Proposed rule · 2026-16016

New Mailing Standards for Live Animals

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.