If your site takes payment from buyers in California, or collects personal information from children, a rule can require your address on screen or in a notice. For a California online seller, a mailbox address can replace the street address only when three conditions are met.
We read six address rules for this post. Three cover a website, an online notice or information you give customers. One covers advertising. Two cover commercial email and marketplace listings. For each rule, we checked the address words in the text and whether the text names a private mailbox (PMB).
We read California law and federal rules only. Other states may have their own rules, and we didn't check them for this post.
Which rules can put a business address on your website?
In the rules we read, the duty to show an address depends on what the site does. Three rules reach a website, an online notice or the information a business gives its customers.
California online sales. Business and Professions Code section 17538(d) applies to "A vendor conducting business through the Internet or any other electronic means of communication." The duty applies "when the transaction involves a buyer located in this state." Subdivision (d) ties the duty to where the buyer is. Whether the rule reaches a vendor based outside California is a question for a California lawyer.
California electronic commercial services. Civil Code section 1789.3 says "The provider of an electronic commercial service shall provide to consumers with which it contracts to provide the service" a short list of details. The first item is "(a) The name, address, and telephone number of the provider of service." The provider gives the list "at the time it contracts to provide the service and annually, on or before June 30 of each year thereafter." The section doesn't name a website as the place to give it. We quote only section 1789.3 here, so check whether the rest of the same title defines an electronic commercial service before you assume the section covers you.
Children's online privacy. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rule at 16 CFR 312.4 asks for an online notice. The operator "must post a prominent and clearly labeled link to an online notice of its information practices with regard to children on the home or landing page or screen of its website or online service..." The link must also appear at each area where the site collects personal information from children. The notice must list "The name, address, telephone number, and email address of all operators collecting or maintaining personal information from children through the website or online service."
The COPPA rule gives one shortcut. Operators "may list the name, address, phone number, and email address of one operator who will respond to all inquiries from parents..." The names of all the operators must still appear in the notice.
What does California's online seller rule ask you to show?
Section 17538(d)(1) sets the main duty. The text reads:
"Before accepting any payment or processing any debit or credit charge or funds transfer, the vendor shall disclose to the buyer in writing or by electronic means of communication, such as e-mail or an on-screen notice, the vendor's return and refund policy, the legal name under which the business is conducted and, except as provided in paragraph (3), the complete street address from which the business is actually conducted."
The rule asks for three items before payment: the return and refund policy, the legal name, and the street address. The disclosure can arrive by email or appear on screen, so a website is one way to meet the duty.
The address is the one "from which the business is actually conducted." In our reading, a seller who works from home would show the home address under paragraph (1). Paragraph (3) is the exception, and the next section covers it.
Where the on-screen version has to appear
Paragraph (2) adds rules when the vendor uses an on-screen notice. The name and address must appear on any one of four screens. Those are the first screen of the site, the screen where goods or services are first offered, the order screen, and the payment screen.
Technology without a browser has its own rule. The display must give the user "a reasonable opportunity to review that information."
The disclosure "shall not be structured to be smaller or less legible than the text of the offer of the goods or services." Next to the disclosure, the vendor adds a statement describing how the buyer can get the information by email. The vendor then sends it "within five days of receiving the buyer's request."
Subdivision (g) makes a violation of section 17538 a misdemeanor. The text sets a county jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
When can a mailbox address replace the street address in California?
Paragraph (3) of section 17538(d) is the mailbox path. The text reads:
"The complete street address need not be disclosed as required by paragraph (1) if the vendor utilizes a private mailbox receiving service and all of the following conditions are met: (A) the vendor satisfies the conditions described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 17538.5, (B) the vendor discloses the actual street address of the private mailbox receiving service in the manner prescribed by this subdivision for the disclosure of the vendor's actual street address, and (C) the vendor and the private mailbox receiving service comply with all of the requirements of subdivisions (c) to (f), inclusive, of Section 17538.5."
The word "all" matters. A vendor that meets only one or two conditions still discloses its own street address.
Condition A points to a home-based business
Condition A borrows its test from another section. Section 17538.5(b)(2) begins "If a person conducts a business described in subdivision (a) from that person's residence." Two more conditions follow in that paragraph:
- "(A) The person's current business street address or home address is contained in a United States Postal Service (USPS) Form 1583 that is filed with the USPS."
- "(B) The person has signed an acknowledgement form substantially in accordance with the provisions set forth in subdivision (f) which, among other things, authorizes the commercial mail receiving agency to act as that person's agent for service of process."
A commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) is the postal term for a business that receives mail for customers. In our reading, the mailbox path is written for a seller who works from home. Another reading is possible, because condition A points only to the conditions in paragraph (2). A seller with a shop or a separate office should ask a California lawyer before relying on the path.
What conditions B and C ask for
Condition B sets what you show instead. The vendor discloses "the actual street address of the private mailbox receiving service." The same screen and legibility rules from paragraph (2) apply to that address.
Condition C reaches the mailbox provider as well as the vendor. Section 17538.5(c) to (f) sets duties for the CMRA. Under subdivision (c), the CMRA collects "at least two pieces of identification" before it starts service. The CMRA also keeps a copy of each customer's Form 1583 and the two identification documents "for a period of two years after the termination of service..." Subdivision (d) requires the CMRA to accept service of process for its customers, which means accepting legal papers on their behalf.
Section 17538.5 also has its own advertising duty for businesses that use a mailbox. We read that duty and its home-based exemption in California business forms and private mailboxes, including what the agent role does and doesn't cover.
Does each rule accept a private mailbox address?
We sorted the six rules by what their text says about a private mailbox. "Silent" means the provision we quote uses the word "address" or "physical address" and doesn't say whether a mailbox counts. We don't treat silence as permission.
| Rule | Where the address goes | Who the rule covers | Address words in the text | Private mailbox named? | What the text says about a mailbox |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17538(d) | Email or on-screen notice before payment | Internet vendors, when the buyer is in California | "the complete street address from which the business is actually conducted" | Yes, in (d)(3) | Allowed in place of the street address only if conditions A, B and C are all met |
| Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17538.5 | "all advertising and promotional materials, including order blanks and forms" | Businesses in California that sell consumer goods or services and use a post office box or a private mailbox | "the complete street address from which business is actually conducted" | Yes, in (a) | A seller using a mailbox still discloses the street address it works from. A home-based seller may leave out the residence address under (b)(2) |
| Cal. Civ. Code 1789.3 | Information given at contract and every year by June 30 | Providers of an electronic commercial service | "The name, address, and telephone number" | No | Silent |
| 16 CFR 312.4 (COPPA) | Online notice linked from the home or landing page and from each area that collects children's information | Operators collecting personal information from children | "The name, address, telephone number, and email address" | No | Silent |
| 16 CFR 316.2(p) (CAN-SPAM) | Commercial email | Senders of commercial email | "Valid physical postal address" | Yes | Allowed if the sender gave accurate details when opening the mailbox at a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA), and the CMRA is set up under USPS regulations |
| 15 U.S.C. 45f(b) (INFORM Consumers Act) | Marketplace product listing page or order confirmation | High-volume third party sellers with $20,000 or more in annual gross revenues on the marketplace | "the physical address of the seller" | No | Silent |
Three of the six rules name a private mailbox. CAN-SPAM, the federal commercial email law, lists a private mailbox at a commercial mail receiving agency as a valid address in its own right. The condition is that the sender gave accurate details when opening it. The two California statutes name a mailbox and then ask for more. A seller who uses one still discloses the street address the business works from, unless an exception applies, such as the home-based one. The other three rules are silent.
A silent rule doesn't approve a mailbox address, and it doesn't forbid one. If a silent rule applies to you, ask the agency that enforces it, or a lawyer, before you rely on a mailbox address.
Which address rules apply to email, marketplaces and app stores?
Three more surfaces carry an address, and each has its own rule. We cover each one in a separate post.
Commercial email. The CAN-SPAM rule lists a private mailbox at a CMRA, set up with accurate details, as one kind of valid physical postal address. We read that definition, and the email footer it governs, in can I use my home address as my business address.
Online marketplaces. The INFORM Consumers Act makes a marketplace show "the physical address of the seller" for some high-volume sellers. The duty runs against the marketplace. We read the statute alongside Amazon's verification pages in Amazon seller address verification.
App stores. Apple and Google set their own rules for the address on a developer page. We read both stores' help pages in App Store trader address.
Writing a mailbox address correctly also matters for every surface above. USPS rules on the PMB format are in Is your mailing address a P.O. Box?.
This post explains the text of the statutes and rules listed in the sources and isn't legal advice. Confirm how a rule applies to your business with the agency that enforces it, or with a lawyer licensed in your state.
How an Auteur address fits these rules
We sell virtual mailboxes, so this is the seller's view. Auteur is in pre-launch, and your exact street address is assigned the day your city opens. We don't say that using our address meets any rule above. Read the rule's text and check its conditions for your own business.
Our addresses work through USPS Form 1583. Each customer signs the form, and the commercial mail receiving agency registers it with USPS. For a California seller who works from home, section 17538(d)(3) is the path that uses a mailbox service's street address. Condition C of that path puts duties on the mailbox provider too. Before you rely on the path, ask the provider, us included, how it meets subdivisions (c) to (f) of section 17538.5.
The Virtual Business Address receives mail in a business or trade name, for a company that needs a mailing address. The Virtual Mailing Address is for personal mail, in individual names only.
Both plans photograph the envelope of every piece, and we open and scan only when you ask, for one flat fee per piece. Henry, our AI assistant, explains each letter you ask us to open. USPS Form 1583 is required before any provider can receive mail for you. Pricing comes by email with the next steps, and our fees and limits are in our fair use policy.
If you run a business and that fits how you work, get your address in Los Angeles or Silicon Valley. Ordering is free, there's no card, and nothing is charged today. For personal mail only, the Virtual Mailing Address is the plan to choose.
FAQ
Is a business address required on a website in the United States?
The answer depends on what the site does. In the rules we read, California's section 17538(d) asks online vendors to disclose a street address before a California buyer pays. The COPPA rule asks for an address in the children's privacy notice. We didn't read every state's law.
Can I use a virtual mailbox address on my website if I sell to buyers in California?
Section 17538(d)(3) lets a vendor show "the actual street address of the private mailbox receiving service" if three conditions are all met. Condition A refers to a business run from the seller's residence, with Form 1583 and a signed acknowledgment. Condition C puts duties on the mailbox provider too.
Does a private mailbox count as the address in my COPPA privacy notice?
The rule at 16 CFR 312.4 asks for "The name, address, telephone number, and email address" of each operator. The text we quote doesn't say whether a private mailbox counts. Ask a lawyer before you rely on one.
Do other states, such as Texas, require a business address on a website?
We read California statutes and federal rules for this post. We didn't read Texas law, so we don't say whether Texas has such a rule. Check your state's consumer protection laws or ask a lawyer licensed in that state.
Bottom line
A website address duty comes from what the site does. In California, an online vendor with a California buyer discloses its legal name and the street address it works from before taking payment. A home-based vendor may show a mailbox service's street address instead, if conditions A, B and C in section 17538(d)(3) are all met. Civil Code 1789.3 and the COPPA notice ask for an address without saying whether a mailbox counts. Commercial email and marketplace listings follow their own rules.
