Constituents often turn to members of Congress for assistance in securing changes to ZIP Code boundaries, usually because their mailing addresses do not correspond to the geographic and political boundaries of their municipalities' jurisdictions. This report explains why ZIP Code boundaries often are not aligned with geographic political jurisdiction boundaries, describes some problems that may occur because of the misalignment, and discusses efforts by the U.S. ZIP Codes Are Widely Used Outside USPS

The Postal Service has contended that the ZIP Code system's only purpose is to facilitate the efficient and orderly delivery of the mail. Because ZIP Codes are based on the location of delivery post offices, they often do not correspond to political jurisdiction boundaries. The following is a sample of the problems that have been brought to congressional attention:
higher automobile insurance rates for drivers who live in the suburbs but are charged city rates based on their ZIP Codes; residents who are confused about where to vote in municipal elections because they do not distinguish between their voting and mailing addresses; sales tax revenues rebated by states to the cities where they are collected often being misdirected because they are collected by merchants with ZIP Codes in different jurisdictions, or by merchants who mail their products to customers knowing only their ZIP Codes; individuals being sent jury duty notices when they are not eligible to serve based on their actual residences; emergency service vehicles being misdirected by confusion over what town a call has come from, based on mailing address information; and homeowners in expensive neighborhoods complaining that their housing values are diminished because their mailing addresses place them in less prestigious communities. In addition, a community may lack a delivery post office and complain that the need to use mailing addresses from neighboring towns robs them of their community identity. 4827 ) that would have allowed local governments, rather than the Postal Service, to determine local addresses or ZIP Code boundaries as a solution to the widespread problems. The Government Accountability Office (GAO, then the General Accounting Office) examined postal case files on 26 municipal requests for ZIP Code changes, only 2 of which were approved by USPS. Postal Service Attempts to Resolve Problems

		Current USPS Process for Realigning ZIP Codes

In the years since the 1990 hearing and GAO's investigation, USPS has made a concerted effort to develop a process for the regular review of ZIP Code boundaries. ZIP Code changes are invariably sensitive locally, and often involve considerable coordination and investment, so USPS requires approval from the district manager, the manager of operations programs support, the manager of processing and distribution, and the district manager of customer service and sales before a proposal can be sent to the Area (regional) Office for approval. Requests can be denied, but only based on appropriate, objective reasons that are consistent with the Review Process....
(P)ostal policy is to offer any reasonable administrative or operational accommodation that can correct, or alleviate, the municipal identity concerns. Others will make requests.... What the Process Requires

The boundary review process requires any municipality and community group seeking a ZIP Code change to submit the request in writing to the manager of the district, with any rationale and justification. If the request is approved at the area level, "the proposal is sent to Headquarters Address Management System (AMS) for review and approval." Within delivery operations at headquarters, an operations specialist who works full time on boundary review appeals determines whether the district provided "reasonable accommodation" to the proposed change. The manager of delivery operations must make a final decision on the appeal within 60 days. A compromise solution that does not involve changing USPS delivery structure is to allow customers to use an alternative city name in the last line of their addresses, while not changing the ZIP Code. What Can a Member of Congress Do? Constituents are frequently unaware of the boundary review process.
The 112th Congress may address issues related to the application and modification of ZIP Codes. This report assists members in addressing concerns about the use of ZIP Codes as well as offers an overview of the boundary review process that can lead to changes in ZIP Code assignment.
Since the ZIP Code system for identifying address locations was devised in the 1960s, some citizens have wanted to change the ZIP Codes to which their addresses have been assigned. Because ZIP Codes are often not aligned with municipal boundaries, millions of Americans have mailing addresses in neighboring jurisdictions. The result can be higher insurance rates, confusion in voter registration, misdirected property and sales tax revenues for municipalities, and changes in property values. Some communities that lack delivery post offices complain that the need to use mailing addresses of adjacent areas robs them of a community identity.
Because ZIP Codes are the cornerstone of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS's) mail distribution system, USPS has long resisted changing them for any reason other than to improve the efficiency of delivery. Frustrated citizens frequently have turned to members of Congress for assistance in altering ZIP Code boundaries. In the 101st Congress, a House subcommittee heard testimony from members, city officials, and the General Accounting Office (GAO, now the Government Accountability Office) that USPS routinely denied local requests for adjusting ZIP Code boundaries.
Since then, USPS has developed a "ZIP Code Boundary Review Process" that promises "every reasonable effort" to consider and, if possible, accommodate municipal requests to modify the last lines of an acceptable address or modify ZIP Code boundaries. The process places responsibility on district managers, rather than local postmasters, to review requests for boundary adjustments, to evaluate costs and benefits of alternative solutions to identified problems, and to provide decisions within 60 days. If a district manager rejects the request, the process provides for an appeal to the manager of delivery at USPS headquarters, where a review based on whether or not a "reasonable accommodation" was made is to be provided within 60 days.
The boundary review process enhances the possibility of accommodating communities that desire ZIP Code changes. One accommodation that can often be made is to allow the use of more than one city name in the last line of an address, while retaining the ZIP Code number of the delivery post office. This can help with community identity problems, though not with problems such as insurance rates or tax remittances that are determined by ZIP Code.
A congressional constituent desiring a ZIP Code accommodation may not be aware of the boundary review process requirements. Any proposal for change must be submitted in writing to the district manager. The district manager is to work with the local postal managers, headquarters delivery, and headquarters Address Management System to evaluate the request and determine if an accommodation can be made.