Are postal carriers allowed to walk across my lawn and through my flower beds when delivering my mail?

Question

We have a paved walkway from the street to my front door, yet he ignores the paved walkway and instead walks across our lawn and through a flower bed every single day! We have asked him politely to please respect our property and the great deal of effort we expend in order to keep our landscaping healthy and pretty. He gives us a nasty attitude and says things like "Carriers have been walking through peoples lawns for as long as there has been mail delivery". And the next day he's walking across the lawns and beds again. He will not stop. Am I being somehow unreasonable? Do I not have a right to insist he use the paved walkways that everyone else who ever visits our home uses? What would you do? I can't help but be appalled by his blatant disrespect.

Answer 1

Call the post office and report him.
Actually if you go to usps.com and tell them in email it will be reported. I had a mailman delivering at 6-7pm at night and our box is on the street. I got a nice letter back saying they can't deliver after 5pm and it stopped!!

Answer 2

Canada Post Letter Carrier Walks

Answer 3

I think the walking across the grass is okay but the flower bed is a bit much. Postal workers have to walk a lot when people have their mailboxes by their front door. I am sure they prefer it when the mailbox in near the street or the neighborhood has clusters of mailboxes. Grass is meant to be walked on, you should move your mailbox and then he won't walk there. The guys who check the meters also walk through the grass.

Answer 4

Im not up on this story. Why are they telling postal workers to walk on people's lawns? I thought that they were supposed to use the sidewalks. I would be really mad if I saw the postie stomping a path across my lawn every day. This is Union nonsense at it's finest.

Answer 5

I would ask him one more time and tell him that you are not trying to start trouble but you put a lot of effort into making your flowers look nice. Or may you can put stepping stones as a path to your mail box perhaps if you make it clear that you had put them there for his purposes only maybe then he will respect. If all else fails by all means report him to the supervisor. There is no reason why he needs to be disrespectful.

Answer 6

Mail carriers are not the most well educated people on the planet. All they have to do to get hired is repeat back some addresses on a test. Not even sure if they need a high school diploma. Put a fence around it. Most of them refuse to walk two steps sideways to avoid something.

Answer 7

It is clearly stated in the Canada Post Code of Conduct that your mail provider should be using the provided walkways and not to intrude on your personal property except to access your mailbox (which is why when you don't shovel your driveways and walkways they can deny delivering your mail). I would call the post office and tell them.

Answer 8

If you have a proper walkway, yes he should use it. If he is not doing as you request then talk to the postal carrier company. This is showing disrespect for your property and that is not acceptable.

Answer 9

If you dont want to hassle with his boss at the post office.

a couple of ideas. Put in a small white picket fence or a nice
waist high hedge (or even a Thick row of rose bushes ) along your property line between you and your neighbors. you might also put up a Pretty box next to the sidewalk.

Answer 10

I have a problem with my mail carrier as well. I plan on putting up a fence between houses but not sure they won t stop trying.