re: Do you have to have a mailbox?

You are not required to have a mailbox, you may use a PO Box instead if you wish. Keep in mind though that any mail addressed to your house cannot be forwarded to your PO Box and will be returned undeliverable, no mail receptacle. Also UPS cannot deliver packages to a PO Box, uses only physical addresses, and some of their packages are delivered by the USPS...which would return it. Many use PO Boxes for some mail and put a box at home for everything else.