During the winter months the Highway Department will occasionally receive calls regarding damage to mailboxes either from snowplows directly or from the force of snow being thrown by the plows. Remember, snowplows can hurl hundreds of pounds of snow in one pass. If damage is, indeed, caused by snow removal, it is not done intentionally, but is an unfortunate consequence of snow removal. It is understood that mailboxes must be placed on the highway right-of-way; however, this does not grant people any legal rights in the highway when needed for highway purposes. According to New York State\\\'s Highway Law, when the necessities of keeping the highway open conflict with the reception of mail, the latter must stand aside. Under the law, a homeowner could even be required to remove the mailbox and are also not subject to repair by the municipality.
