Here’s something a lot of first-time entrepreneurs don’t find out until it’s too late: running a business entirely online doesn’t mean the rules about addresses don’t apply to you.
The CAN-SPAM Act — a federal law enforced by the FTC — requires that commercial emails include a valid physical postal address. That means if you’re sending any kind of marketing email, promotional newsletter, or business-related message to customers, you need a real, legitimate address attached to it. Not a made-up street. Not a blank field. A real one.
And the FTC doesn’t mess around with enforcement. Violations can lead to serious fines. The law also includes certain aggravated violations — like using someone else’s computer to send spam without permission, or harvesting email addresses illegally — that can result in criminal penalties including imprisonment. Those aren’t the same as simply having a missing or fake postal address, but it illustrates that the FTC treats CAN-SPAM violations as serious federal matters.
So what counts as a valid address? It can be a physical street address, a P.O. box you actually own, or a registered private mailbox through a commercial mail provider. If you work from home and don’t want your home address plastered on the internet, that’s totally understandable — a P.O. box or a registered mailbox service is a legit, affordable workaround.
The rule exists for a reason. It gives people a way to opt out of emails and holds businesses accountable for what they send. Fake addresses defeat that whole purpose, which is exactly why the law treats them as violations.
If you’re building a business website right now — even just a side hustle Shopify store or a freelance services page — make sure you’ve got a legitimate address in any marketing emails you send, and it’s good practice to include it in your website footer too. It’s one of those tiny things that can quietly become a massive problem if you ignore it.