County not responsible for mailbox damage

Mailboxes and snowplows sometimes don’t mix well, Flathead County Public Works Director Dave Prunty says.

Prunty reminds county residents that their mailboxes along county roads must be able to withstand the weight of some snow being plowed onto them and boxes must be far enough off the road so they’re not in the path of a plow.

The road department gets complaints every winter from people who say snowplows hit their mailboxes, Prunty said.

Generally, if a county driver strikes a mailbox with a snowplow, the county will replace the box, Prunty said.

However, if a mailbox is damaged from snow being tossed by a plow or if a box is not in the proper part of the road right of way, the county assumes no responsibility for replacing the mailbox.

Flathead County has had a resolution in place since 1994 that declares the county is not liable for replacement or repair of any mailbox damaged in the course of county road maintenance.

The resolution states that mailboxes must comply with state laws regarding setbacks and road pullouts. And mailboxes must conform with post office regulations, Prunty said.

County residents are creative when it comes to mailboxes, he said. Some people have hung their boxes from chains that easily swing the box out of the way from the weight of snow. Other people use poles that can turn to avoid the snow that’s pushed up by a plow.

Mailboxes are allowed in the county’s right of way, but not in the roadway itself, Prunty said.

“We get a lot of phone calls every winter,” he said. “We’ve already had our first call this winter.” A road employee checks out the complaint, he said, and if it’s determined the county plow hit the box, a new box is then provided.