Postal Service Ditches Mandatory Sorting for Flats Mail
Published Date: 2/5/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Postal Service is giving mailers more freedom by making 5-digit, 3-digit, and ADC sorting for First Class and Marketing Mail flats optional instead of required. This change helps businesses save time and money by choosing how they want to prepare their mail. The new rules will kick in soon, making mailing easier and more flexible for everyone involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Sorting Requirements Now Optional
The Postal Service is changing standards for First Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail flats so that 5-digit, 3-digit, and ADC sortation is optional instead of required. Mailers no longer must prepare flats to those sort levels if they choose not to.
Businesses Can Save Time and Money
The Postal Service says this change helps businesses save time and money by letting them choose how to prepare flats. The summary also states the change makes mailing easier and more flexible for everyone involved.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-16016, New Mailing Standards for Live Animals
The Postal Service proposes revising Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Pub 52), for various package requirements for live animals. This proposal will improve package integrity and container identification for all live animal shipments during processing and handling by prohibiting the reuse of fiberboard containers and requiring individual addressing and sequential numbering for multiple container shipments when bound together in a single shipment. Also, this proposal requires mailers to write the recipient's name and address directly on the packaging of Adult Bird shipments in the event the shipping label becomes detached from the packaging.
2026-15420, Duty Collection for Domestic Mail Arriving From Certain Insular Possessions and Territories
The Postal Service is revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]), section 608, to provide instructions for customs clearance and the prepayment of applicable customs duties, taxes, and fees for certain goods mailed from American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands destined to the customs territory of the United States (CTUS), which is defined in 19 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 101.1 as the fifty States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
2026-14727, Product Change-Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage Negotiated Service Agreements; Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage Negotiated Service Agreements
The Postal Service is updating its special shipping deals for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage. These changes affect businesses using negotiated contracts and could mean new pricing or service options starting soon. The updates were officially filed in mid-July 2026 and aim to keep shipping smooth and competitive.
2026-14508, Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
The USPS plans to create a new system to handle records about mail-in and absentee ballots for federal elections, but only if a related rule change gets approved after ongoing court battles. This affects voters and USPS workers by aiming to keep ballot mail safe and private. If the rule passes, the new record system will kick in within about a month, with no extra costs announced yet.
2026-14191, Product Change-Priority Mail, and USPS Ground Advantage Negotiated Service Agreements; Priority Mail Express
The Postal Service is updating its Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Priority Mail Express services by adding new special shipping deals called Negotiated Service Agreements. These changes affect businesses using these shipping options and could mean new pricing or contract terms starting mid-July 2026. If you ship with USPS, keep an eye out for these updates—they might save you money or change how you send packages.
2026-13728, International Product Change-Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International & First-Class Package International Service Agreement
The Postal Service is adding a new international shipping deal for Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, and First-Class Package International Service. This change affects customers who send packages overseas and aims to offer better pricing and service options. The update was filed on June 30, 2026, and could mean new shipping choices and costs soon.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-02214, Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Model GVII-G400 Airplane; Automatic Speed Protection for Design Dive Speed (Dive Speed Definition)
Gulfstream’s new GVII-G400 airplane has a cool high-speed protection system that current safety rules don’t fully cover. So, special safety rules are being added to make sure this feature keeps everyone just as safe as older rules do. These changes affect Gulfstream and help keep their plane flying safely without extra costs or delays.
Next: 2025-02221, Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo S.p.a. Helicopters
If you own a Leonardo A109E, A109S, or AW109SP helicopter, listen up! The FAA wants you to check how the motor cables and fire extinguisher parts are installed because some might be wrong. You’ll need to inspect and fix any issues soon to keep flying safe—no big costs expected, just some careful checking.