Postal Services Act 1999 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · Postal Services and Systems
16. Letter boxes
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2026. 3 amendments in all.
The Postal Authority may, from time to time, do all or any of the following:
issue or approve the specifications relating to the number, place, dimensions and other characteristics of letter boxes;
approve the installation and use of any other mail delivery systems or arrangements;
amend or revoke any specifications issued or approved under paragraph (a) or any approval under paragraph (b).
Where any specifications are issued or approved, or amended or revoked by the Postal Authority under subsection (1), the Postal Authority must —
publish a notice of the issue, approval, amendment or revocation (as the case may be) of the specifications in any manner as will secure adequate publicity for the issue, approval, amendment or revocation;
specify in the notice mentioned in paragraph (a) the date of issue, approval, amendment or revocation, as the case may be; and
ensure that, so long as the specifications remain in force, the specifications, and all amendments to those specifications, are available for inspection by members of the public.
A developer of any residential building or commercial or industrial building must —
provide one letter box for each lot within any residential building or commercial or industrial building;
ensure that the letter boxes provided under paragraph (a) are numbered in numerical sequence; and
comply with all specifications issued, approved or amended by the Postal Authority under subsection (1).
Any developer who contravenes subsection (3) shall be guilty of an offence.
Where letter boxes are provided under subsection (3) for a residential building, or a commercial or industrial building, that is a subdivided building, the applicable person for the building must —
ensure that one letter box (whether provided under subsection (3) or under this subsection) continues to be provided for each lot within the building;
where any lot within the building is further subdivided into 2 or more lots, provide one letter box for each new lot;
ensure that the letter boxes —
are numbered, or continue to be numbered, in numerical sequence; and
are at all times kept in a state of good and serviceable repair;
repair or replace without unreasonable delay any letter box which is damaged or otherwise unusable; and
comply with all specifications issued, approved or amended by the Postal Authority under subsection (1).
The applicable person for a building mentioned in subsection (5) may recover the costs reasonably incurred for providing a letter box for a new lot within the building under subsection (5)(b) from the subsidiary proprietor of the new lot or the person who is registered under the Land Titles Act 1993 as the proprietor of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of the new lot if —
letter box
“letter box” means any box or receptacle which the owner or occupier of any premises has provided or agreed to be used for the receipt of postal articles addressed to those premises;
the building is premises comprised in a strata title plan under the Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967; and
the letter box provided is not common property or limited common property of the building.
In the case of a residential building, or a commercial or industrial building, that is not a subdivided building, the person who is registered under the Land Titles Act 1993 as the proprietor of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of the building must —
ensure that the letter box provided for the building under subsection (3) is at all times kept in a state of good and serviceable repair;
where the letter box is damaged or otherwise unusable, repair or replace the letter box without unreasonable delay; and
comply with all specifications issued, approved or amended by the Postal Authority under subsection (1).
A person who contravenes subsection (5) or (7) shall be guilty of an offence.
It is the duty of —
the owner of any common property or limited common property (as the case may be) on which a letter box is situated, being a letter box which is provided for persons occupying the building or part thereof; and
the owner of a building where a letter box is provided for the owner or occupier of the building,to keep at all times the lawful access to the letter box clear from any obstruction by any vehicle, debris, box or object or any other thing which would prevent or impede the delivery of postal articles to that letter box by a postal licensee.
Where, in the opinion of the Postal Authority, the lawful access to any letter box mentioned in subsection (9) is not clear from any obstructions mentioned in that subsection, the Postal Authority may, by written notice, require the owner of the common property or limited common property, or the owner or occupier of the building mentioned in subsection (9)(b) (as the case may be) to undertake, within the time specified in that notice, any work or rectification steps to ensure that subsection (9) is complied with.
common property
“common property” and “limited common property” have the meanings given by section 2(1) of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004;
If any person on whom a notice under subsection (10) is served, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the requirements of that notice, that person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $25 for every day or part of a day during which the offence continues after conviction.
To avoid doubt, subsections (9), (10) and (11) do not apply with respect to any sealing or locking of the aperture of a letter box by the person for whom the letter box is provided, or any closure or locking of any normal access to the letter box by or under lawful authority.
In this section —
“applicable person”, for a residential building, or a commercial or industrial building, means —
in relation to a building that is premises comprised in a strata title plan under the Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967 —
premises
“premises” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Building Control Act 1989;
where the letter boxes are common property of the building — the management corporation having control of that common property;
where the letter boxes are limited common property of the building — the subsidiary management corporation established by the Building (Strata Management) Act 2004 having control of that limited common property; or
limited common property
“common property” and “limited common property” have the meanings given by section 2(1) of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004;
where the letter boxes are not common property or limited common property of the building — the management corporation having control of the common property of the building;
in relation to a building in a housing estate of the Housing and Development Board (called an HDB housing estate) —
Housing and Development Board
“Housing and Development Board” means the Housing and Development Board established by section 3 of the Housing and Development Act 1959;
where the building’s common property is in an HDB housing estate that is controlled, managed and maintained by a Town Council — that Town Council; or
Town Council
“Town Council” means a Town Council established by section 4 of the Town Councils Act 1988;
where the building’s common property is in an HDB housing estate that is not controlled, managed and maintained by a Town Council — the Housing and Development Board; or
in relation to a building that is a subdivided building other than a subdivided building mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), every person who is registered under the Land Titles Act 1993 as the proprietor of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of a lot in that building;
“commercial or industrial building” includes any shopping complex;
“lot” means any stratum that satisfies all of the following requirements:
the stratum —
is within a parcel of any land, building and common property comprised or to be comprised in a strata title plan and is shown as a lot on the strata title plan, including a lot specified as an accessory lot on any such plan; or
parcel
“parcel” means —(a)an article or a thing that is placed in a parcel locker for collection by an intended recipient, a person authorised by the intended recipient or a delivery service provider, as the case may be; or(b)a postal article which is posted at a post office in Singapore as a parcel in accordance with the provisions of this Act or is received at a post office in Singapore by parcel post;
is within any land or building not comprised or not to be comprised in a strata title plan;
the stratum is used or intended to be used as a complete and separate unit for the purpose of habitation or business or for any other purpose;
a number has been allotted to the stratum by the Comptroller of Property Tax under section 51(1) of the Property Tax Act 1960;
“owner” and “stratum” have the meanings given by section 2(1) of the Building (Strata Management) Act 2004;
“subdivided building” has the meaning given by section 3(1) of the Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967.