diff --git a/schema.js b/schema.js
index 3203bb7d..440da818 100644
--- a/schema.js
+++ b/schema.js
@@ -41,6 +41,11 @@ module.exports = Joi.object().keys({
         url: Joi.string().uri({ scheme: /https?/ }),
         timeout: Joi.number().integer().optional().default(250).min(0),
         retries: Joi.number().integer().optional().default(3).min(0),
+      }).unknown(false).requiredKeys('url'),
+      libpostal: Joi.object().keys({
+        url: Joi.string().uri({ scheme: /https?/ }),
+        timeout: Joi.number().integer().optional().default(250).min(0),
+        retries: Joi.number().integer().optional().default(3).min(0),
       }).unknown(false).requiredKeys('url')
     }).unknown(false).default({}), // default api.services to an empty object
     defaultParameters: Joi.object().keys({
diff --git a/test/unit/schema.js b/test/unit/schema.js
index 7c62f109..1278ee59 100644
--- a/test/unit/schema.js
+++ b/test/unit/schema.js
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ module.exports.tests.completely_valid = (test, common) => {
           },
           interpolation: {
             url: 'http://localhost'
+          },
+          libpostal: {
+            url: 'http://localhost'
           }
         },
         defaultParameters: {
@@ -419,7 +422,7 @@ module.exports.tests.api_validation = (test, common) => {
   });
 
   // api.pipService has been moved to api.services.pip.url
-  test('any api.pipService value should be allowed', (t) => {
+  test('any api.pipService value should fail', (t) => {
     [null, 17, {}, [], true, 'http://localhost'].forEach((value) => {
       var config = {
         api: {
@@ -543,7 +546,7 @@ module.exports.tests.api_services_validation = (test, common) => {
 
 module.exports.tests.service_validation = (test, common) => {
   // these tests apply for all the individual service definitions
-  const services = ['pip', 'placeholder', 'interpolation'];
+  const services = ['pip', 'placeholder', 'interpolation', 'libpostal'];
 
   test('timeout and retries not specified should default to 250 and 3', (t) => {
     services.forEach(service => {
@@ -572,7 +575,7 @@ module.exports.tests.service_validation = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
-  test('when api.services.service is defined, url is required', (t) => {
+  test('when api.services.<service> is defined, url is required', (t) => {
     services.forEach(service => {
       const config = {
         api: {
@@ -596,7 +599,7 @@ module.exports.tests.service_validation = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
-  test('non-string api.services.pip.url should throw error', (t) => {
+  test('non-string api.services.<service>.url should throw error', (t) => {
     services.forEach(service => {
       [null, 17, {}, [], true].forEach(value => {
         const config = {
@@ -626,7 +629,7 @@ module.exports.tests.service_validation = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
-  test('non-http/https api.services.pip.url should throw error', (t) => {
+  test('non-http/https api.services.<service>.url should throw error', (t) => {
     services.forEach(service => {
       ['ftp', 'git', 'unknown'].forEach((scheme) => {
         const config = {
@@ -656,7 +659,7 @@ module.exports.tests.service_validation = (test, common) => {
 
   });
 
-  test('non-url children of api.services.pip should be disallowed', (t) => {
+  test('non-url/timeout/retries children of api.services.<service> should be disallowed', (t) => {
     services.forEach(service => {
       const config = {
         api: {