not, that happens a whole lot more often than you might expect – though it also happens to be one of the easier issues to remedy, too.
At the end of the day, when you get this notification it just means that the USPS mail carrier wasn’t able to bring your package to you and that you’re going to have to come up with another solution to get your packages from them.
Why Won’t the USPS Deliver to My Address?
To put it simply, there are a variety of different reasons that the USPS may not be able to deliver to your specific address.
For starters, there may be an issue with your street address that makes delivery to impossible.
As of right now (late 2020) the United States Postal Service has a database of more than 127 million addresses throughout the country – and they continue to add more and more addresses to the database every day.
A lot of us think of the country as a somewhat static entity, with addresses that are pretty much fixed in place with no new addresses popping up left and right.
However, the odds are also pretty good that in your local community there are developments with new streets, new homes, and new buildings being put up all year round. Each and every one of them get new addresses, and each of them have to be added to the USPS Address Management System to be eligible for mail delivery.
Sometimes (unfortunately) addresses fall through the cracks.
If you are unlucky enough to have that happen to you then it’s likely you’re going to get at least a few No Access to Delivery Location error notifications in the future.
Luckily, this situation can be remedied really easily (and it’s something we go over being just a moment) but there are some other issues that might be preventing USPS mail carriers from getting to your delivery location, too.
These can include, but definitely are not limited to:
- Road issues, including road construction
- Natural disasters, including downed trees, power lines, broken pipes, etc.
- Construction issues, including renovations that limit access to your front door or mailbox
… And a whole host of other problems that can be difficult to foresee, all of which limit the ability of your USPS mail carrier to bring your package home and drop it off for you.
How Can I Troubleshoot USPS Delivery Issues?
There are definitely some things you can do to better troubleshoot USPS delivery issues as well, things you can do before you have to reach out directly to USPS customer service (nationwide customer service) and hope for a remedy that way.
Invest in a Porch Camera
The first thing you’ll want to do is consider investing in a porch or front door camera. These kinds of cameras have exploded in popularity over the last few years.
Originally they were thought of as another security solution, and a lot of people continue to use them in that capacity.
Recently, though, more and more people have been using them to keep an eye out for deliveries and to make sure that “package pirates” – people in the community that steal unattended packages off of people’s front steps – aren’t striking as well.
Another cool little feature of this camera is that will actually be able to see if your USPS mail carrier has attempted to deliver your package in the first place or if they are crying foul and not delivering your mail for a couple of different reasons unrelated to the delivery location.
This definitely doesn’t happen all the time (or even the majority of the time) people get no access notifications, but it happens often enough that it’s well worth looking into if you have the budget for this kind of technology.
Contact Your Local Post Office
No matter what you want to contact your local post office and asked them for clarification about the no access error that you are receiving.
Sometimes you’ll find information about the lack of access available in your PO Box or in your mailbox, but most of the time you’ll simply be alerted to the problem and then referred to your local post office.
Finding their number should be pretty simple and straightforward.
Typical them up, explain to them that you have received a notification about a lack of access at the delivery location, and asked them to explain the issue to you. You’ll should be able to take their advice and remedy the situation pretty quickly.
Reach Out to USPS Customer Service
If you are unable to get help from your local post office, though, it’s not a bad idea to reach out to the nationwide customer service department through the USPS to see what they can do to help you out.
The national USPS Postal Service Customer Service hotline can be reached at (800) 275-8777.
You can call them any day of the week during normal business hours, though you also have the opportunity to call and leave a message to be phoned back if you call outside of business hours, too.
Sometimes your local post office isn’t quite as helpful as you’d hoped they’d be until you get the national office involved. Things usually start to move pretty quickly when you take this step, though.
Can I Manually Add My Address Into the USPS System?
As we mentioned a moment ago, sometimes you’re getting a USPS No Access to Delivery Location message simply because the USPS automated system cannot find your address in the first place.
This is easy enough to remedy, too.
You’ll want to pop down to your local post office and ask to speak to the postmaster directly.
If available they’ll be able to help you right away, and if not you’ll be able to create an appointment with them after explaining that you’d like to add a new address to the USPS database.
This process is super simple and straightforward.
The postmaster will provide you with a standardized form of information you’ll need to fill out, and the odds are pretty good you’ll have to provide a host of information about your property and its location.
All in all the whole process should take about 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish (if that). By the time you’re done the information will be digitized and added directly to the USPS Address Management System.
The next time that a systemwide update is process (usually every day or every other day) your address will be recognized and these error issues will start to disappear completely.
What Are Other Delivery Options to Avoid This Problem?
Of course, you also have a variety of other options available to you if you want to avoid having deliverability problems with your mail and your packages
Consider Using a Parcel Locker
One option is to consider moving forward with parcel locker services.
All of the major shipping companies (including the USPS) offer parcel locker solutions all over the country, and if there is a parcel locker services in your area it may be well worth looking into having your packages routed there were manual pickup rather than dealing with deliverability problems.
Most of the services are available free of charge or for a very small fee, and there are a lot of benefits to using parcel locker options compared to your home or business address, too.
This is definitely something to look into.
Consider Renting a PO Box
You might also want to consider renting a PO Box if you are having consistent mail deliverability issues.
Rural folks in particular regularly find that the only way to really consistently receive mail is to pay for a PO Box at their local post office. The only problem here is that your packages may not fit in your PO Box – and they may not fit inside of the package/parcel lockers in the post office, either.
This is particularly true during the holiday season when the USPS is absolutely slammed with packages.
Even still, it may be more of a year-round solution if you are sick and tired of these deliverability problems happening with real frequency.
Think About Using a Virtual Mailbox Service
Lastly, it might not be a bad idea to consider taking advantage of a virtual mailbox service.
These solutions are a more modern approach to mailboxes, offering a lot of the benefits that a traditional PO Box provides while at the same time including a whole host of innovations that the USPS and other mailbox providers don’t include yet.
We are talking about mail scanning, mail forwarding, check depositing, and full package receiving services with all major shipping partners – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
There are a lot of great virtual mailbox service options out there to pick and choose from and finding the right one isn’t all that difficult with just a bit of research.
You do want to be sure that you are moving forward with a service you know you can trust, though.
Nobody wants a fly-by-night or less than reputable organization handling all of their mail or their packages, after all!
Consider US Global Mail Moving Forward
One of the premier virtual mail services on the planet is US Global Mail, a company with more than 20 years of experience in this department as well as thousands and thousands of customers that rely on them every day to handle their mail for them.
The full range of premium virtual and modern mailbox solutions available from US Global Mail is unparalleled, with a rock solid foundation of mail scanning, mail forwarding, and package receiving options available as a start.
One of the most feature-rich virtual mail services you’ll find anywhere in the United States, it’s not a bad idea to have a closer look at all of the solutions available from US Global Mail when you have a chance.
You’ll discover (like thousands already have) why it’s such a good idea to choose this modern mailbox services, especially when you’ve been dealing with deliverability problems through the USPS already.
Check out their site for more information.
