Rural mailboxes could fall under county regulation if county commissioners adopt a proposal they’ll consider Wednesday night.

County Engineer Keith Browning said his office had sent 190 notices to residents who may be affected by the proposed mailbox regulations.

“We’re not saying that everyone who received a notice would be impacted,” Browning said. “We’re just saying they could be. I think more notices went out than we would have been required to do.”

The proposed regulations come from the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, Browning said.

The regulations would ban certain supports for the boxes such as concrete, masonry, solid stone, steel stronger than a standard steel pipe measuring 2 inches in diameter, or any material measuring more than 6 inches in diameter.

They also would require anyone putting in a new mailbox to follow U.S. Postal Service regulations. Browning said people with mailboxes that didn’t meet standards would be given a year to change their mailbox.

Douglas County Commissioner Jere McElhaney said he agreed with the proposed regulations.

“I know I’ve got a lot of friends and family that this is going to impact, and I am sorry about that,” he said. “But I also have to look out for concerns and others in the public.”

With the growth of the county’s population and the increase of potential distractions to drivers, McElhaney said it had become more important to make sure roadsides were safe and free of obstructions.