Post Office Suspensions Dashboard

Last Updated May 28, 2025

Since 2010, the Postal Regulatory Commission has noted its concerns about the Postal Service's prolonged suspensions of operations at Post Offices across the U.S.

Postal law (Title 39 of the U.S. Code) requires the Postal Service to establish and maintain Post Offices to ensure postal customers throughout the U.S. have “ready access” to postal services.

When the Postal Service decides to close a Post Office, it must follow specific requirements in Title 39 and its own regulations. A suspension occurs when the Postal Service temporarily stops operations at one of its Post Offices. Postal Service district managers may suspend operations at a Post Office within their jurisdiction “because an emergency or other condition requires such action.” Those include:

A natural disaster.
Termination of a lease or rental agreement when suitable alternate quarters are not available in the community.
Lack of qualified personnel to operate the Post Office.
Severe damage to the Post Office.

Postal Service guidance states that suspended Post Offices must be resolved by either re-opening or closing the facilities permanently, processes which typically take place within 180 to 280 days, as the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General notes here. However, in many instances Post Offices remain suspended beyond that window. This has led to ongoing interest from the Commission, Members of Congress, and the broader postal community in improving visibility into the status of these locations. This dashboard was developed to enhance transparency and provide stakeholders with a clearer view of where suspensions are occurring and how long they have been in place. The Commission welcomes continued dialogue with the Postal Service and other stakeholders to ensure this data remains useful and aligns with broader service and operational goals.

About the Post Office Suspensions Dashboard

This dashboard provides a visual overview of currently suspended Post Offices, including their locations, the date of suspension, and the reason for suspension. Explore the data by zooming into the map or filtering by state, suspension date, or reason for suspension. Please note: This dashboard only includes Post Offices that remain suspended and does not include locations that have been permanently closed or reopened following a suspension.

Background on Post Office Suspensions and Commission Oversight

The Commission previously detailed the history and requirements for suspending and closing Post Offices in Order No. 6101. This Order outlined the policies governing Post Office suspensions and closures and noted longstanding concerns about unresolved suspensions.

In 2010, the Commission expressed concerns about the number of suspended Post Offices and the length of time they remained suspended without being reopened or formally closed. It opened a public inquiry docket to investigate this issue and ultimately advised the Postal Service that it's “not sufficient to simply suspend operations at a Post Office without promptly developing a plan to reopen or close the existing office.”
In 2011, the Postal Service revised its procedures for suspending and discontinuing Post Offices.
Between 2012 and 2016, the number of suspended Post Offices more than tripled.
In its 2016 Annual Compliance Determination (ACD) report, the Commission stated that it expected the Postal Service to significantly reduce the number of suspended Post Offices by reopening or closing them for good. To promote transparency and accountability, the Commission directed the Postal Service to file quarterly and annual reports on the status of suspended Post Offices, which include information about when and why each suspension occurred.
In 2017, the Postal Service made significant progress by closing or reopening more than half of the Post Offices suspended at the end of 2016.
However, from 2018-2020, that progress slowed.
In the 2020 ACD, the Commission expressed concern regarding the lack of progress by the Postal Service in addressing and resolving suspended Post Offices in recent years and stated that it would initiate a public inquiry docket to further explore these issues.

Resolving Suspended Post Offices (Docket No. PI2022-1)

The Commission opened a public inquiry docket in 2022 to identify and address the factors contributing to delays in resolving suspended Post Offices. As part of this effort, the Commission continues to review quarterly suspension reports submitted by the Postal Service (here). At the start of FY 2017, there were 663 suspended Post Offices. As of February 10, 2025, all but 7 Post Offices that were suspended from FY 2016 and earlier were either reopened or closed for good. To prevent another backlog of suspended Post Offices, the Commission is now closely monitoring recent suspensions through the ACD and quarterly reporting, with an emphasis on ensuring timely resolution of newly suspended facilities.

Data Sources and Additional Details

Docket No. ACR2024: Lists Post Offices suspended as of September 30, 2024 (the end of FY 2024), which is current as of February 2025.
FY 2025 Q1 update: The Postal Service provided a status update on Post Offices suspended during FY 2016 and earlier. This data is updated as of February 2025.
Next update: The dashboard will incorporate data from the Postal Service's FY 2025 Q2 update.

See additional information in the most recent Annual Compliance Review docket and the Public Inquiry docket on Resolving Suspended Post Offices.