Palo Alto Main Post Office

About the main post office

Palo Alto's main post office is at 2085 East Bayshore Road, along the frontage road on the bay side of Highway 101. The USPS location finder lists two entries at this address. One is named Palo Alto CA S&DC, short for sorting and delivery center. That entry carries the retail hours and passport services. The other, named Palo Alto, covers package pickup. USPS writes the mailing city as East Palo Alto with the ZIP code 94303, even though OpenStreetMap places the building in Palo Alto.

The phone number USPS lists is 650-321-1423, the same number shown for the other Palo Alto post offices. The page also gives a TTY line at 877-889-2457 and the national customer line, 1-800-ASK-USPS. Calls about a specific package usually go faster with the tracking number ready. USPS lists a parking lot at the site, which makes it the easier choice when you are bringing several boxes by car.

Hours by service

Different parts of the building keep different hours. USPS lists these:

Everything is closed on Sunday. USPS lists mail for PO boxes as delivered by noon Monday through Saturday. Federal holidays close the windows, so check the USPS location page before a holiday trip.

Services

The USPS location pages list these services at the East Bayshore Road post office:

• A self-service kiosk for postage and shipping outside window hours
• Passport appointments, passport walk-ins and photo appointments, including digital photo appointments
• PO boxes, which you can rent online through PO Box Online
• A USPS Smart Locker for package pickup
• General delivery and the Retail Label Broker for labels created online
• Pickup of held mail and of items with a notice left, plus USPS Connect Local
• Gift cards and greeting cards
• Fingerprint collection and In-Person Proofing, which need an appointment or invitation

The building is also a carrier delivery unit. If your carrier leaves a notice for a package, the slip names the pickup location, which may be this office. Unlike the Cambridge and Hamilton branches, this office does not list money orders.

Getting a passport here

Passport appointments run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and book through the USPS website. The walk-in window is short, only 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so arrive early. Photos are taken by appointment in the same weekday hours. Check the U.S. State Department's current list of documents before you go, since a missing item means a second trip.

Business and bulk mail

Small businesses use this office for bulk mailings. Bulk mail acceptance runs 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a break in the middle of the day. Plan large drops around that break. Companies in the office parks along East Bayshore Road and Embarcadero Road are a short drive away. Public Storage is a neighbor at 2047 East Bayshore Road if you need room for inventory or mailing supplies.

Other post offices nearby

USPS also lists the Hamilton post office at 380 Hamilton Avenue downtown and the Cambridge branch at 265 Cambridge Avenue near California Avenue. Hamilton is the only one of the three with Saturday counter hours. The Stanford post office in White Plaza is scheduled to close on October 31, 2026. For shipping without the post office line, The UPS Store has branches on Bryant Street and El Camino Real.

Tips

• Use the kiosk early in the morning or on Saturday to skip the window line for simple postage.
• Book passport slots well ahead of a trip. Our trip planning guide has more on timing travel.
• Pair the visit with a walk at the Baylands Nature Preserve, a short drive east on Embarcadero Road.

Location and getting there

Palo Alto Main Post Office is at 2085 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303, in the Crescent Park area of Palo Alto. Our Crescent Park guide covers what else is around.

The nearest train stop is the California Avenue Caltrain station, about 1.9 miles away. That is roughly a 46 minute walk or a short bike ride.

Parking: street spaces or a small lot nearby; check posted limits.

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.

What is nearby

• The Market at Edgewood, food shop, 0.2 mi
• Chef Zhao Kitchen, restaurant, 0.3 mi
• Orangetheory Fitness, studio or gym, 0.3 mi
• Starbucks West Bayshore Road, cafe, 0.3 mi
• Byers Eye Institute, practice, 0.3 mi
• Greer Park, 0.7 mi
• Palo Alto Airport, 0.8 mi
• Rinconada Library, 0.9 mi

Other everyday services nearby: Public Storage, East Bayshore Road (under 0.1 mi); Shell, Embarcadero Road (0.3 mi); Mercedes-Benz of Palo Alto (0.3 mi); Audi Palo Alto (0.4 mi). Browse the full everyday services list.

Before you go

• Call ahead to confirm hours and whether you need an appointment.
• Ask for a written estimate before any repair work starts.
• Bring an ID and any paperwork you may need, such as a receipt or account number.

About this listing

Checked October 30, 2026 against USPS location page: Palo Alto CA S&DC, 2085 E Bayshore Rd; USPS location page: Palo Alto, 2085 E Bayshore Rd. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions