County snowplows not liable for mailbox damage

With winter weather hammering Northwest Montana, the Flathead County Road Department on Monday issued a reminder that the county is not liable for replacement or repair of any mailbox damaged in the course of county road maintenance.

This time of year, mailboxes sometimes are damaged by snowplowing, but there’s not much the county can do to correct the problem, according to Public Works Director Dave Prunty.

Mailbox damage most often is caused by the force of the snow knocking boxes off posts or denting them, not the plows running over the boxes.

“I know folks think we’re trying to aim it up and take them out,” Prunty said. “By no means are we trying to take out mailboxes. It’s a road hazard, like getting a rock kicked up in your windshield. It’s no one’s fault.”

There are thousands of mailboxes in the county, and if snowplows were to slow down for every one, the roads wouldn’t get plowed in a timely manner, he said.

“The best solution is to have a pullout where they [mailboxes] are off the roadway,” Prunty added.

Flathead County commissioners passed a resolution in 1994 declaring that the county is not liable for replacement or repair of any mailbox damaged in the course of county road maintenance.

The resolution also said new mailbox installations must comply with state Department of Transportation requirements regarding setbacks and road pullouts.

Informational packets about how to properly install mailboxes are available at the county road department or local post offices.