Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons
by kotaKat on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @04:55AM
(#50438112)
I'm in postal ZIP code A, closer to village B, served from city A, yet my utilities all have me as being in ZIP code for village B (especially Verizon) - if I give them my city A zip code, I'm unservicable. For technical reasons, my account with them is billed to zip code A and served in zip code B despite the house not being in zip code B. Bonus points that my fire and rescue comes from zip code C...
Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons
by ezfe on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @11:24AM
(#50442565)
If I'm understanding correctly, this means that Verizon is not using ZIP Code geography to determine what ZIP Code you belong to. They are mapping to a city/town and then mapping that city/town to a ZIP Code?
Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons
by mannyv on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @01:49PM
(#50444486)
A zip code doesn't guarantee that you live inside city limits. I would like to think that Verizon has been around long enough that they get the boundaries directly from the city's GIS department.
The reason that's important is that various municipalities tax things like telecommunications, especially for franchise fees, 911 fees, etc. So the telcos need to know who to pay.
Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons
by ezfe on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @03:16PM
(#50445714)
I have a family member whose ZIP Code and government boundary are all consistent, but Verizon serves them via a line from a bordering town so her phone number and infrastructure is all attached to that other town.
This stuff gets complicated even without ZIP Codes involved.
These are all real scenarios I've lived/have family who has lived:
- Town A contains a region called "Village B" with no distinct government structure. However, Village B has its own post office, so a subsection of Town A has a separate ZIP Code and is delivered mail by this second post office.
- Town C contains two disjoint sub-regions (unincorporated villages) called "Village D" and "Village E." Both have post offices and both have their own ZIP Codes. Some addresses in Village D are delivered mail by the post office in Village E—not the one in Village D.
- Town F has its own post office, but a street in town F receives mail delivered by the post office in Town G.
The practical impact of these is twofold:
- Mail is written to addresses not matching the municipal governmental structure of your town/city. - Mapping apps that rely on USPS data to provided addresses (which is generally good, because it means mail will go to the right place) will show the wrong legal town names for the structure.