A Superior Court judge has emphatically quashed the city's bid to regulate community mailbox installation in a decision that argues council simply wanted to "thwart" the controversial end of door-to-door mail delivery.

Justice Alan Whitten outlined a comprehensive list of legal reasons Thursday to declare the bylaw "inapplicable and inoperative," putting an end to unprecedented municipal rules requiring Canada Post to obtain a $200 permit for each so-called "super-mailbox."

If the decision stands, it will also kill a series of provincial offences charges laid against the Crown corporation and its subcontractors.

Spokesperson Jon Hamilton said in a statement Canada Post is pleased the courts upheld its "long-standing authority" to install mailboxes in municipal rights-of-way.

But the battle over so-called "super-mailboxes" isn't necessarily over.

City solicitor Janice Atwood-Petkovski told councillors Thursday the city is "reviewing the decision carefully in consultation with a constitutional specialist" before deciding whether to appeal, in part because of "heightened interest" from cities across the country. A report is expected June 17.

Coun. Terry Whitehead, a vocal bylaw booster, heard about the decision as he was preparing to speak about the issue in London, Ont. He had previously spoken to Aurora's town council, which later adopted a similar bylaw.

Whitehead said he hopes the city will fight on, suggesting the judge "misapprehended" the goals of the bylaw.

"This is about safety," said the councillor, who tracked improper mailbox installations, publicized mistakenly cut water and gas lines and reported installers to the provincial Ministry of Labour over alleged unsafe work practices.

He pointed to mailboxes installed along fast-moving arterials such as Mohawk Road.

"Inevitably, someone is going to be seriously injured and the blood won't be on my hands," he said.

But Whitten dismissed the city's examples of poorly installed mailboxes in his ruling. He argued Canada Post has worked successfully with other municipalities to address concerns about mailbox locations, but the city opted to stop consultation in favour of pursuing a bylaw.

Ultimately, Whitten said the bylaw would have imposed punitive, unrealistic timelines, and compromised the federal agency's right to have the final say on mailbox locations.

Whitten also pointed to council's formal opposition to Canada Post's plan to end door-to-door delivery and suggested the bylaw sought to "thwart" that controversial policy.

Installation of mailboxes on the Mountain is almost complete, Canada Post said in a statement, and they should be in use later this summer. The agency reiterated it is willing to consult on location concerns, however.

"While the City of Hamilton declined to participate fully in our process over the last year, we received a great deal of feedback by surveying and talking face-to-face with homeowners," the statement reads.

A specific schedule to convert the rest of the city to community mailboxes has not yet been released.