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Is sending mail to strangers illegal?

As it turns out, opening or throwing out mail that isn't yours is illegal, and can be punishable by a misdemeanor or felony charge.

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It’s probably happened to all of us at some point: you go to your mailbox, grab the stack, sort through it, and realize that one or more pieces of mail aren’t actually addressed to you. In many cases, the mail is addressed to one of your neighbors, which makes the issue of what to do with mail that isn’t yours easy to solve—you just walk it over to their door. But what do you do if you’re renting and the mail is addressed to a previous tenant? Or what happens if it’s addressed to a neighbor but you forget to bring it to them? Coming across mail that isn’t yours puts the onus on you to work out a solution, regardless of whether or not it’s a task you signed up for. And while it might be tempting to just toss the letter in the recycling bin and wash your hands of the whole issue, there are some potential consequences to doing so (including possible felony charges, yikes). Here’s what to know about handling mail that’s intended for someone else, plus how to help ensure that your own mail doesn’t end up in someone else’s home—or recycling bin.

You’ve got mail that isn’t yours: now what?

Undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail—which includes mail that is addressed to an individual, family or business that has moved—is a costly problem for the U.S. Postal Service, accounting for about 4.56% of the outbound volume of all mail and $1.3 billion in wasted processing fees.

Of course, you’re not the USPS, so mail that wrongly ends up at your address isn’t your problem. Or is it?

As it turns out, opening or throwing out mail that isn’t yours is illegal, and can be punishable by a misdemeanor or felony charge. To understand why, you have to look at U.S. Code § 1708, a longstanding law that tacks on the possibility of a fine or imprisonment for tampering with mail that belongs to someone else. Are the police going to show up at your door because you tossed out a letter addressed to a neighbor or a previous tenant or homeowner? Probably not. But seeing that a letter is addressed to someone else and then tossing it—or worse, opening it—shows intent to tamper, and that’s a risk that’s not worth taking, especially when it’s easy enough to solve the problem in other ways.

Here’s what to do if you get mail addressed to someone else

Hopefully this is an issue that only happens to you once in a blue moon, rather than on the regular. In either case though, taking the proper steps can help reduce the amount of UAA mail that you end up with, putting the burden back on the post office (and not you) to make sure that the right people get the right mail.

Here’s what to do.

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Label it and stick it back in your mailbox

If it’s not as simple as just dropping off the piece of mail in your neighbor’s mailbox or at their front door, your next best step is to properly label it and then put it right back in the outbox. This means: Cross out the barcode If you’re renting, then the mail you are receiving is almost certainly for a previous tenant. Your landlord should have collected a forwarding address when they moved out, so contact them and let them know what’s going on, then ask if they knew where the letter can be sent to. If they have the proper address, you can cross out yours and write the correct one in its place, then stick the letter in an outbox. Notify your postal carrier You probably don’t need to take this step if receiving the wrong mail is just an occasional or one-off occurrence, but if it’s happening often (and especially if the mail is continually addressed to the same person), then it’s worth notifying your local post office directly. When you get a wrongly addressed letter, leave it in your mailbox with a sticky note on top that says “So-and-So does not live at this address.” Alternately, you could go to your post office and talk to a manager. Ask if you can fill out a Change of Address form for the person whose mail you are receiving, and on the line for the forwarding address put “Moved and left no forwarding address.” You can then sign the form with your name and “Current resident.” Wrong mail still coming in? If you’ve taken the above steps and had no luck, you can file a complaint with your post office. To do so, call or email your local postmaster and ask what the protocol is. You may need to set up an appointment, or you might just be able to place your complaint via phone or email.

How to change your address so your mail always finds you

If you’re regularly getting mail meant for someone else, you might find yourself wondering: wait, are other people getting mail meant for me?

You don’t want to be missing out on important mail, nor do you want to be the reason that someone else is filing a complaint with their post office. And your best bet to avoiding both of these headaches is to change your address with the post office as soon as you know that you’re going to be moving. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to changing your address that is definitely worth referencing any time that you move. The process can be done quickly and easily online, over the phone, or in person, with a $1 fee for changing your address online or via phone to verify your identity. While you’re at it, you’ll want to also be sure to notify additional parties of your new address, which should include basically anyone who may need to reach you through snail mail. This includes:

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State and federal tax agencies

Bank and credit card companies

Utility providers

Phone, cable, and internet providers

Insurance providers (home, renter’s, health, etc.)

Other relevant financial agencies

Your employer

Any organizations or subscriptions you’re signed up for

Friends and family

While you’re at it, set aside some time to update your mailing address with any online shopping sites that you frequent. You don’t want to speed through the checkout process only to realize that your package is set to go to the wrong place.

Frequently asked questions about getting the wrong mail

If you’ve gotten mail addressed to someone else it’s likely not the first (or the last) time that it’s happening. Here are some quick answers to common questions about why it happens and what you should—and shouldn’t—do about it.

Why am I getting mail that isn’t mine?

Most of the time, if you’re getting mail intended for someone else it’s for one of two reasons: (1) it’s for a neighbor and your postal carrier made a mistake, or (2) it’s for the previous tenant or homeowner who lived at your address.

Is it illegal to open someone else’s mail?

Yes. U.S. Code § 1708 makes it a misdemeanor or felony offense to open or otherwise tamper with mail that you know belongs to someone else.

Is it illegal to throw away mail that isn’t mine?

Yes. See U.S. Code § 1708 again, which includes throwing mail away that’s intended for someone else as tampering.

What do you write on mail that isn’t yours?

Cross out the barcode and write “Not at this Address: Return to Sender.” You can also just cross out the barcode and write “Return to Sender.”

What do I do if I keep getting someone else’s mail?

If returning the mail to sender doesn’t take care of the problem, notify your local post office directly. You can do so by leaving a note for (or talking to) your postal carrier, or by making a visit to your post office.

Can I put my neighbor’s mail in their mailbox?

Yep. There is no potential penalty for putting your neighbor’s mail into their mailbox if it is was accidentally dropped off in your own box. If you live somewhere with cluster mailboxes and so can’t open up their box, leave it at their front door or, if you have a good relationship, hand it to them in person.

moving.com - What to Do With Mail That Isn't Yours - Moving.com

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