A Complete Guide to USPS Parcel Lockers and How to Access Them

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Easily retrieve your package from a parcel locker with this guide

Co-authored by Fahim and Seema Mojawalla and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: September 4, 2024 Fact Checked

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What is a USPS parcel locker?

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Picking up from a Parcel Locker

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How to Get Packages Delivered to a Parcel Locker

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FAQs

A USPS parcel locker is a special type of mailbox used to store large packages. They’re typically paired with Cluster Box Units (CBUs), which are large metallic structures designed to hold mail for communal neighborhoods, like apartment complexes, townhouses, and the like. In this article, we’ll break down what it means if your package was delivered at a parcel locker—and, most importantly, how to find it.

What does it mean if a package is in a parcel locker?

If your package was delivered to a parcel locker, it's in a large, locker-like mailbox. Parcel lockers are typically found near Cluster Box Units (CBUs), which are combined mailbox units for apartment complexes, townhouses, and condominiums.

Section 1 of 4:

What is a USPS parcel locker?

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A parcel locker is used to store large packages delivered by USPS. Many large, communal neighborhoods (typically apartment complexes, townhouses, and condominiums) use CBUs to organize and store residential mail—they’re basically large lockers made up of small, lockbox-style mailboxes (with each resident getting a key to their own mailbox). Parcel lockers are larger lockboxes attached to or installed near a CBU, and they essentially act as “overflow” that the USPS uses for larger packages.^{[1]
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- Parcel lockers are different from USPS Smart Lockers, which are electronic lockers found in the lobbies of USPS offices.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Pick up a Package from a Parcel Locker

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Parcel lockers can only be opened with a specialized key that your local USPS office has—your regular mail key won’t do the trick. When a USPS employee plays your package in a parcel locker, they’ll place the corresponding key in your mailbox.^{[3]
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CBUs have multiple parcel lockers, so check the label written on the keychain to see which locker your package is in. Your key will only work in the specified parcel locker.^{[4]
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Once you insert the key into the lock, it’ll stay put, and you won’t be able to remove it. That’s okay—a USPS employee will retrieve the key the next time they’re at your neighborhood’s CBU.^{[5]
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Get Packages Delivered to a Parcel Locker

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As long as you’re ordering a decently large package with a merchant that ships via USPS, there’s a good chance that your parcel will end up in a parcel locker. If the package is small enough, it might fit in your regular CBU mailbox (and a parcel locker won’t be necessary).

Section 4 of 4:

Frequently Asked Questions about Parcel Lockers

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USPS doesn’t actually give an exact estimate on their website, but some people estimate that USPS will leave packages in parcel lockers for at least a few days.
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I never received a parcel locker key. What do I do? If you never received a parcel locker key, visit your local USPS office and see if they can help locate your package for you.
- You can also reach USPS at their customer service line: 1-800-275-8777.^{[6]
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A USPS employee will remove the package and return it to the USPS building. Visit your local USPS branch if you suspect that you’ve missed your delivery window for your parcel locker package.
Placing your package in a parcel locker keeps it secure and helps prevent theft. If you live in a neighborhood with Cluster Box Units (CBUs) rather than individual mailboxes, USPS employees will typically put large packages in parcel lockers rather than leaving them outside your door.