Address Types
How to address an envelope to a rural route
Write RR, the route number, BOX, and the box number all on the delivery line, with no punctuation: RR 2 BOX 152. Never use the words Rural, Number, No., or a pound sign. Many rural addresses have also been formally converted to a city-style street address for 911 purposes, so before mailing to an old RR address, it is worth checking whether a newer street-style version exists.
Checked July 30, 2026/6 min read
Written by Claire PostReviewed against USPS Publication 28
What is on this page6 sections
A rural route address looks nothing like a city address, and that is by design. Instead of a house number and a street name, it uses a route number and a box number, because for a long stretch of American history, rural roads simply did not have names in any consistent, mapped way. The mail carrier knew the route. That was enough.
It is not quite enough anymore. Over the last few decades, a lot of rural roads have been formally renamed and renumbered specifically so 911 dispatchers can find a house on a map during an emergency, through a USPS system called LACSLink. That means plenty of addresses that residents still write as RR 2 Box 8 out of habit actually have a newer, official street address behind them, one that may work better for mail and matters considerably more if something goes wrong and someone needs to find the house fast.
Step by step
Write RR, the route number, then BOX and the box number
All on one line, all in the delivery position. No comma between them.
JORDAN REYESRR 2 BOX 152FRANKLIN NE 68939CorrectStandard rural route format. Never write out "Rural," "Number," "No.," or use a pound sign
USPS Publication 28 states this directly: do not use those words or the pound sign. RR and BOX are the only accepted forms.
JORDAN REYESRural Route #2, Box No. 152FRANKLIN NE 68939What was writtenSeveral banned forms in one line. Check whether the address has already been converted to a city-style street address
Many rural roads were formally renamed and renumbered for 911 emergency response, through a USPS system called LACSLink. A rural address that residents still think of as RR 2 Box 8 may already have an official street address like 2601 Belmont Dr. Both can be technically valid, but the newer one is generally more reliable for delivery and is the one 911 dispatch will have on file.
Use HC instead of RR for a highway contract route
HC is a related but different format, used for routes served under a highway contract rather than a standard rural route. Written the same way: HC, the route number, BOX, and the box number.
JORDAN REYESHC 61 BOX 22FRANKLIN NE 68939CorrectHighway contract route format.
Quick reference
| Write this | Not this |
|---|---|
| RR 2 BOX 152 | Rural Route 2, Box 152 |
| RR 2 BOX 152 | RR #2 Box #152 |
| HC 61 BOX 22 | Highway Contract Route 61, Box 22 |
| A converted street address, if one exists | An old RR address after conversion, when avoidable |
Special cases
The rule above covers most people. Here is what changes for the rest.
How do I find out if my rural route has been converted to a city-style address?
Contact your local 911 dispatch or county addressing authority, since they maintain the E911 address records that drive the conversion in the first place. Your local post office can also confirm which format their delivery records show as current for your route. Both your old RR address and the new street-style address may continue to work for a while after a conversion, but the street-style version is the one emergency responders will have on file, which matters for more than just your mail.
Why would a rural address get converted to a street-style format in the first place?
Almost always for 911 emergency response reasons. A route-and-box number tells a mail carrier where to go, since they already know the route, but it gives an ambulance or fire crew unfamiliar with the area very little to work with. A city-style address, house number and street name, can be located on a map and given to dispatch the same way an urban address can, which is the entire reason the conversion system exists.
Is a highway contract route the same as a rural route?
Related but not identical. Both use a route-and-box format, but a highway contract route is served under a specific USPS contract arrangement rather than through the standard rural carrier system. The addressing format looks almost the same, HC instead of RR, and the same box-number rule applies to both.
Key terms on this page
- Rural route
- A mail delivery route serving a rural area, identified by a route number and a box number rather than a street name and house number.
- LACS
- Locatable Address Conversion System, the USPS dataset linking old rural-style addresses to their newer, converted city-style equivalents.
- E911 conversion
- The process of assigning a rural address a standard street name and house number so it can be located quickly by 911 emergency dispatch.
- Highway contract route
- A mail route served under contract rather than by a standard USPS rural carrier, addressed with HC instead of RR but otherwise formatted the same way.