Delivery Point
The specific location where a mail carrier deposits mail for a recipient, identified by a unique 2-digit code appended to the ZIP+4 to form an 11-digit delivery point code.
A delivery point is the final, most granular unit in USPS address matching. Each unique delivery location — a single mailbox, apartment slot, or PO Box — is assigned a 2-digit delivery point code that, combined with the 5-digit ZIP and 4-digit add-on, creates a unique 11-digit number. This number is encoded in the delivery point barcode (DPBC) printed on mail pieces.
There are roughly 160 million delivery points in the United States, including residential addresses, businesses, and PO Boxes. The USPS Delivery Point Validation (DPV) database confirms whether a given 11-digit code corresponds to an active delivery point that actually receives mail.
Mailers who encode the delivery point barcode on their pieces can qualify for the deepest automation postage discounts because the barcode allows sorting equipment to sequence mail in walk order for a carrier's route.