By Adam Collinson
An address can validate.
It can qualify for postage discounts.
It can be marked “deliverable” for both mail and packages.
And yet — it can still break your operations.
More Than a Valid Address
Many organizations assume that once an address is USPS-valid, they’re in the clear.
But address quality isn’t binary. Just because an address exists doesn’t mean it’s the right one for your business purpose — or that it can support all types of delivery, updates, or compliance needs.
In other words: validity isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting point.
What Characteristics Should You Care About?
Depending on your industry, use case, and risk profile, the answer can vary.
But here are some of the most common operational and regulatory questions that go unanswered by standard address validation:
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- Is this where the customer physically resides — or just where they receive mail?
- Is this address used for mail, packages, residence, and/or something else?
- Who delivers here, USPS only, private carriers only, or both and do they do so directly?
- Is there a secure package drop location?
- Can a signature be collected? And if so:
- Is it the customer’s actual signature?
- Or a signature kept on file that may be reused?
- Is it the customer’s actual signature?
- Is the address eligible for a Change of Address (COA) with USPS?
- Is this where the customer physically resides — or just where they receive mail?
These aren’t hypothetical edge cases.
They affect how you contact your customers, how you fulfill service obligations, how you maintain contact with clients, and how you remain compliant in regulated environments.
When COA Isn’t an Option
Here’s one real-world issue we see often:
A customer moves into an address where USPS doesn’t allow them to file a Change of Address from that location. Now, when they move again, there’s no standard way for them to forward their mail or update their records.
If you’re relying solely on USPS data to maintain contact, you lose them.
What You Can Do
When you understand the limits of certain address types, you can build the right safeguards:
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- Detect restricted addresses early. Use data flags or workflows to spot COA-ineligible locations.
- Ask for backup contact methods. A second address, phone, or email can keep you connected.
- Be transparent with your customers. Most have no idea USPS imposes restrictions on certain addresses. Educating them earns trust.
- Don’t purge old addresses too quickly. In some cases, a customer will file a COA from their previous address as a workaround — you’ll want to retain that link.
- Detect restricted addresses early. Use data flags or workflows to spot COA-ineligible locations.
The Bottom Line
Address characteristics have a far greater impact than just postage discounts and deliverability.
They influence cost, compliance, customer experience / retention, and risk exposure.
If you’re only validating format and deliverability, you’re flying blind to a range of operational problems and potential compliance risks that could be avoided with better data.
Adam is one of the postal industry’s leading experts on all aspects of address hygiene and data quality services. For 20+ years, he has brought expert knowledge of how address quality management tools and processes can enhance the postal and business operations of some of the largest operations in the country.
As the industry’s “Address Quality Guru”, he is constantly involved in leading postal initiatives, associations, and work groups including being the MTAC Industry Focus Area Leader (Data, Technology, and Addressing) and AMEE Association Rep. He is also a key speaker at numerous venues such as PCC events, the National Postal Forum and Xplor.
