Legal Definitions - USPS

USPS stands for the United States Postal Service. It is an independent agency of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States, including its insular areas and associated states.

USPS stands for the United States Postal Service.

The USPS is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government tasked with providing postal services across the United States. It is responsible for collecting, sorting, and delivering mail and packages to individuals and businesses nationwide.

Here are some examples of how the USPS operates:

• Example 1: Small Business Shipping
  A small online bookstore in Oregon receives an order for a novel from a customer in Florida. The bookstore owner packages the book and takes it to their local post office to be shipped. The USPS then handles the transportation and delivery of the book from Oregon to the customer's doorstep in Florida.

  This illustrates the USPS's role in facilitating commerce by providing a reliable and accessible shipping service for businesses to reach customers across long distances.

• Example 2: Personal Correspondence
  A college student living in New York wants to send a handwritten letter to their grandmother in California. They write the letter, place it in an envelope, affix a stamp, and drop it into a blue mailbox on a street corner. The USPS collects the letter, processes it through its mail network, and ensures its delivery to the grandmother's address.

  This demonstrates the USPS's fundamental function of connecting individuals by enabling the secure and timely exchange of personal mail, regardless of geographical separation.

• Example 3: Government Document Delivery
  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs to send official tax notices and refund checks to millions of taxpayers across the country. They rely on the USPS to distribute these critical government documents securely and efficiently to every household and business address.

  This highlights the USPS's vital role as a trusted infrastructure partner for government agencies, ensuring that official communications and essential documents reach the public reliably.