The Postal Service proposes revising Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Pub 52), for various package requirements for live animals. This proposal will i...
The Postal Service proposes revising Publication 52,
Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail
(Pub 52), for various package requirements for live animals. This proposal will improve package integrity and container identification for all live animal shipments during processing and handling by prohibiting the reuse of fiberboard containers and requiring individual addressing and sequential numbering for multiple container shipments when bound together in a single shipment. Also, this proposal requires mailers to write the recipient's name and address directly on the packaging of Adult Bird shipments in the event the shipping label becomes detached from the packaging.
DATES:
Comments must be received on or before September 8, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Mail or deliver written comments to Director, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015. Email comments, containing the name and address of the commenter, may be sent to:
PCFederalRegister@usps.gov,
with a subject line of “Live Animals.” Faxed comments will not be accepted.
You may inspect and photocopy all written comments, by appointment only, at USPS® Headquarters Library, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 11th Floor North, Washington, DC 20260. These records are available for review Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. by calling 202-268-2906.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Drew Mitchum, (202) 268-7351, or Jennifer Cox, (202) 268-2108.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
All submitted comments and attachments are part of the public record and subject to disclosure. Do not enclose any material in your comments that you consider to be confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.
Background
The Postal Service hereby proposes to amend Publication 52,
Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail,
with the provisions set forth herein. While not codified in title 39 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Publication 52 is a regulation of the Postal Service, and changes to it may be published in the
Federal Register
. 39 CFR 211.2(a)(2). Moreover, Publication 52 is incorporated by reference into
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service,
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) section 601.8.1, which is incorporated by reference, in turn, into the Code of Federal Regulations. 39 CFR 111.1, 111.3. Publication 52 is publicly available, in a read-only format, via the Postal Explorer website at
pe.usps.com.
In addition, links to Postal Explorer are provided on the landing page of
USPS.com, the Postal Service's primary customer-facing website, and on
Postal Pro, an online informational source available to postal customers.
Accordingly, for the reasons stated in the preamble, the Postal Service amends Publication 52 as follows:
Publication 52—Hazardous, Restricted and Perishable Mail
* * * * *
5 Perishable Matter
* * * * *
52 Animals
521 General Requirements
[Add note at the bottom of section under item c. to read as follows:]
Note:
Due to the high likelihood of degradation during transportation, fiberboard containers must not be reused for live animal shipments.
* * * * *
522 Packaging and Markings
* * * * *
522.1 Container Construction
[Revise section to read as follows:]
Containers used to mail perishable matter must be constructed to protect and securely contain the contents.
Shipping containers for mailable live animals must, at a minimum, be made
( printed page 50742)
of 275-pound test, double-wall, corrugated, weather-resistant fiberboard (W5c) or equivalent. When multiple containers are strapped together, a single shipping label should be applied but each container must have its own address label. Additionally, the containers must be numbered sequentially (
e.g.,
“1 of 5”, “2 of 5,” etc.) to help ensure proper handling if they become separated during transit. USPS-produced packaging, including Flat Rate containers, is not eligible for use. Additional container requirements apply to mailable adult birds (refer to 526.4).
* * * * *
526 Mailable Live Animals
* * * * *
526.4 Adult Birds
* * * * *
526.42 Mailability Requirements
[Add new bullet g. to read as follows:]
g. The name and address of the recipient must also be written directly on the packaging in addition to the shipping label.
* * * * *
USPS Packaging Instruction 10D
* * * * *
Adult Bird Boxes
* * * * *
Marking
[Revise Marking section to read as follows:]
Labels and markings must be placed on the address side of the mailpiece unless specified differently in 221.1 and 325.1.
Each container must be marked with the following information:
Complete sender's and recipient's addresses (including phone numbers) on the outer packaging for the necessary notification by Postal Service personnel.
Directional arrows indicating “up” position (on at least two sides of the container).
Write the name and address of the recipient directly on the package in case shipping label becomes detached during shipment.
title 39 of the Code of Federal Regulations
pe.usps.com