Postal Explorer > Publication 28 - Postal Addressing Standards > 2 Postal Addressing Standards > 23 Delivery Address Line

23 Delivery Address Line

231 Components

The Delivery Address Line, as matched against the ZIP+4 file, must be broken down into its individual components on the mailpiece with one space between address elements.

These components are the primary address number, predirectional, street name, suffix, postdirectional, secondary address indentifier, and secondary address.

The Postal Service uses the parsing logic below to enter address information into the files. When parsing the Delivery Address Line into the individual components, start from the right-most element of the address and work toward the left. Place each element in the appropriate field until all address components are isolated. This process facilitates matching files with AIS products and produces the correct format for output to a mailpiece.

Note: Mailers may use any parsing logic to achieve the same result.

232 Street Name

Information found in the primary name field of the ZIP+4 file is used as the street name. The ZIP+4 file indicates the preferred primary street name to ensure that the correctly designated primary street record is matched during the address standardization processes.

Punctuation is normally limited to periods, slashes, and hyphens:

• Periods: 39.2 RD

• Slashes (fractional addresses): 101 1/2 MAIN ST

• Hyphens (hyphenated addresses): 289-01 MONTGOMERY AVE

Note: Hyphens in the address range are significant and are not removed. Hyphens in the street or city name, however, normally are not significant and may be replaced with a space.

233 Directionals

This is a term the Postal Service uses to refer to the part of the address that gives directional information for delivery (i.e., N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW).

233.1 Abbreviations

Abbreviate directionals (if they are one of the eight standard directionals listed in AIS files) to the appropriate one- or two-character abbreviation.

233.2 Single Directionals

233.21 Predirectional Field

When parsing the address from right to left, if a directional word is found as the first word in the street name and there is no other directional to the left of it, abbreviate it and locate it in the predirectional field of the ZIP+4 file for standardization purposes.

233.22 Postdirectional Field

When parsing from right to left, if a directional word is located to the right of the street name and suffix, abbreviate it and locate it in the postdirectional field.

233.23 Two Directionals

When two directional words appear consecutively as one or two words, before the street name or following the street name or suffix, then the two words become either the pre- or the postdirectionals. Exceptions are any combinations of NORTH-SOUTH or EAST-WEST as consecutive words. In these cases the second directional becomes part of the primary name and is spelled out completely in the primary name field.

The other exception is when the local address information unit has determined that one of the directional letters is used as an alphabet indicator and not as a directional.

Note: In this example, the two-word directional is the primary street name.

233.3 Directional as Part of Street Name

When parsing from right to left, if the directional word appears between the street name and the suffix, then it appears as part of the primary name spelled out in the ZIP+4 file and is spelled out on the mailpiece.

The exception is when the local AIS unit has determined that the letters (E, N, S, or W) are used as alphabet indicators and not as directionals.

234 Suffixes

234.1 Abbreviations

The suffix of the address should conform with the standard suffix abbreviations listed in the ZIP+4 file (see Appendix C).

234.2 Two Suffixes

If an address has two consecutive words that appear on the suffix table (Appendix C), abbreviate the second of the two words according to the suffix table and place it in the suffix field. The first of the two words is part of the primary name. Spell it out on the mailpiece in its entirety after the street name.

235 Numeric Street Names

Numeric street names, for example, 7TH ST or SEVENTH ST, should be output on the mailpiece exactly as they appear in the ZIP+4 file.

Spell out numeric street names only when there are duplicate street names within a postal delivery area and the only distinguishing factor is that the one you matched is spelled out.

236 Corner Addresses

Corner addresses are replaced by physical street addresses in all AIS files.

237 Highways

The following are recommended standardized examples of county, state, and local highways (see Appendix F for an expanded table).

238 Military Addresses

238.1 Overseas Locations

The Delivery Address Line for all APO/FPO military mail must be standardized as follows:

238.2 Domestic Locations

All domestic military mail must have a conventional street style address (see part 231).