1 Introduction

11 Background

111 Purpose

Jointly developed by the Postal Service and mailing industry, standardized address information enhances the processing and delivery of mail, reduces undeliverable–as–addressed mail, and provides mutual cost reduction opportunities through improved efficiency. The standards include the uniform methods for matching addresses with the information in AIS products and formats for outputting addresses on mailpieces. This document describes both standardized address formats and content. It outlines the guidelines that govern how address information appears in the Address Information System (AIS) products. Format describes how the various elements appear on a mailpiece or in an address record. Content describes the characters that constitute the various address elements.

Our objectives in compiling a universal format for maintaining information in the Address Management System (source for the AIS products) and an output format are twofold:

• To facilitate customer use of AIS products, in particular, the ZIP+4 and City State files, thereby maximizing matching potential.
• To optimize the processing capability of automated equipment through improved address quality.

A standardized address is one that is fully spelled out, abbreviated by using the Postal Service standard abbreviations (shown in this publication or as shown in the current Postal Service ZIP+4 file), and uses the proper format for the address style (shown in this publication).