United States Postal Service - Addressing Definitions

Addressing Definitions

Firm Records
Firm name records are used for companies or other organizational entities that are listed by name and address in our ZIP+4 database. Firm records are given to organizations that receive a significant letter mail volume as determined by the local postal district office.

A firm record could be used to identify a commercial building, apartment complex, highrise, wing or floor of a building, grouping of apartment mailboxes, or other physical location other than a street, depending upon the internal mail distribution practices at the address. Not all organizations have firm records, and firm records do not contain individual names at residential addresses.

Firm records may have a range of ZIP add-on code assignments. A firm can request multiple ZIP add-on codes to segregate mail going to different departments within the company.

Urbanization
Urbanization denotes an area, sector, or development within a geographic area. In addition to being a descriptive word, it precedes the name of the area. This descriptor, commonly used in Puerto Rican urban areas, is an important part of the addressing format of Puerto Rico, as it describes the location of a given street.

For example:

             JOHN RIOS
             URB FAIR OAKS
             123 AVE WILSON CHURCHILL
             RIO PIEDRAS PR 00926-0123

ZIP Code
ZIP is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan. A ZIP Code is a 5-digit code that identifies a specific geographic delivery area. ZIP Codes can represent an area within a state (an area that may or may not cross county boundaries), an area that crosses state boundaries (an unusual condition), or a single building or company that has a very high mail volume.