By Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

The day to start writing 98391 on addresses in the Bonney Lake area is right the corner, and so are questions about how, when and where to use the new number.

The date the new ZIP code becomes effective is July 1.

Guy Bennett, manager of address management systems in Seattle for the United States Postal Service, said a notification letter with a map will be sent to residents by June 1.

Bennett said the number will be in all the postal databases July 1.

"There will be a transition period of one year," Bennett said. "Our computer database will look at both numbers, 98390 and 98391. If (the address) is not found under one number, it will look for the other."

Bennett said if residents have stationery, business cards or envelopes, there is a period of one year to change to the new number.

Any pre-printed stationery with bar codes should be changed to the new ZIP code as soon as possible according to Bennett.

The Pierce County Auditor's office said residents do not have to call in the ZIP code change. The auditor's office handles voter registration, business licenses in unincorporated Pierce County, vehicle and vessel licensing, property sales recording, excise taxes and marriage licenses.

"We will get notification from the post office," said Kerri Rawling-Rooney, chief deputy auditor. "Then we'll go into our database of files and change the ZIP codes. Residents are not required to do anything. There will be plenty of time to make the change prior to the primary election in September."

The Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer's office reported the post office will inform them of the ZIP code and the modification will be handled at the office. The assessor-treasurer's office handles property taxes.

Bennett said there will be no change in personnel or buildings due to the ZIP code change.

"As Bonney Lake grows we will look at a new post office," Bennett said. "But that is over five years down the line."

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.