Let’s say it’s the day your package was finally scheduled to arrive.
You logged onto USPS’ website to track it, only to see a big notice telling you that USPS did not have access to the delivery location!
This can be even more confusing when you regularly receive other packages without any problems.
So, what causes the ‘No Access To Delivery Location’ message to appear, and what can be done to fix it?
In this article, we’ll cover everything that you need to know!
No Access To Delivery Location Meaning
If USPS marks your package with the message, ‘No Access To Delivery Location’, this means that they were not able to physically reach the place where they were supposed to drop off your package. Alternatively, this may also mean that your mailbox is full.
In any case, they were not able to deliver the package, and may attempt to either redeliver it the next day or hold it at the post office for pickup.
Usually, there are steps you can take to make sure that the postal carrier is able to access the delivery location and safely deliver the package.
So, let’s look over each of the possible reasons USPS may mark a package as ‘no access to delivery location’, and what you can do to fix it.
1. Mailbox Is Full
If you normally have packages delivered to your mailbox instead of your doorstep, this is the most common reason.
If postal carriers are unable to physically fit the package inside of your mailbox and it’s not equipped with a package storage compartment, tracking may update to show that USPS did not have access to the delivery location at the time of attempted delivery.
If shipping to an apartment, this is also common if there is no mailroom or other safe place to leave packages with somebody else.
However, in the event that the package is left with somebody else, you will instead see a message on tracking that says it was delivered to an agent – the ‘No Access To Delivery Location’ message is only reserved for packages that were not deliverable at all.
The answer to this one is simple – clear your mailbox! Often times, bunches of orders can come in all at once when you’re not expecting it. So, it’s easy for mailboxes to fill up rather quickly, even if they were previously empty.
USPS will attempt to redeliver, so this issue should be sorted out as long as there’s space to store your package safely.
2. A Locked Gate Is Preventing Access
If you have a private property with some sort of gate blocking access to your driveway, it may have prevented USPS from completing their delivery.
While property managers will give access codes for multi-unit properties, you can’t expect USPS to know how to unlock every single gate that they come across.
Therefore, if you have a fence, gate or other structure that makes it impossible for a USPS vehicle to reach your house, you will need to keep this unlocked during the daytime hours when USPS makes their deliveries.
Alternatively, contact your local post office branch to inquire about alternatives, such as renting a PO box.
3. A Dog Or Dangerous Animal Is Outside
As you might imagine, safety is a huge priority for USPS. They are in charge of delivering everyone’s mail, and need to ensure that they’ve taken into account every possible danger they may face while on the job.
While you may know that your dog is safe, the postal carrier might not. So, their policy is to prevent delivery if they believe it may put them in physical danger.
While this isn’t to say you shouldn’t ever let your dog outside, it may prevent some packages from being delivered if the dog is not kept on a leash and is free to roam around. This is especially true if your dog’s breed is known for being particularly aggressive.
It should be noted however that postal carriers tend to become familiar with the animals on their route and may come to recognize the friendliness of your pets over time.
Too funny- Marcy got this note in her mailbox from UPS. Since she posted about it on Friday, it’s gotten nearly 2,000 shares 🐻#OnlyInAsheville @WLOS_13 pic.twitter.com/A1aASsGNbH
— Liz Burch (@LizBurchTV) August 28, 2018
Of course, the ‘No Access To Delivery Location’ message isn’t just caused by dogs. In certain areas of the country that have a high bear or cougar population, it’s possible that the presence of one may also have prevented delivery.
So, if there’s an animal that USPS perceives might be dangerous, they will state that they couldn’t access the delivery location, and attempt to redeliver at another time.
4. Bad Weather
It should be noted that USPS makes every attempt to deliver, regardless of the weather conditions outside.
However, if they are unable to drive on the roads needed to access your house, they will update tracking with the ‘No Access To Delivery Location’ message.
This is most common in rural areas with lots of snow, that wasn’t plowed or cleared by your city. These roads may be physically impossible for USPS vehicles to drive on, even if they wanted to attempt it.
Likewise, if something like a windstorm has caused a tree to fall over the road and they can’t drive past it, this would be another situation where the delivery location was inaccessible.
Other examples include car accidents and fallen power lines.
It’s not always possible to tell when a road may be difficult to access. For example, something could’ve happened while you were at work shortly before USPS tried to deliver, but was taken care of before you arrived home.
In any case, if weather or natural disasters prevent access to roads, USPS will state that they had no access to the delivery location.
5. New Address
If your address is new, it may not yet be registered within USPS’ address management system.
If your building is new, you may have trouble getting any mail at all.
So, you should contact USPS or visit your local post office branch to inquire if something like this is going on.
6. USPS Lied
Despite all of the possible valid reasons USPS may not have been able to reach the delivery location, there’s also a chance that they simply lied about it, and no delivery was ever attempted.
This is extremely rare, but the reality is that it happens.
We’ve heard stories from other people that have used Ring doorbell cameras or simply sat outside on their porch all day, and USPS never attempted delivery. However, when they went to check their tracking, it updated to say that there was no access to the delivery location – a flat out lie.
USPS operates on strict deadlines, and not every employee is honest 100% of the time.
Although this is frustrating, your package is still on its way and should be delivered the next day. Of course, you should take all of the steps above (such as clearing your mailbox) to ensure there are no problems when the package actually is attempted to be delivered.
What To Do Now
Now that you know the possible reasons why USPS may update tracking to say, ‘No Access To Delivery Location’, you may be wondering – what happens now?
First of all, you should review the possible reasons above and make any necessary changes to ensure delivery.
This means clearing your mailbox is full, unlocking any gates necessary to access your property, keeping pets inside, and ensuring there is a clear path to your doorstep.
Usually, USPS will attempt to redeliver the package the next day. Although this is a minor inconvenience, you can generally expect it to show up as long as the delivery location is now accessible.
Sometimes however, you may need to pick up the package from your local post office branch instead.
If this becomes a recurring problem, we recommend contacting USPS and notifying them of the situation. They may be able to work with you to ensure your mail gets delivered properly.
Conclusion
When USPS marks a package as ‘No Access To Delivery Location’, this means that they were not able to physically reach the location where they were supposed to drop off your mail. Alternatively, it may mean that your mailbox is full.
Thankfully, there are steps you can take to ensure USPS is safely able to deliver to your address.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any other questions about USPS, please ask them using the comment form below.
Thank you for reading, and wishing you the best!
– James McAllister