Can You Legally Park in Front of a Mailbox in Maine?

Are you like me and wonder about things other people probably don’t spend their time thinking about? Like, is parking in front of a mailbox illegal? Well, here’s what the law actually says,  

According to the law under the Maine Revised Statutes there isn’t any specific law against parking in front of mailboxes.

Instead, the law looks at parking in public areas instead like: you can’t park on the main part of the road if there’s a safe place to pull off. But if you do park on the road, you have to make sure there’s at least 10 feet of space for cars to pass, and that drivers can see your car from 300 feet away. 

There's no mention of mailboxes in Maine law which leads us to believe that our state does not have a specific law about not parking directly out front of one.  

No Maine Law on Mailbox Parking—But Don’t Ignore the Feds

But, make sure to be aware of Federal law. Because if you do willingly obstruct the access to a mailbox that may cause you a problem. If you make it impossible for someone to access their mailbox, you would be violating federal mail delivery  according to 18 U.S. Code § 1701 "Obstruction of mails generally."

Read More: Drowsy Driver? Is It Illegal to Pass Out in Your Car in Maine? 

This law says that anyone who, 

"knowingly and willfully obstructs or retards the passage of the mail, or any carrier or conveyance carrying the mail, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both" 

While Maine doesn’t have an explicit law to ban parking in front of a mailbox, doing so may trigger a federal situation.