INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A woman in Independence said she has been unable to get a new driver’s license to match her address or her property tax bills in the mail due to her zip code.
It’s an issue she’s been dealing with for a year and a half.
Shirley Land-Brecht moved into her home on the border of Independence and Kansas City in May of 2015. Her neighbor warned her that the zip code of 64133 would cause her problems, but she never expected it to be this bad.
Land-Brecht’s home is in Independence, but the zip code of 64133 is typically associated with homes in either Raytown or Kansas City, which has created a lot of confusion.
"I mean every time I try to set up something… ‘oh no, you’re in Kansas City.’ No, I’m not," said Land-Brecht.
When she brought it up to the post office, she was told her address put her in Kansas City.
"The U.S. Post Office system says there are only two cities in the 64133 zip code… Kansas City or Raytown. But I’m not in either city. I’m in Independence," she said.
Because of the issue, Land-Brecht has had trouble getting cable, home insurance, a new driver’s license, and most recently her property tax bills.
"If you don’t get your property tax bills in the mail, you can’t pay online because only the bill in the mail has a pin number on it that you can use to go online and pay online for your bill," she said.
Only a handful of homeowners in Independence have the same zip code as Land-Brecht. Many others have dealt with the issues it brings in their own ways. Land-Brecht said the people who owned the home before her were able to get it changed to 60455 to match Independence, but she has been told she can’t have that done without a petition.
Land-Brecht said she was told to get signatures from all of the homeowners with the same problem, only then would she be able to have her zip code changed.
This proved harder than she expected, one homeowner was unwilling to sign because of a business she runs out of her home. Land-Brecht said she understood the reason but has been left frustrated.
"The post office needs to either admit that some homes in the 64133 zip code are in Independence and allow that… or let me change over to a 64055 zip code. I don’t care which one I’m just tired of dealing with this," said Land-Brecht.
We reached out to a representative with the U.S. Postal Service who says they are looking into the issue further to find a resolution.
