8.1.2 Mail Services

Authority

This Guide Memo was approved by the Vice President for Land, Buildings & Real Estate.

Last Updated

August 06, 2024

Formerly Known As Policy Number: 81.2

This Guide Memo describes mail services provided to the University by both the U.S. Post Office, Stanford’s Mail and Package Services (under the authority of Land, Buildings, and Real Estate (LBRE)), and other mail services groups such as SHC, School of Medicine, and SLAC.

Authority: This Guide Memo was approved by the Vice President for Land, Buildings & Real Estate.

Applicability: This policy applies to all Stanford University employees and students.

1. U.S. Mail Service

a. Incoming Mail

(1) Campus Mail: U. S. Mail for campus departments is received and sorted at the U. S. Post Office, 2085 E Bayshore Road, East Palo Alto, CA 94303. Mail carriers deliver mail to departmental building delivery points.

(2) Medical Center: U. S. Mail for the Hospital, patients, and the School of Medicine is received and sorted at Stanford Health Care mail services and delivered on the same schedule as Interdepartmental (ID) Mail (see 2.b(3)).

(3) SLAC: A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) carrier delivers mail to the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) once a day.

(4) Post Office Boxes: Mailbox rentals at the Post Office are serviced Monday - Saturday.

b. Outgoing Mail

(1) Pickup Point: Carriers pick up mail at delivery points as a courtesy to customers. Because of the limited capacity by the mail carrier, large outgoing mailings may not be picked up. U.S. Post Office mailboxes are provided throughout the campus for outgoing mail. Collection hours are posted on each mail box. Visit the Stanford Campus Map: https://campus-map.stanford.edu/ under “Life on Campus” category on the left pane to view all the USPS blue mailboxes on campus.

(2) Preparation of Materials: Departments can save on delivery time by separating stamped material from metered material and by further sorting the material into letters, big envelopes and packages. Metered mail must be bundled by separate classes of mail with all addresses facing the same way. Medical Center metered mail to be picked up by Stanford Health Care mail services must also have the mail metering reference number marked on the top piece of each bundle. For more information about mail metering reference numbers, contact Stanford Health Care mail services.

(3) Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods: Departments must not use U.S. Mail for shipment of biological or other hazardous materials, including dry ice. All shipments of hazardous materials/dangerous goods must be prepared and shipped only by trained and certified individuals. Additional information and assistance are at http://hazmatshipping.stanford.edu.

(4) Postal Information: Information about postage rates, classes of mail, and general regulations for domestic and foreign mail may be obtained at the Post Office and at https://www.usps.com/.

c. Format for Stanford Addresses

A complete return address must be given for all correspondence. The electronic equipment for sorting mail scans the last two lines of the address. For fastest delivery, the preferred format for campus address information is:

Line 1. Person's Name Line 2. Stanford University Line 3. Department, Building and Room Number Line 4. Street Address Line 5. Stanford, CA 94305-nnnn (Zip+4)

Avoid putting "Stanford University" in the last two lines. If Stanford University appears in either of the last two lines, the mail is delivered in bulk to the Stanford Post Office, where it is sorted by hand. The USPS Zip Code+4 is not the same as the “ID” mail code. Use “StanfordWho” to look up correct information for individuals.

d. Misaddressed Mail

(1) Stanford Post Office carriers take undeliverable first-class mail with incorrect or insufficient addresses and “return to sender” and/or take the mail to the Information Section in the Registrar’s Office, where efforts are made to locate the addresses. If not located, the mail is returned to the Post Office.

(2) Do not send misaddressed mail through Interdepartmental Mail – always return misaddressed mail to the sender. All mail services return undeliverable mail to the Postal Carrier. Departments that receive mail for a person who has left should make a notation to that effect on the mail and return it to the sender.

e. U.S. Mail Bulk Mailing

(1) Permit #28— To send bulk mail via USPS, it is economical to use the Stanford nonprofit mail Permit #28. Minimum requirements to qualify for nonprofit bulk mail postage rates are 500 pieces for First Class and 200 pieces or 50 pounds for Standard mail service. Contact an external mail preparation service to make arrangements for the mailing. The mail preparation service vendor will take care of the required USPS paperwork and obtain the necessary signature from Mail and Package Services (MPS). The selected vendor must have an approved work request (see below) for use of the permit. The department requesting the service pays the postage via the PTA provided to MPS. There is an additional processing fee charged for this service.

To utilize Bulk Mailing Permit #28, submit a Work Request by doing the following steps:

Go to https://facops.stanford.edu/submit-work-request
Click “Submit a Work Request – Stanford Campus”
“Bulk Mailing-28” link located at the bottom of the page
Complete required request fields
Give the generated request number to the appropriate mail preparation service vendor

2. Interdepartmental Mail Services

a. Eligibility to Use Services

ID Mail Services are managed by MPS and are provided for conveyance of messages concerning the University’s official business. It is not meant for conveying packages, personal items, or misaddressed USPS mail. Packages should be sent through the appropriate package carrier methods and misaddressed mail should be “Returned to Sender”. ID mail may be used between the various University departments and administrative units. All organizations with responsibility to the University may use Campus ID mail services, including Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU).

ID mail may not be used to distribute commercial or partisan political advertising.

b. Distribution of Interdepartmental Mail

Four primary ID mail services are utilized at Stanford. Each mail room location functions independently of each other.

(1) Campus Mail: Stanford Campus ID Mail is located at 560 Fremont Road, Stanford, CA 94305 and is managed by LBRE’s Mail and Package Services. Campus ID mail services deliver mail to the Stanford campus Monday through Friday. Primary daily delivery is between the hours of 8am-2pm. To request an ID mail pick up and for questions regarding anything ID mail related, submit a SU Help Ticket here: https://stanford.service-now.com/faculty_academic_staff under the category of Mail and Package Services.

(2) Stanford Redwood City (SRWC) Campus Mail: SRWC’s mail center is located at 585 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063. The mail center employees pick up ID mail from the central mail room on main campus and bring it to Redwood City for distribution and vice versa. This campus’s primary ID mail delivery is every Monday and Thursday. To request an ID mail pick up and for questions regarding anything ID mail related for SRWC, submit a SU Help Ticket here: https://stanford.service-now.com/faculty_academic_staff under the category of Mail and Package Services.

(3) Medical Center Mail: There is one delivery a day at the Hospital and the School of Medicine. Stanford Health Care mail services also delivers U.S. Mail. Mail for patients is delivered once a day. Medical inter-office mail is separate from Campus ID mail. All questions should be directed to the Medical Center Mail Room: (650) 723-5130 or email mailservices@stanfordhealthcare.org.

(4) SLAC Mail—All questions should be directed to the SLAC Mail Room at (650) 926-2380.

c. Mail Codes

(1) Four digit campus mail codes are managed by MPS. Each mail code is specific to a department and part of a routing system for delivery. Refer to this site: mailcodes.stanford.edu or StanfordWho (SuNet ID required for both) to review or search mail codes for the main academic campus and Stanford Redwood City campus.

(2) For questions regarding your mail code, delivery route, or if you have a change in work location, submit a Help Ticket: stanford.service-now.com/faculty_academic_staff.

(3) Individuals are responsible for keeping StanfordYou and Mail and Package Services up to date with mail code and address changes. Contact MPS through the help ticket system above for any mail code or address change for you or your department.

(4) SHC and School of Medicine mail codes are managed individually. Direct requests for SHC, LPCH, and School of Medicine to mailservices@stanfordhealthcare.org.

d. Distribution Guidelines: Origin and destination of mail codes need to be verified by the sender. Mail will not be opened by the mail room for inspection when the addressee cannot be determined. Mail will be returned to sender.

e. Inspection of Interdepartmental Mail: ID mail marked "Confidential" may be opened only by the person to whom the mail is addressed. In cases where neither the intended addressee nor a return address can be determined, the MPS supervisor is authorized to open the mail with the intent to locate information for proper delivery and/or return to sender.

f. Confidential Mail:

(1) For confidential documents that must be sent via Interdepartmental mail, secure them in an opaque envelope within the ID mail envelope with tracking information, if possible. (2) For confidential documents that do not need a signature or original copies, send the documents as attachments over email and use the “Secure Email” method found here: https://uit.stanford.edu/service/secureemail/send.

g. Properly Addressing Interdepartmental Mail

(1) Main Academic Campus and SRWC Campus ID Mail

a. Only approved "campus mail" envelopes may be used for interdepartmental mailings. Approved envelopes are available through general stores or the ID Mail Services Department and require no postage.

b. Mail prepared for interdepartmental delivery in a regular envelope should be inserted into an interdepartmental envelope. This will expedite delivery and prevent the mail from being inadvertently routed as U.S. Mail.

c. Interdepartmental mail envelopes are designed for reuse. When reusing an interdepartmental envelope, check that there aren’t addresses on both sides of the envelope. This ensures proper handling and direction to the intended recipient. The current addressee must appear on the last line. Do not address between previous markings.

d. Do not seal, staple, tape, or close interdepartmental mail envelopes in a manner that will cause them to be torn when opened.

e. Include the date, sender's full name, department, mail code, and recipients’ full name, department, and mail code. The “ID” mail code is different from the USPS Zip Code+4. Use “StanfordWho” and/or mailcodes.stanford.edu to look up the correct information (see 2.c).

(2) Medical Center: Full name, department, room number and mail code.

(3) SLAC: Full name and mail stop.

h. Departments: New, Moves, and Changes

(1) When a department is new, planning a move, or has other changes, the appropriate mail services group(s) should be contacted at least two weeks in advance to provide the department’s: Name, previous address, mail code, new location, contact information, and the date the move goes into effect, as well as any other pertinent details.

Mail Services Groups:

(1) Mail and Package Services, Stanford University (Main Academic Campus and SRWC):

https://mps.stanford.edu
mailandpackageservices@stanford.edu
ServiceNow ticket: https://stanford.service-now.com/faculty_academic_staff

(2) Medical Center Mail Room, (650) 723-5130

(3) SLAC Mail Room, (650) 926-2380

(4) Maps and Records: mapsandrecords.stanford.edu or maps-requests@mailman.stanford.edu

(5) Listings in “StanfordYou” must be updated with the correct mail code and address to ensure proper delivery and to prevent delays.

(2) The department also needs to submit a Change of Address form to the Post Office. The Post Office might assign a new Zip+4 to the department. For questions regarding USPS Zip Code+4 codes and street addresses for newly activated buildings, contact Maps and Records. ID mail codes are NOT the same as USPS ZIP+4. If changes are anticipated, contact your mail services group.

i. Individual Moves

Change in work location for individuals should be entered by the department through PeopleSoft HRMS. Contact your department’s local HR team for more information.