What Do I Do When My Mailbox Gets Hit By A Snow Plow In Minnesota?

Well, it finally happened to me, my mailbox got clobbered by the plow. Luckily I hadn't buried my mailbox yet, and I was able to salvage it and get it back up, but it made me think what should I do? Do I need to report it, am I sure it was the plow and NOT the snow being pushed off the road that took out my mailbox? I did a little web sleuthing and here is what I found, in case it happens to you.

If you live along a Highway, MnDOT says that "Owners are responsible for the care and replacement of damaged mailboxes unless directly hit by a snowplow." If you find that a state snow plow did take out your mailbox, you can send an email to start the process of replacement, you can find MnDOT's contact information here. If it was deemed that the snow, like the weight of it being pushed, broke your mailbox you are responsible for replacing it.

Closer to home, if you live in Becker, their stance on mailboxes can be found on their website:

The City of Becker Streets Department makes every effort to not hit/damage mailboxes while they are out on roadways conducting snowplowing and ice control operations.  In the event that an incident such as this would happen, the Streets and Parks Operations Lead would go out and determine if the mailbox was indeed hit by a snowplow, or if the sheer volume/weight of snow was the culprit in moving/damaging the mailbox in question.  

If it is determined that a snowplow did hit/damage a mailbox the City would be held accountable for fixing the mailbox ASAP or waiting until spring to fix or replace more significant issues.  

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In St. Cloud, the policy set in place states that:

Where mailboxes are installed on a city-owned right-of-way, and in the event, a mailbox is damaged due to the force of snow generated by the snow removal operations, the city will assume no responsibility.

Each city seems to be about the same, but worded differently, when it comes to what happens when a mailbox is hit. But essentially, what they all say is if a plow did take out the mailbox they will pay for a new one, but if it was just the weight of the snow you are on the hook.