It is the duty of the Butler County Engineer to provide the safest possible highway system for the traveling public of Butler County. Section 5547 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) provides for the removal of obstructions with the county highway system Right-of-Ways. The Federal Highway Administration has adopted the following standards for rural mailboxes. Mailboxes not in compliance with these standards are a safety hazard and an obstruction to the safe use of the highway and should be removed.
- The mailbox unit shall be constructed entirely of plastic and/or lightweight galvanized steel attached to the support unit with sufficient strength to prevent the box from separating from the post top if struck by a vehicle.
- The support structure (post) shall be either a wooden post (no larger than a 4-inch x 4-inch square or 4 1/2 -inch diameter round) or a metal post with a strength no greater than a 2-inch diameter standard strength steel pipe (with a weight not in excess of 2.6 lbs. per foot). No support structure shall be embedded more than 24 inches into the ground. A metal post shall be fitted with an anchor plate, but it may have an anti-twist device that extends no more than 10 inches below the ground surface. Mailbox supports shall NOT be set in concrete.
- The unit shall be placed at an offset from the edge of pavement so that the roadside face of the mailbox is no closer than 3 feet from the edge of the placement. When a mailbox is installed in the vicinity of an existing guardrail, it shall be placed behind the guardrail unless otherwise approved by the Butler County Engineer.
- Multiple mailbox units of more than two boxes shall be mounted on one support. However, lightweight newspaper boxes may be mounted below the mailbox on the side of the mailbox support. Multiple posts shall be placed no more than three feet apart.
- Designs not described on this page will be acceptable only if written permission is granted by the Butler County Engineer’s Office.
- The owner shall assume responsibility for and shall hold Butler County harmless and defend any and all claims for personal injury and property damages that might be brought as a result of this work.
WARNING (excerpts from 1992 Ohio Supreme Court Ruling):
“WHERE AN ABUTTING LANDOWNER OR OCCUPIER USES THE HIGHWAY RIGHT-OF-WAY IN A MANNER INCONSISTENT WITH A HIGHWAY PURPOSE, AND WHERE SUCH USAGE CONSTITUES AN UNREASONABLE HAZARD TO USERS OF THE HIGHWAY, THE LANDOWNER OR OCCUPIER MAY BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES PROXIMATELY CAUSED BY THE IMPROPER USE OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY.”
“A LANDOWNER OR OCCUPIER IS UNDER OBLIGATION TO KNOW THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PROPERTY. THE BORDER OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY IS A BOUNDARY LINE LIKE ANY OTHER.”
To reduce the liability exposure of landowners or occupiers and Butler County, we have an obligation to inform you that anything which you cause to be placed, or cause to remain, on the right-of-way could be the cause of legal action being brought against you. If you currently have such items as fences, trees, shrubs, stones, or any other obstructions on the right-of-way, you should make arrangements to have them removed.
