How Post Office Service Is Organised in Massachusetts

Every post office in Massachusetts is run by the United States Postal Service (USPS), a federal agency. The Commonwealth does not operate them, and neither do cities, towns or counties. Our directory lists 591 offices across 333 cities and villages in all 14 counties, from Boston neighborhood stations to small village offices on Cape Cod and the South Coast. This page explains how those offices are organised and how to get a task done on the first trip.

The federal rules behind the counter

USPS operates under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 and Title 39 of the U.S. Code. It is an independent agency of the executive branch and funds itself mainly through postage and product sales. The Postal Regulatory Commission reviews rates and service standards. Mail theft and fraud fall to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

A Massachusetts post office therefore charges the same postage as one in any other state. Hours and services, though, are set by USPS locally and vary widely between a large city station and a village office. If service at your office slips, start with the postmaster there, then escalate to USPS customer service.

Where the Commonwealth still touches your mail

State government does not staff post offices, but it depends on them. Vote-by-mail ballots travel through USPS, so the Elections Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and your city or town clerk set the deadlines that matter. Registry of Motor Vehicles notices, Department of Revenue letters and court documents also arrive by mail. When a deadline is tight, ask for a postmark or use a trackable service, and confirm the rule with the agency itself.

Boston, Gateway Cities and Village Offices: How Massachusetts Regions Differ

Metro Boston and the inner suburbs

Boston has the most listings in our database, 30, and they follow neighborhoods rather than one downtown counter. Codman Square Station at 554 Washington Street (617-929-4144) serves part of Dorchester and shows the Station naming common in dense areas. Post Office Square in the Financial District still carries the name of the central post office once built nearby.

Newton shows how village structure works. The city is made up of villages, so it has 10 listings, including Newton Lower Falls Post Office at 2344 Washington Street (617-527-4391). Across the Charles River, the Cambridge Post Office at 770 Massachusetts Avenue (617-575-8700) serves a city with many renters and students, so expect longer lines around move-in dates. Middlesex County leads the state with 105 listings. They also include Arlington Post Office at 10 Court Street (781-648-5376), Framingham Center at 855 Worcester Road (508-879-1113) and North Billerica at 95 Boston Road (978-663-9900).

Gateway cities and central Massachusetts

Larger cities concentrate services in a few big offices. Worcester's Main Street Station at 484 Main Street (508-795-3745) anchors Worcester County, which has 88 listings. In Springfield, Forest Park Post Office sits at 393 Belmont Avenue (413-733-3405). New Bedford Post Office is at 695 Pleasant Street (508-979-7410), and Brockton Post Office is at 120 Commercial Street (508-559-1958). Larger offices usually offer the widest range of counter services, such as PO Boxes and passport appointments, but call ahead to confirm.

South Shore, Cape Cod and the coast

Plymouth County has 56 listings, and many are village offices. They include Marshfield Hills (165 Prospect Street, 781-837-7584), North Scituate (357 Gannett Road, 781-545-0934), the Center office in Plymouth (6 Main Street Extension, 508-746-8175), West Wareham (2360 Cranberry Highway, 508-295-9206) and North Carver (171 Plymouth Street, 508-866-3518). The directional and village prefixes exist because one town can contain several separate postal service areas.

Barnstable County has 55 listings. Barnstable Town alone has 8, because the town includes distinct villages such as Centerville, whose office is at 1672 Falmouth Road (508-778-4443). Bourne Station is at 49 Sandwich Road (508-759-0847), and Chatham Post Office is at 802 Main Street (508-945-6054). Seasonal population swings make summer lobbies busier than winter ones.

North Shore, the Southeast and western Massachusetts

Essex County offices include Andover (10 Stevens Street, 978-475-9436), Beverly (151 Rantoul Street, 978-922-3338) and Magnolia in Gloucester (10 Lexington Avenue, 978-525-3488). In Norfolk County, look for East Walpole at 31 Union Street (508-660-1592) and North Weymouth at 53 Sea Street (781-335-1687). Bristol County includes Noquochoke Post Office at 529 Old County Road in North Westport (508-636-4268). Out west, Amherst Post Office at 145 University Drive (413-549-0523) serves a university town. Berkshire County's 28 listings are spread across small towns where one office may cover a wide area.

Why small village offices still matter

In many Massachusetts villages, the post office doubles as a daily meeting place. Households without street-side delivery rely on PO Boxes, and a box keeps a stable address for people who move between seasonal and year-round homes. Federal rules require USPS to give public notice and allow comment before closing a post office. Watch for notices posted in the lobby and in your local newspaper if your village office is ever under review.

Reading a Massachusetts Address: Village Names, ZIP Codes and Stations

ZIP Codes in Massachusetts begin with 01 or 02. Codes starting with 02 generally cover Boston, the South Shore, the Cape and the southeast. Codes starting with 01 cover the west, the center and much of the north.

The village on an office's name often differs from the municipality in a mailing address. Magnolia is part of Gloucester, and North Billerica is part of Billerica. Mail with the wrong town name can still arrive if the ZIP Code is right, but errors slow it down. Use the ZIP Code lookup on the USPS website to confirm your preferred address, then use the same form on bank, Registry and tax records.

Planning a Visit to a Post Office in Massachusetts

A few habits save time, whether you are in Dorchester or Chatham.

Addresses and phone numbers on this page come from public records. Confirm hours by phone before you drive a long way, especially to a village office.

Post offices in Massachusetts are part of the national USPS network, operating under regional district management to deliver uniform service standards while accommodating the specific needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state. Larger cities in Massachusetts may have multiple post offices and main processing facilities.

Post Office locations are available in 333 cities across Massachusetts. They are spread across 14 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of post office locations include Boston, Newton, Worcester, reflecting densely populated areas with multiple branch offices serving different neighborhoods and zip codes.

Residents of Massachusetts can use the USPS website to find the closest post office, check current lobby and window hours, locate self-service kiosks available after hours, and track incoming and outgoing mail and packages from their phones or computers.

Post Office by Counties

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Post Office by Cities

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Residents of Massachusetts can save time by using USPS online tools to schedule package pickups from home, print prepaid shipping labels, and set up mail forwarding or hold requests without visiting a post office. When visiting a post office in Massachusetts for passport acceptance, call ahead to confirm that the specific location offers the service and whether an appointment is required.

Browse Post Office by county across Massachusetts to find the nearest location.

Mailing in Massachusetts Through Nor'easters, Cape Summers and Island Ferries

Weather shapes postal service in Massachusetts more than newcomers expect. A winter nor'easter can slow rural routes on the South Shore and Cape Cod, where fallen trees and unplowed side roads delay carriers. When a storm is forecast, mail time-sensitive items a day early. Use a trackable service for insurance forms, tax payments and legal papers. After the storm, check for lobby closures before making a special trip.

Summer reverses the pattern. Towns in Barnstable County, including Chatham, fill with seasonal residents, and counters get busier from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Seasonal households should arrange a temporary change of address or a PO Box well before they arrive.

Essex County has harbor villages such as Magnolia in Gloucester, where parking near the center can be tight in summer, so a weekday morning visit saves time. Beverly's office on Rantoul Street and Andover's on Stevens Street serve larger year-round populations.

Suffolk County, which includes Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop, is the most compact part of the state. Many trips are short walks or MBTA rides, and some lobbies have self-service kiosks for basic postage. Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket mail travels by ferry or air, so packages can take longer than on the mainland, especially in winter.

Massachusetts Post Office FAQs

Start with your ZIP Code and the village name on your mail. The USPS locator on its website shows hours and services for offices near that address. If your town has several offices, such as Newton with ten listings or Barnstable Town with eight, compare them, because services and hours differ. Our county pages list street addresses and phone numbers from public records. Call before a long trip, especially to a small village office, to confirm the service you need is available that day.

Many Massachusetts post offices accept passport applications, but not all do, and most work by appointment. First-time applicants, children under 16 and people who cannot renew by mail generally apply in person. Bring proof of citizenship, a government photo ID, photocopies, a completed DS-11 form and a passport photo. Some offices sell photos on site. You pay a State Department fee plus a separate acceptance fee to USPS. Amounts change, so check current figures before you go, and ask whether your office requires an appointment.

The carrier leaves a slip saying where the item is held, usually your local post office. Bring the slip and a government photo ID. Without the slip, give the clerk your tracking number. Items are held for a limited time, generally around two weeks, before going back to the sender, so do not wait too long. If someone else will collect for you, ask the office about its authorization rules first. You can also request redelivery online with the tracking number, which saves a trip in winter weather.

USPS offers Hold Mail for short absences, generally from a few days up to thirty days, and a temporary change of address for longer stretches. Both can be set up online or at the counter. Cape Cod residents who leave for the winter, and summer residents arriving in towns like Chatham, often use temporary forwarding. Set your dates carefully, since mail can bounce once forwarding ends. Agencies such as the Registry of Motor Vehicles and your bank need address updates separately.

Many Massachusetts towns grew from separate villages, each with its own post office. Barnstable includes Centerville, Gloucester has Magnolia, Marshfield has Marshfield Hills and Walpole has East Walpole. These offices usually have their own ZIP Codes and counters, and the village name often appears in the address. Your municipality is where you vote and pay taxes, while the post office area only governs delivery. Choose the office closest to you, and remember that a PO Box must be rented at one specific office.

File a report with your local police and with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which investigates mail theft and fraud. Tell the postmaster at your office too, so they can check for delivery problems. If a check, card or tax document is involved, notify the sender or your bank right away and consider placing a fraud alert with the credit bureaus. Keep tracking numbers, photos and dates. To reduce risk, drop outgoing mail in a collection box or the lobby slot instead of leaving it in an unlocked home mailbox overnight.