Community Development Agency
Community Identity Project:
USPS Mailing Addresses in Unincorporated Alameda County
Solutions & Action
Project Update 9/21/23: Board of Supervisors Takes Action!
At the 9/21/23 meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, CDA staff presented an overview of the USPS Project, including community feedback, and recommended approval of a resolution authorizing CDA to submit a request to the United States Postal Service to pursue "Option 1: Place Name Change."
The Board heard public comment before voting unanimously to approve the resolution "authorizing the Community Development Agency to submit a request to the United States Postal Service (USPS) to change mailing address Place Names for unincorporated Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, Fairview, Hayward Acres, and San Lorenzo to align with the Planning Area names and boundaries of those communities, as defined in the Alameda County General Plan." The full staff memo and resolution are available here.
If approved by USPS, this change would mean that unincorporated community names would become the default USPS mailing address Place Names (in place of "San Leandro" and "Hayward") for unincorporated Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland, Fairview, Hayward Acres, and San Lorenzo. This change is not expected to impact mail delivery, and residents can choose to use either the old or the new Place Name as long as they continue to write the correct street address and ZIP Code.
Next steps: CDA staff will review address data and submit a formal request to the USPS. If approved by USPS, the changes should take effect within 6 months. Staff will then design an outreach campaign to inform community about the approved changes. Click to subscribe to our listserv to receive updates as the project progresses.
Possible Solutions
With community input, the Board of Supervisors considered these three options and directed the Community Development Agency to pursue Option 1:
Frequently Asked Questions
Follow link for a side-by-side comparison of these three options.
Click to subscribe
Option 1: Place Name (Preferred Last Line) Change
In Option 1, residents would use their unincorporated community name as the official Place Name on their mail. "Official" means that USPS recognizes your unincorporated community name (Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, Fairview, San Lorenzo, or Castro Valley) as the default Place Name (PLL), reflected in USPS.com searches. Hayward and San Leandro would no longer be official PLLs in unincorporated or on USPS.com, but residents could still use the old USPS Place Name (PLL) as long as they use the correct ZIP and street address. ZIP codes would not change.
Option 2: Alternate Preferred Last Line Change
In Option 2, residents could use their unincorporated community name as an unofficial place name on their mail, but it would not be official on USPS.com. The official PLL and ZIP would not change. Hayward and San Leandro would remain official PLLs in unincorporated. This change would not be the default on USPS.com.
Option 3: Full ZIP Code Boundary Realignment
The County could request a change to ZIP Code boundaries and PLLs to align with communities.
For Option 3, USPS requires the County to send a survey to all impacted addresses asking them if they agree with the proposed changes:
- 50% of surveys sent must be returned, and 50% of responses must approve of the requested change
- Supportive survey results do not guarantee approval, and USPS will always offer Options 1 and 2 first as "accommodations" during a ZIP Boundary Review process
- ZIP Code Boundary Realignment is a long and costly process, and requests are rarely approved by USPS
- Additional coordination with Cities would likely be necessary
What is the decision-making process for this project?
- Staff gathers community input and makes recommendations to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors
- The Board of Supervisors directs staff about which option to pursue
- With BOS direction, staff gathers mailing address data and makes a formal request to USPS
- If the BOS selects Option 3 (Full ZIP Code Boundary Realignment), USPS requires the County to mail surveys to all impacted addresses. 50% of surveys must be returned and 50% of responses must approve of the requested change in order for USPS to consider the request.
- USPS reviews request, makes a determination, and implements