Home address, P.O. box, virtual mailbox or office: choosing a mailing address as a solo attorney
A solo attorney has four common choices for a mailing address: home, a USPS P.O. box, a virtual mailbox at a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) such as MailScans, or a rented office. What separates them is whether it is a street address, who will see it (in California your State Bar address of record is public), whether UPS and FedEx can deliver there, and how quickly you find out that court mail has arrived. This guide compares them from official sources. It is general information, not legal advice.
1. Your home address
It costs nothing and every carrier can deliver to it. The trade-off is privacy: the State Bar of California says your official address of record is subject to public disclosure and is posted on the State Bar website, so a home address used there becomes public. Anything printed on letterhead, a website or court filings is public too.
You also learn about mail only when you, or someone at home, checks the mailbox.
Source: State Bar of California, Administrative Compliance (calbar.ca.gov).
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
2. A USPS P.O. box
The State Bar of California says that if you have privacy concerns, you may use a P.O. box as your address of record. A P.O. box is a box number at a Post Office, not a street address.
USPS offers Street Addressing at Premium PO Box Service locations that offer it: the box holder can use the Post Office's street address with the box number, which USPS says lets box holders receive packages from private carriers that require a street address, such as UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon. Either way, you see your mail when you go to the box.
Source: State Bar of California, Administrative Compliance; USPS PostalPro, Premium PO Box Service Street Addressing (postalpro.usps.com).
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
3. A virtual mailbox (CMRA)
USPS calls a business that accepts mail for others a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA), and the definition also covers office business centers. You get the CMRA's street address with your own private mailbox (PMB) number. Everyone who receives mail there completes PS Form 1583 with a current primary and secondary ID, and the signature has to be witnessed or verified as the rule requires.
What happens after the mail arrives depends on the provider. At MailScans each envelope is photographed and logged the day it arrives and you get an email; you then choose to have it opened and scanned, forwarded, held for pickup or shredded. The State Bar of California pages we checked do not specifically address CMRA addresses, so confirm with the State Bar before you list one as your address of record.
Source: USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508.1.8 (Postal Bulletin 22624); State Bar of California, Administrative Compliance.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
4. A rented office or executive suite
An office gives you a place to work and meet clients, at the cost of rent and whatever term the lease sets. If a business center at the suite receives and holds your mail for you, USPS treats that business center as a CMRA, so PS Form 1583 applies there as well.
Source: USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508.1.8.1.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
Whichever you choose: keep every record current
Changing your address later means updating each record that holds it, on each body's own deadline.
- California: Business and Professions Code section 6002.1 requires a current address with the State Bar and notice of a new address within 30 days of a change.
- Pennsylvania: Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement 219 requires written notice of a change in contact information to the Attorney Registration Office within 30 days.
- California courts: Rule of Court 2.200 requires an attorney whose mailing address changes while an action is pending to serve all parties and file a written notice of the change.
- Letterhead and websites: California and Pennsylvania Rule of Professional Conduct 7.1 bar false or misleading communications, so describe the address the way you actually use it.
Source: State Bar of California, Administrative Compliance; Pa.R.D.E. 219 (204 Pa. Code § 83.219); California Rules of Court, rule 2.200; Cal. and Pa. Rules of Prof. Conduct 7.1.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
The four options side by side
| Home address | USPS P.O. box | Virtual mailbox (CMRA) | Rented office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Street address | Yes | No, a box number (Street Addressing at some Post Offices) | Yes, with your PMB number | Yes |
| As a CA State Bar address of record (public) | Your home address becomes public | Allowed by the State Bar for privacy | Shows a business address; confirm with the State Bar first | Shows the office address |
| UPS, FedEx and other carriers | Yes | Only where Street Addressing is offered | Yes at MailScans; varies by provider | Yes |
| Knowing court mail has arrived | When you check the mailbox | When you visit the box | MailScans: email alert the day it is logged, envelope photo in your portal | When someone is in the office |
| USPS Form 1583 | No | No | Yes, for you and each person you authorize | Only if a business center receives your mail |
| Cost | None | USPS box fees | MailScans: from $19/mo, no setup fee | Rent, on the lease's terms |
Sources: State Bar of California, Administrative Compliance; USPS PostalPro, Premium PO Box Service Street Addressing; USPS DMM 508.1.8. General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
One price list at every address
Month to month, no setup fee. Extra pages are $1 each and you can change plans any time.
Every plan includes 30 days of free storage per item. Forwarding is actual postage plus 30% and a $20 handling fee per shipment; several items can go in one shipment. Shredding is $1 per sheet. All fees
Questions attorneys ask
More in the full FAQ.
Can I use this address as my State Bar of California address of record?
The State Bar says Business and Professions Code section 6002.1 requires you to keep a current address on file and to report a new address within 30 days of a change, that your address of record is public and posted on the State Bar website, and that you may use a P.O. box as your address of record if you have privacy concerns. The State Bar pages we checked do not specifically address commercial mail receiving addresses, so confirm with the State Bar before you change your record. We are not a registered agent for service of process.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
Can a P.O. box receive UPS or FedEx packages?
Only at Post Offices that offer Street Addressing for Premium PO Box Service. There, the box holder can use the Post Office's street address with the box number, and USPS says this lets private carriers such as UPS, FedEx, DHL and Amazon deliver packages. Ask your Post Office whether it offers it.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
Why do I have to complete USPS Form 1583?
Federal postal rules require everyone who receives mail through a commercial mail receiving agency to complete PS Form 1583 and show a current primary and secondary form of ID. Since May 2024 the signature must be confirmed in person or over live video, or acknowledged before a notary. Each person you authorize to pick up mail completes their own.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
What does Pennsylvania require of an attorney's registered contact information?
Pennsylvania Rule of Disciplinary Enforcement 219 requires attorneys to give contact information on the annual registration form, and that information is accessible to the public unless the attorney asks in writing and shows good cause to keep it confidential. Changes must be reported to the Attorney Registration Office in writing within 30 days. The rule does not say which kinds of address are acceptable, so check with the Attorney Registration Office before you list a commercial mail address.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
Do I have to tell the court if my mailing address changes?
In California state courts, Rule of Court 2.200 says an attorney whose mailing address, telephone, fax or e-mail address (if provided) changes while an action is pending must serve all parties and file a written notice of the change. Federal courts and other states have their own rules, so check each court you appear in.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current official source for your situation.
Related pages
- Using a commercial mail address as an attorney: what to check firstCalifornia · Pennsylvania · General information, not legal advice
- A virtual mailbox built for attorneysLos Angeles · Philadelphia
- Mail scanning for Los Angeles law firmsDowntown LA · Beverly Hills · Santa Monica · West LA
- Mail scanning for Philadelphia law firmsCenter City Philadelphia · 19102 and 19107
- Mail scanning for attorneysHow it works for a law practice
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