Mail Service Center FAQs

Outgoing letters are presorted by zip code on a letter auto sorter machine prior to sending to USPS. This allows the Mail Service Center to obtain a discount from the Postal Service saving State Government millions annually in mailing costs.

Courier mail is used for official state government mail between state agencies across the state, as well as city, county and local governments, and universities outside of Wake County and is delivered to a predetermined drop box. Designated users are provided with a key to the drop box and can deposit mail or retrieve mail daily.

Potential users of the Courier Service are listed below:

• N.C. State Government Agencies
• UNC System
• N.C. Public School Systems
• N.C. Community Colleges
• N.C. City and County Government with ties to State Government

Courier mail is delivered at night in the central portion of the state and delivered during the day in the western portion and in the most eastern portions of the state.

The Mail Service Center currently ships through USPS and UPS but not FedEx. We do, however, receive deliveries from FedEx, DSL and other carriers.

A Mail Service Center number identifies Wake County agencies by location for delivery and billing purposes. A MSC number is the official business mailing address for an agency when sending and receiving mail. For example, the Mail Service Center’s official business mailing address is:

The Mail Service Center address with the zip code of 27699 must be the last two lines of your address to ensure that your mail is properly delivered. The +4 after the zip code is the MSC number. In case of a 6 digit MSC number, use the last 4 digits. (example: 20301 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC is completed as 27699-0301)

This is used as a last resort when the mail is not properly addressed and the Mail Service Center cannot locate the person or agency the mail is addressed to.

United Parcel Service (UPS) can be used instead of USPS (United States Postal Service) for outgoing parcels.

United States Postal Service (USPS) is used for outgoing mail and packages being sent to addresses not affiliated with state or local government.