NextGen Knowledge Center

Address Content Standards

Address content is standardized and validated according to U.S. Postal Service CASS standards, which are documented in USPS Publication 28 USPS Postal Addressing Standards (http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub28/pub28.pdf) and CASS system documentation.

Examples of standardization applied include steps to:

  • Correct the city and state if they are discernible
  • Correct the ZIP code if needed, based on other address content
  • Add the +4 extension to five-digit ZIP codes
  • Correct the street name if it is misspelled in simple ways
  • Correct the street type if it is incorrect
  • Validate the house and/or building number
  • Verify the suite, floor, unit, and so on, if it is needed for an address.
  • Standardize abbreviations for streets
  • Standardize capitalization
  • Add directional for streets, if applicable, pre- and post- street name (N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW)

Reference: You can access a web-based validation tool at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action.