---
title: "USPS Notice Left: what it means and how long it's held"
description: "USPS's words: delivery was attempted and a notice left, so the recipient must act. Each reason, hold times, the 2 AM cutoff and how to avoid some notices."
canonical: https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/notice-left/
last_updated: 2026-10-19
publisher: "The Reseller Index"
---

# “Notice Left”: what USPS tracking means and what happens next

**“Notice Left” means the carrier tried to deliver, couldn't, and left a notice (PS Form 3849); the recipient now has to schedule a redelivery or pick the package up.** USPS.com's text says the recipient “may arrange redelivery by using the Schedule a Redelivery feature on this page or may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice beginning NEXTDAY.” and warns “If this item is unclaimed by RETURN DATE then it will be returned to sender.”

Quoted from USPS's own tracking documents and help pages, checked Oct 19, 2026. This page covers: “Notice Left”, “Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available)”, “Notice Left (No Secure Location Available)”, “Notice Left (Receptacle Full/Item Oversized)”, “Available for Redelivery or Pickup”, “Reminder to Schedule Redelivery”.

## What USPS says this status means

> “We attempted to deliver your item at TIME on DATE in LOCATION.”

The text USPS.com shows for “Notice Left”: [USPS PTR2 scan event list](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), event 02, p. 2. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

> “You may arrange redelivery by using the Schedule a Redelivery feature on this page or may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice beginning NEXTDAY.”

The text USPS.com shows for “Notice Left”: [USPS PTR2 scan event list](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), event 02, p. 2. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

> “If this item is unclaimed by RETURN DATE then it will be returned to sender.”

The text USPS.com shows for “Notice Left”: [USPS PTR2 scan event list](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), event 02, p. 2. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

> “Delivery was attempted. The notice shows options for pickup or re-delivery.”

USPS's description of “Notice Left”: [USPS PTR2 scan event list](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), event 02, p. 2. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

Words in capitals (TIME, DATE, LOCATION and so on) are USPS's placeholders; the real tracking page fills them in.

USPS files it under “Delivery Attempt: Action Needed”. The notice carries a barcode: “you can schedule a Redelivery online using a tracking number or the barcode number shown on the back of your PS Form 3849” ([USPS, Schedule a Redelivery](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm), "Get the Mail You Missed Redelivered").

## The reason in parentheses

*Why the carrier left a notice. Source: [USPS PostalPro: PTR2 Domestic Scan Events and Descriptions (April 2026)](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), checked Oct 19, 2026. Quotes are verbatim, sometimes in part.*

| Status line on USPS.com | What USPS.com says | What USPS's event list says it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notice Left (Receptacle Full/Item Oversized) Delivery Attempt: Action Needed or Delivery Attempt · event 54, p. 2 | “a notice was left because the receptacle was full or the item was oversized.” | “The item could not be placed in the delivery receptacle, either because the receptacle was full or because the item was too large to fit.” … “Also used in the post office when a large item cannot fit into a PO Box.” |
| Notice Left (No Secure Location Available) Delivery Attempt: Action Needed or Delivery Attempt · event 55, p. 3 | “a notice was left because no secure delivery location was available.” | “There was no location deemed safe to deliver the item and there was no endorsement to 'leave if no response'” |
| Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available) Delivery Attempt: Action Needed or Delivery Attempt · event 56, p. 3 | “a notice was left because an authorized recipient was not available.” | “The item could not be delivered because a signature was required” |

## What happens next, line by line

*The lines after a notice, in the order they usually appear. Source: [USPS PostalPro: PTR2 Domestic Scan Events and Descriptions (April 2026)](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), checked Oct 19, 2026. Quotes are verbatim, sometimes in part.*

| Status line on USPS.com | What USPS.com says | What USPS's event list says it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Available for Redelivery or Pickup Delivery Attempt: Action Needed or Delivery Attempt · event 73, p. 12 | “Your item is back at the LOCATION post office following a delivery attempt at TIME on DATE and is available for redelivery or pickup.” | “This event signifies that the employee has brought the package back to the office following a failed first attempt” |
| Redelivery Scheduled On the Way · event VR, p. 21 | “The customer has requested that the Postal Service redeliver this item on DATE in LOCATION.” | “The customer has scheduled a redelivery for the item using the Redelivery website or application or by calling the Customer Care Center.” |
| Prepared for Redelivery Preparing for Delivery · event 74, p. 12 | “Your item was prepared for redelivery on DATE at TIME in LOCATION.” | “This event signals that the employee has pulled the package from the shelf in preparation for taking it out for redelivery.” |
| Out for Redelivery Out for Delivery · event 59, p. 10 | “Your item is out for redelivery on DATE at TIME in LOCATION.” | “A physical scan event stating that the article has left the delivery office with a carrier, and delivery is intended on that day.” … “This scan is generally used for items that are being redelivered (following a failed first attempt).” |
| Reminder to Schedule Redelivery of your item before \[RETURN DATE -1 day\] Delivery Attempt or Delivery Attempt: Action Needed · event VF, p. 20 | “This is a reminder to arrange for redelivery of your item before \[RETURN DATE -1 day\] or your item will be returned on \[RETURN DATE\].” … “You may arrange redelivery by using the Schedule a Redelivery feature on this page or calling 800-ASK-USPS, or may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice.” | “The PTR system has determined that the item has met the published ‘second notice’ number of days since the attempt event.” |
| Unclaimed/Being Returned to Sender Alert · event 27, p. 5 | “Your item could not be delivered on DATE at TIME in LOCATION. It was held for the required number of days and is being returned to the sender.” | “A notice and reminder were left but no one claimed the item before the DMM stipulated hold period (typically 15 to 30 days) was over” |

## How the recipient gets it

- “Redeliveries can be scheduled online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” ([USPS, Schedule a Redelivery](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm), "Get the Mail You Missed Redelivered") “For same-day Redelivery, make sure your request is submitted by 2 AM CST Monday-Saturday or your Redelivery will be scheduled for the next day.”
- **Smart Parcel Locker:** “If ‘USPS Smart Parcel Locker Eligible’ is checked on the front of your PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice, you can have the package delivered to a USPS Smart Parcel Locker.”
- **Carrier redelivery by paper:** “Fill out the back of your PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice to let your carrier know when and where you'd like them to leave the package, then put the form in your mailbox.”
- **Pickup:** “Go to the Post Office location written on the back of your PS Form 3849 Redelivery Notice to pick up the package. Or you can send someone else to serve as your representative.”
- **Return:** “If you don't want to receive the package, USPS will send it back to the shipper with the endorsement ‘Return to Sender.’” (all [USPS, Schedule a Redelivery](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm))
- **Not every address can book online:** “Sorry, online Redelivery requests are not available for this address. You will need to pick up your mail or package.”
- **One notice per request:** “All packages in a single Redelivery request must be associated to the same PS Form 3849.” **Changing plans:** “All cancellations must be submitted before 2AM CST on the day of the Redelivery.”
- **By phone:** USPS's reminder line (event VF) says “You may arrange redelivery by using the Schedule a Redelivery feature on this page or calling 800-ASK-USPS, or may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice.”

## How long USPS holds it

- **Accountable mail** (“Priority Mail Express, Registered Mail, Certified Mail, mail insured for more than $500.00, Adult Signature, or COD, as well as mail for which a return receipt is requested or the sender has specified restricted delivery.”): “If the piece is not called for or redelivery is not requested, the piece is returned to the sender after 15 days (5 days for Priority Mail Express, 10 days for COD)” ([DMM 508.1.1.7](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm)), “unless the sender specifies fewer days on the piece.”
- **Priority Mail Express:** “Undeliverable or unclaimed Priority Mail Express is held by the USPS for 5 calendar days before it is returned to the sender at no additional postage” ([DMM 507.1.5.5](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)).
- **Everything else:** USPS's description of the unclaimed return: “A notice and reminder were left but no one claimed the item before the DMM stipulated hold period (typically 15 to 30 days) was over” ([USPS event list](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf), event 27, p. 5). The tracking text gives the RETURN DATE, and a reminder line asks the recipient to act a day before it.
- **You can set the hold yourself:** “At the sender’s request, the delivery Post Office holds mail, other than Registered Mail, Insured, Certified Mail, COD, Adult Signature, and Signature Confirmation, for no fewer than 3 days or more than 30 days.” ([DMM 507.4.3.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)) The manual says the time “must be included by the sender in the return address on the mailpiece”, for example a line reading “Return in 30 days to” followed by your return address ([DMM 507.4.3.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)).

## How a seller can prevent some notices

Event 55 is a notice left because there was no safe spot and “there was no endorsement to 'leave if no response'”. That endorsement is a Domestic Mail Manual rule: “A parcel may be left in an unprotected location, such as a stairway or uncovered porch, only when it bears the ‘CARRIER-LEAVE IF NO RESPONSE’ endorsement.” ([DMM 508.1.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm))

- “A carrier release endorsement may be used on only:” “Uninsured parcels” and “Parcels which do not require a signature” ([DMM 508.1.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm)).
- Placement: “The endorsement must appear directly to the left of the postage area (preferred) or directly below the return address” ([DMM 508.1.2](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm)).
- So packages with signature service or insurance can't use it, and can still get event 56: “The item could not be delivered because a signature was required”.

## Worked example

A package you insured for $600 shows “Notice Left” on Monday, Nov 9, 2026. Insured for more than $500, it falls under DMM 508.1.1.7: if the buyer doesn't pick it up or ask for redelivery, USPS returns it after 15 days, around Tuesday, Nov 24, 2026, unless you specified fewer days on the package. For a same-day redelivery on Tuesday, Nov 10, 2026, the buyer has to submit the request by 2 AM CST that day; a later request is scheduled for the next day.

## Edge cases

- **“Available for Redelivery or Pickup”** means “This event signifies that the employee has brought the package back to the office following a failed first attempt”.
- **Receptacle full or oversized** also covers PO Boxes: “Also used in the post office when a large item cannot fit into a PO Box.”
- **An attempt with no notice** is a different status; USPS often retries those by itself ([Delivery Attempted](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/delivery-attempted/)).

## What to do as the seller

1. **Tell the buyer what the notice asks:** schedule a redelivery (online, 24/7, by 2 AM CST for the same day) or pick it up at the Post Office named on the notice.
2. **Watch the return date** on the tracking page; after it, the package heads back to you ([Return to Sender](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/return-to-sender/)).
3. **For future orders without signature or insurance,** the carrier release endorsement can avoid “no secure location” notices.
4. **Questions about the attempt:** USPS's tracking line is **1-800-222-1811** ([DMM 503.1.8](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm)); USPS says its agents see the same tracking information you do ([USPS, Contact Us](https://www.usps.com/help/contact-us.htm)).

## On selling platforms

Mercari tells buyers whose package hasn't arrived to “Look for an attempted delivery notice.” ([Mercari, delayed, missing or returned packages](https://www.mercari.com/us/help_center/article/6001/), "Package hasn't updated or appears delayed")

From each platform's own help pages, checked Oct 19, 2026. Rules differ by platform and change; check the platform's page before you act.

## Questions

### How long does the Post Office hold a “Notice Left” package?

15 days for accountable mail such as Certified Mail, Adult Signature or items insured over $500 (5 for Priority Mail Express). For other packages USPS's event list mentions “typically 15 to 30 days”; the tracking page shows the return date. For mail other than Registered Mail, insured, Certified Mail, COD, Adult Signature and Signature Confirmation items, a sender can ask for a set hold of 3 to 30 days by putting it in the return address ([DMM 507.4.3.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)).

### Will USPS try again by itself?

USPS's text for Notice Left asks the recipient to arrange redelivery or pick it up. Compare [Delivery Attempted](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/delivery-attempted/), where some attempts end “No action needed.”

### What does “Notice Left (No Authorized Recipient Available)” mean?

“The item could not be delivered because a signature was required”.

### Can I schedule the redelivery for my buyer?

USPS's redelivery page doesn't say who may book it. It asks for the tracking number or the barcode number from the notice, plus contact details, and says “The address must match the original delivery address.” ([USPS, Schedule a Redelivery](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm), Step 1, contact information).

## Related tracking statuses

- [Delivery Attempted](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/delivery-attempted/)

  For no access, a closed business, weather or an animal, USPS says it will try again with no action needed.

- [Available for Pickup](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/available-for-pickup/)

  The package is waiting at a Post Office or other USPS pickup point.

- [Return to Sender](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/return-to-sender/)

  USPS could not deliver it as addressed and is sending it back; the line names the reason.

[All 11 tracking statuses](https://resellerindex.com/usps/tracking/) · [Claims, refunds and extra services](https://resellerindex.com/usps/services/) · [USPS delivery times](https://resellerindex.com/usps/delivery-times/) · [Media Mail rates](https://resellerindex.com/rates/media-mail/)

## How we checked this

The status lines, the sentences under them and their meanings are quoted from the [PTR2 Domestic Scan Events and Descriptions](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf) list USPS posted on PostalPro on Apr 27, 2026, which gives, for each tracking event, the line and sentence USPS.com shows, its status category and USPS's own description. Renames come from USPS's [PTR Modernization overview](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-05/USPS%20PTR%20Modernization%20Overview%20external%20version%2014.pdf); rules and deadlines from usps.com and the Domestic Mail Manual. USPS's tracking FAQ on faq.usps.com loads only with JavaScript, so it isn't quoted. We read every source on Oct 19, 2026 and say nothing about a status that USPS doesn't.

## Sources

Each official page below was read on Oct 19, 2026.

- [USPS PostalPro: PTR2 Domestic Scan Events and Descriptions (April 2026)](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-04/PTR2%20Event%20Descriptions_April%202026_final.pdf)
- [USPS PostalPro: Product Tracking & Reporting (PTR) Modernization overview, version 14](https://postalpro.usps.com/mnt/glusterfs/2026-05/USPS%20PTR%20Modernization%20Overview%20external%20version%2014.pdf)
- [USPS: Schedule a Redelivery](https://tools.usps.com/redelivery.htm)
- [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508: Recipient Services (refusals, notices, agents, carrier release, Hold Mail)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm)
- [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 507: Mailer Services (undeliverable mail, returns, Hold For Pickup)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/507.htm)
- [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 503: Extra Services (USPS Tracking, insurance, Certificate of Mailing)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/503.htm)
- [USPS: Contact Us](https://www.usps.com/help/contact-us.htm)
- [Mercari Help Center: What to do if your package is delayed, missing, or returned](https://www.mercari.com/us/help_center/article/6001/)
- [USPS PostalPro: PTR2 scan event list download page (posted Apr 27, 2026)](https://postalpro.usps.com/product-tracking-and-reporting/PTR2-Domestic-Scan-Events-and-Descriptions)

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