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Street -Naming and
Property -Numbering Systems
Margaret A. Corwin
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter1. Introduction.........................................................................1
Arguments for Adopting a Street -Naming and Housing -Numbering System .......................
1
Possible Objections to a New System...........................................................
1
Policies......................................................................................2
Basic Concepts Used In Street Naming and Numbering ..........................................
2
Chapter 2. Overview of Street Names............................................................3
General Principles of Street Naming.........................................................3
Street Names Themselves.....................................................................4
Street Numbers as Street Names...............................................................4
Prefixes and Suffixes Used with Street Names..................................................4
Street Names as Locational Devices............................................................5
Thoroughfare Designations....................................................................5
Theme Names and Alphabetical Sequencing....................................................
7
Neighborhood Unit System....................................................................7
Quadrant System.............................................................................8
Coordinate or Lyman System ...............................................................9
Chapter3. Property Numbering................................................................12
General Principles of Numbering..............................................................12
Postal Service Considerations................................................................12
Frontage Intervals..........................................................................12
Methods of Assigning Property Numbers......................................................14
Curvilinear Streets Within the Block System..................................................17
Chapter 4. Assigning Numbers to Individual Properties..........................................18
Odd and Even Numbers......................................................................18
Apartments and Condominiums..............................................................18
Business Districts...........................................................................19
Numbering When the Streets Change Direction ................................................
19
Streets Starting from Different Points on the Same Cross Street .................................
19
Diagonal Streets............................................................................19
CornerLots.................................................................................19
Group Housing Projects/Private Drives.......................................................19
DuplexBuildings............................................................................20
Rear Houses and Buildings on Interior Lots ...................................................
20
Numbering on Circle Streets and Horseshoes ..................................................
20
Chapter 5. Implementing the New System ....................................................... 22
Stepsto Adoption...........................................................................22
Staging.....................................................................................23
Agencies and Organizations that May Be Helpful in Devising a System ..........................
23
Maps, Street -Name Indexes, and Records......................................................24
Procedures for the Actual Assignment of Street Numbers on a Block .............................
26
Attachment of Numbers to Buildings.........................................................
27
Notification of Number Change...............................................................27
Enforcement................................................................................27
Publicity....................................................................................28
Costs of Implementation.....................................................................28
Design of Signs and Building Numbers........................................................
29
Guidelines for Renaming Existing Streets .....................................................
30
Chapter 6. Legal Aspects of Street Naming and Numbering.......................................
31
Legal Control over the System................................................................31
Subdivision Regulations and Building Permits.................................................31
Sample Subdivision Review Procedures.......................................................32
Legal Jurisdiction over Street Names and Numbers............................................
32
Chapter 7. Problems of Larger Jurisdictions—Rural Areas, Metropolitan Areas, and States..........
34
RuralAreas.................................................................................34
Metropolitan Areas..........................................................................35
StateSystems...............................................................................35
APPENDICES
Appendix A. Bibliography.....................................................................38
Appendix B. Sample Ordinances, Subdivision Regulations, and Forms .............................
40
City of Irvine, California, A Street-Naming and Numbering Resolution ...........................
40
City of Irvine, California, Street Signs, Street Names, and Street-Numbering Ordinance ...........
41
Sample Property-Numbering Ordinance, North Carolina League of Municipalities.................
42
Excerpts from Peoria County, Illinois, Land Subdivision Regulations ............................
42
ASample Ordinance, Athens, Georgia.........................................................43
Address Correction Letter, King County, Washington..........................................
44
Sample Address Correction Form, King County, Washington...................................
46
Chapter 1. Introduction
The function of street naming and house numbering is
to enable people to locate addresses readily. One of the
least glamorous and yet most important tasks of a plan-
ning agency is to establish and implement a uniform
street -naming and property -numbering system to ac-
complish this objective. The task often confronts planners
when new subdivisions or planned unit developments are
established or when the accumulated inefficiencies of an
outmoded system cause dissatisfaction in a community.
Dissatisfication can occur because of inadequate guide•
lines or because the existing system has been inade-
quately implemented. However, all planning agencies can
review their street -naming and property -numbering sys-
tems to evaluate their coherence and usefulness.
ARGUMENTS FOR ADOPTING A STREET -NAMING
AND HOUSE -NUMBERING SYSTEM
There are many practical reasons for adopting a uni-
form street -naming and house -numbering system. These
arguments can be used to justify the need for special
funds to study the existing practices or to revise the
present. ordinance. Some of the problems encountered are
as follows:
• The difficulties and delays in access by emergency
vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances.
• The added expense in delivering packages, milk,
newspapers.
• The inefficient delivery of mail.
• The loss of goods and letters wrongly addressed.
• The traffic accidents resulting from motorists
searching for addresses.
• Difficulty of orienting civic employees who use
addresses frequently.
• The feeling of estrangement—as opposed to the
sense of location—which an address can give.
• Bad "public relations" resulting from the incon-
venience caused to visitors by a confusing and
duplicative system.
• The difficulty of maintaining correct legal docu-
ments such as voter records, property records,
and driver's licenses.
• The negative effects upon the business climate.
• The lack of provision for orderly urban growth
and the uncertainty that numbers will be rela-
tively permanent.
• Difficulties faced by utilities, water, power, gas
and garbage collection companies in maintaining
business records and providing services.
To avoid problems of street -naming and house -number-
ing initially is relatively easy, presuming that the streets
were laid out in an organized system to begin with. How-
ever, to correct the street -naming and house -numbering
system in established areas is much more complex. There
is an understandable reluctance to change, and smoothing
out an existing system does not always receive top
priority in planning efforts. Changes should be made as
soon as the need is recognized; they will be much more dif-
ficult to make as future growth complicates the problem.
POSSIBLE OBJECTIONS TO A NEW SYSTEM
While implementation of a street -naming and house -
numbering system has many advantages for a com-
munity, there are genuine reasons for community resis-
tance. These should be recognized, and steps should be
taken to minimize them. Business owners typically feel a
close identification of their activities with their street
address and are reluctant to change. They also might have
had stationery printed in quantity and will be unhappy
about a new address which makes it obsolete. Companies
will have to pay to acquaint the public with their new
addresses, to have signs repainted, and the like. When
vocal opposition arises, some communities do not require
the downtown businesses to change because the
addresses are familiar and easily found.
For citizens, a change of a street name and address will
mean that their personal checks must be reprinted. They
must change their addresses on work records, credit
cards, and magazine subscriptions. The post office, city
hall, businesses, and relatives and friends must be
notified. The townspeople will also have to learn a new
system of street naming and house numbering. Objec-
tions can also arise from the state historical society or
from older members of the community who dislike the
changes in historic names. Citizens also might object to
the waste of taxpayers' money for such changes. Finally,
there will be some objection to change per se.
By anticipating these objections, their negative im-
pacts can be minimized. The permanent order resulting
from a uniform street -naming and house -numbering
system should be stressed when objections to the transi-
tional confusion are raised.
POLICIES
There are a number of general policies to be followed in
choosing a street -naming and house -numbering system.
• The system should be as simple and logical as
possible. The best system is one that offers the
least chance for confusion and one that is suscep-
tible to understanding after a little study and ex-
planation.
• The system should be flexible enough to accom-
modate growth through city annexations.
• The system should be established uniformly
throughout the jurisdiction, and all governmental
and quasi -governmental agencies should use it.
• The system should incorporate mechanisms for
the continuing review and assignment of street
names and house numbers according to the new
system.
• The chosen system should be appropriate to the
topology of the area.
• A preferred system is one in which the location of
both the building and street are easily found.
• A numbering system should be coordinated with a
street -naming plan and implemented at the same
time to produce the least amount of confusion dur-
ing the transition period.
BASIC CONCEPTS USED IN STREET NAMING AND
NUMBERING
Reference Point. Fundamental to a usable system of
numbering is a point of reference. This point may be
thought of as the intersection of two imaginary lines, like
the point of origin on a graph. The center of the munici-
pality or central business district is the best choice. Even
if there is a shift in the location of the central business dis-
trict at a later date, such a shift need not disrupt the
street -naming and numbering system. In addition, down-
town merchants often are interested in seeing that the
street naming and numbering radiates from the central
business district. A person, obviously, does not need to
know where the point of reference is in order to find his
way; he just needs to know his approximate location and
to understand the numbering system.
Base Lines. Base lines can be defined as those lines
which divide the municipality into identifiable sectors and
which often follow prominent landmarks like railroads,
lakes, ridges, or major thoroughfares. Generally, one base
line runs east and west and the other one, north and
south. Base lines intersect at the reference point. They are
sometimes known as engineering base lines or meridians
because they are lines from which measurements used to
assign street numbers are taken. They are also called
axis lines because they are analogous to the axis lines on a
graph. After a thorough study of the subject, L.H. Hart
recommended that base lines should be highways and
that railroads, streams, municipal boundaries, and
imaginary lines are unsatisfactory, presumably because
people generally expect them to be thoroughfares.'
Base lines should bear a suitable relationship to the
growth of the area, which means they should cross as
close to the center of the area as possible to allow for
growth in all directions. Base lines are the starting point
for a numbering system.
Grid Lines. Grid lines are imaginary lines constructed
perpendicular and parallel to base lines. These lines indi-
cate the point where block numbers change from one
hundred to the next higher hundred. Grid lines should
follow the general direction of existing streets when possi-
ble and should run down the center line of the streets.
They can be extended into undeveloped areas to dictate
the placement of new streets. Grid lines are used to stan-
dardize the numbering of parallel blocks at the same dis-
tance from the base lines.
Block Intervals. The hundred -number interval, called the
block interval, is the distance between grid lines, or the
point when the next higher hundred number is used. This
interval may be based on a multiple of frontage units (de-
fined below), or on the distance between existing major
streets, if they are fairly regularly spaced.
Frontage Units. A frontage unit is a standard interval
in front footage used to assign consecutive property num-
bers on a street, beginning from the nearest grid line. Con-
trary to popular belief, the property on a street, not a parti-
cular structure, is given a number. This is because there is
no way of determining how many structures will even-
tually be built on vacant land within a block, and any sys-
tem which attempts to number structures consecutively
does not provide the flexibility to accommodate change.
The number given to the property is determined by the
number of block intervals and frontage units between the
property and the base line. This is explained further in
Chapter 3.
Address Prefixes and Suffixes. Address prefixes are
words preceding a street name and indicating a direction
(e.g., North Lowell St.). Address suffixes are words follow-
ing a street name and indicating either a direction (e.g.,
Lowell St. Northwest) or the type of street (e.g., Carol
Place). The latter is called a thoroughfare designation.
Thoroughfare Designations. Streets are sometimes
ranked by function and size, and each category is as-
signed a specific name suffix (e.g., avenue, boulevard,
way, or place) called thoroughfare designations. Some-
times, these are standardized in a community to provide an
additional locational device as part of the street address.
1. Hart, H.L., "Rules for House Numbering." Offset. January 1955. 1p.
The naming of streets is a seemingly simple task.
However, there are intricacies to be considered before
adopting or revising a street -naming system. Street
names can be labels or tags to identify roads in a munici-
pality. They can also be used as part of a system to facili-
tate finding a particular location. In smaller communities,
names may only function as labels, but in larger jurisdic-
tions they are often used as both labels and locational
aids.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF STREET NAMING
Principle Number 1: Avoid duplication. There should be
no duplication of street names or numbers used as names.
Some communities permit exception to the no duplication
rule when a court or cul-de-sac has the same name as the
street from which it originates. Likewise, our earlier PAS
report indicated that place is sometimes used to designate
a minor street closely associated with a major street (e.g.,
St. Ann Place might be located a half a block from St. Ann
Street) .2 Using only the suffix place or court to differen-
tiate between the streets is defensible, since such desig-
nations generally connote subsidiary streets. It is pref-
erable not to differentiate the same name by a suffix such
as street or avenue. For example, Washington Street and
Washington Avenue can be easily confused because
avenue and street both indicate major streets and may
seem synonymous in the public mind.
The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Com-
mission reviewed the duplication of street names in
Racine County and found a significant number of what
they termed critical duplications in street names. This
was defined to mean "duplicated names within the same
fire service area or as continuous streets having multiple
names."a The concept of "critical duplications" is helpful
2. Street -Naming and House -Numbering Systems, Planning Advisory Re-
port No. 13 (Chicago: American Society of Planning Officials, April 1950).
3. Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, A Uniform
Street -Naming and Property -Numbering System for Racine County,
Wisconsin (Waukesha, Wisconsin: 1975), p. 21.
r
when revising a street -naming system because it can be
used to identify the name changes that are most needed.
Principle Number 2: Avoid Confusion. Street names
that sound very similar should be avoided (e.g., Beach and
Peach, Lynwood and Linwood). For example, the Mary-
land -National Capital Park and Planning Commission has
banned prefixes like oak to obviate phonetic duplications.
The reason for avoiding similar or similar -sounding names
is to eliminate diction problems when people are reporting
street names under stress.
Principle Number 3: Establish Continuity. A street
running in one direction should have one name only and
should have the same name throughout its entire length.
However, if a street jogs sharply for a substantial
distance, the portion of the street running in a dif-
ferent direction is often given another name. A com-
munity should set up criteria to determine when a street
will be renamed because of variations in direction and
when the name will remain the same. The angle of
deviation and the distance for which it continues at
that angle are used to determine when a change is re-
quired. Some
e-quired.'Some reports reviewed use 60 degrees or 45 de-
grees for the angle of deviation which requires a name
change. These reports variously recommend separate
names if streets continue for 500,400, 100, or 60 feet after
the angle in the new direction. The standard for the angle
and distance along the road at that angle which will re-
quire a change is different in different communities; what
is important is setting a standard to determine when
names will be changed and when they remain the same.
A policy should also be established on handling per-
manent voids. Some communities assign different names
to streets broken by intervening land uses that are un-
likely to be connected in the future, such as streets not
continued across a stream or railroad track. This is jus-
tified by the argument that because emergency vehicles
might go to a section of the street that did not go through
to the address given, they might be delayed in reaching
their destination. However, the general consensus seems
to be that the same name should be used regardless of
permanent voids, in the interest of preserving continuity,
(See Figure 1)
STREET NAMES THEMSELVES
Due to the subjectivity of street naming, the names a
municipality chooses can give local color and historical
perspective to a community. While streets are some-
times named for physical and political features to facili-
tate location (as will be discussed later in the chapter),
they are also sometimes named at random. Especially in
new subdivisions, it is not infrequent for a developer to
name streets after relatives. According to a recent build-
ing trade publication, one enterprising homebuilder moti-
vated his employees by naming streets after them in the
housing developments they built., It is not easy to select
names, particularly in large cities. When PAS Report No.
13, Street Naming and House Numbering, was done in
1950, the city of London was reported to have 5,350 street
names; Paris, 1,628; New York, 5,003; Philadelphia, 1,914;
4. "Scaffold and Knee -Board Talk," Plasterer and Cement Mason, vol. 69,
no. 12 (December 1975), p. 8.
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Baltimore, 3,923; Cleveland, 2,199 Detroit, 2,262; a
Chicago, 1,360,
Detroit ' 2,262' a
ri I names wh
Care should be taken to maintain historical names wh
possible, both to preserve local history and to preve
objections from civic and historical societies. Accordi
to a 1965 report.' Eure
ing policy in this regard; if historical names have to
o
eliminated, those names have top priornity for use wh
new streets are dedicated.
STREET NUMBERS AS STREET NAMES
There is considerable difference of opinion as to the
merits of named streets (e.g., Main Street) versus streets
with numbers as names (e.g., 72nd Street). It is frequently
said that named streets are more difficult to find than
streets named with numbers because the numbers are in
an expected sequence and can denote distance (an
example of their use as a locational aid). Developers typi-
cally feel that there is a greater sales appeal for houses on
named streets, particularly those with romantic or rustic
names. For example, a home purchaser might prefer living
on Briarcliff Lane rather than on 63rd Street. Streets
named with numbers are also sometimes difficult to
handle when fringe development occurs at a distance from
existing development; the planning agency must de-
termine how many streets may be constructed between
the last street and the new street to be named with a
number.
If streets are to be named with numbers, it is important
that the streets with numbers as names correspond with
the address numbers in hundred blocks. For example,
house numbers along 82nd Street should be in the 8200
block. (Problems that arise when the numbers do not cor-
respond are discussed in Chapter 3.) In a large city,
streets named with numbers can sometimes lead to mis-
understanding and confusion. One report recommended
that cities not give number designations to both north -
south and east -west streets, since "North First Street,
South First Street, East First Street, and West First
Street are entirely too many First Streets for the average
citizen to keep straight." However, the coordinate or
Lyman system discussed later in this chapter is designed
around the complete use of streets named with numbers.
The use of number designations for streets running in one
direction and names in the opposite direction is common-
place.
PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES USED WITH STREET
NAMES
According to the jargon of the literature, an address
prefix is a word which precedes a street name and an
address suffix is a word which follows a street name. Pre-
fixes are almost always directional, while suffixes indicate
both direction and thoroughfare designations.
In several of the street -naming and property -number-
ing systems to be discussed, directional prefixes and
suffixes designate both the direction in which the street
runs and the general geographic area in which it is
located. For example, King County, Washington, uses
5. Eureka, California, Planning Commission, Master Plan: Street Naming
and Numbering. (1965.) 23 pp.
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Baltimore, 3,923; Cleveland, 2,199 Detroit, 2,262; a
Chicago, 1,360,
Detroit ' 2,262' a
ri I names wh
Care should be taken to maintain historical names wh
possible, both to preserve local history and to preve
objections from civic and historical societies. Accordi
to a 1965 report.' Eure
ing policy in this regard; if historical names have to
o
eliminated, those names have top priornity for use wh
new streets are dedicated.
STREET NUMBERS AS STREET NAMES
There is considerable difference of opinion as to the
merits of named streets (e.g., Main Street) versus streets
with numbers as names (e.g., 72nd Street). It is frequently
said that named streets are more difficult to find than
streets named with numbers because the numbers are in
an expected sequence and can denote distance (an
example of their use as a locational aid). Developers typi-
cally feel that there is a greater sales appeal for houses on
named streets, particularly those with romantic or rustic
names. For example, a home purchaser might prefer living
on Briarcliff Lane rather than on 63rd Street. Streets
named with numbers are also sometimes difficult to
handle when fringe development occurs at a distance from
existing development; the planning agency must de-
termine how many streets may be constructed between
the last street and the new street to be named with a
number.
If streets are to be named with numbers, it is important
that the streets with numbers as names correspond with
the address numbers in hundred blocks. For example,
house numbers along 82nd Street should be in the 8200
block. (Problems that arise when the numbers do not cor-
respond are discussed in Chapter 3.) In a large city,
streets named with numbers can sometimes lead to mis-
understanding and confusion. One report recommended
that cities not give number designations to both north -
south and east -west streets, since "North First Street,
South First Street, East First Street, and West First
Street are entirely too many First Streets for the average
citizen to keep straight." However, the coordinate or
Lyman system discussed later in this chapter is designed
around the complete use of streets named with numbers.
The use of number designations for streets running in one
direction and names in the opposite direction is common-
place.
PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES USED WITH STREET
NAMES
According to the jargon of the literature, an address
prefix is a word which precedes a street name and an
address suffix is a word which follows a street name. Pre-
fixes are almost always directional, while suffixes indicate
both direction and thoroughfare designations.
In several of the street -naming and property -number-
ing systems to be discussed, directional prefixes and
suffixes designate both the direction in which the street
runs and the general geographic area in which it is
located. For example, King County, Washington, uses
5. Eureka, California, Planning Commission, Master Plan: Street Naming
and Numbering. (1965.) 23 pp.
geographical prefixes or suffixes to indicate direction; in
that system, directional suffixes follow a street name (e.g.,
120 Place, N.E.) and indicate a north -south road, while di-
rectional prefixes indicate an east -west road (e.g., N.E.
200 Place). In order for this to be helpful, rather than con-
fusing to citizens, this distinction would have to be widely
publicized. In other systems, such prefixes and suffixes are
used to denote quadrants of a geographical area and not
direction of a street in relation to a base line.
Postal service officials differ as to preferences for suf-
fixes or prefixes; one representative of the Postal Service
in Washington contended that suffixes are much more
likely to be dropped than prefixes and that prefixes
should be preferred. An article in American City,' how-
ever, suggests that directional suffixes—which allow
streets to be filed alphabetically—are to be preferred over
directional prefixes. The typical method of assuring uni-
form assignment of thoroughfare designations is through
a check in the subdivision review process, but, in at least
one community, suffixes are assigned by the Police De-
partment to achieve this objective. If property numbers
radiate from the base intersecting streets and there are a
lot of through streets, it is easier to locate streets having
directional suffixes.
STREET NAMES AS LOCATIONAL DEVICES
There are a number of ways of naming streets systema-
tically to facilitate locating a particular street in a com-
munity. The use of names based on existing physical or
political features is the simplest example of this mecha-
nism. The methods to be discussed in this chapter are:
thoroughfare designations, theme names, alphabetical se-
quencing, the quadrant system, and the coordinate or
Lyman system.
THOROUGHFARE DESIGNATIONS
The use of thoroughfare designations as a locational de-
vice is probably the simplest method of street naming. In
such a system, thoroughfares with specific physical char-
acteristics are defined and certain street -name suffixes
are consistently applied. The most common designations
are those _of "street" and "avenue." Historically,
"streets" has been used for east -west thoroughfares and
"avenues" for north -south thoroughfares. Such a system
can be applied regardless of whether names or numbers
treated as names are used. Just this differentiation be-
tween north -south and east -west streets can cut the
search for a location by one-half.
A systematic thoroughfare designation for all types of
roads is a logical extension of the street and avenue sys-
tem used by some communities. (See Figure 2) A standar-
dized list of thoroughfare designations can define the direc-
tion, width, and function of streets. This review
of the literature indicates that there is only some
similarity in the definitions of thoroughfare designations
used by different municipalities. The following is a list of
definitions that have been used in some communities.
Lack of standardization between municipalities is rela-
tively unimportant as long as a uniform designation of
6. Moore, J. Brewer, and Trent, Bruce S., "Street Renaming Is No Cinch,"
American City, August 1962, pp. 82-84.
streets of different types is followed within the same ju-
risdiction. Nevertheless, it would greatly increase the use-
fulness of the designations if they were standardized
throughout the country.
Definitions of Thoroughfare Designations Used by
Various Jurisdictions
Boulevard
A street with a median reflecting the boulevard
character implied in the name. (Same definition
applies to parkways)
A major thoroughfare running in a diagonal direc-
tion, rather than east -west or north -south. It must
connect at least two sections and act as a collector.
Unusually wide thoroughfares in residential sections
with shade trees or shrubbery in the center plat,
and the name can even be used with numbered
thoroughfares. (Same definition for parkways)
A street divided by a landscaped center island and
generally designated by a name, not a number used
as a name.
Courts
Permanently closed streets such as cul-de-sacs.
Dead end rights-of-way under 1,000 feet in length
which run east and west.
A minor street less than 500 feet in length, ending
in a turnaround.
Horseshoe -shaped streets generally designated by
one name throughout their entire length.
Places or courts are all cul-de-sacs or permanent
dead-end roads.
East -west streets less than 1,000 feet in length.
All dead-end streets.
Drives
Winding thoroughfares.
Curving streets longer than 1,000 feet.
Diagonal, curvilinear, or other types of roads not
previously mentioned.
Roads that meander about and continue through
to other rights-of-way.
Secondary facilities that connect with each other.
A curvilinear street of more than 1,000 feet in
length, generally designated by a name.
Highways
Designated state or federal highways. This term
could be used even when a road generally runs
north -south or east -west.
U.S. routes are designated as highways.
Interstate
Roads of the highest order, characterized by limited
F1
access, wide right-of-way, prohibited adjacent to de-
velopment, and with through -traffic preference.
Lanes
Indicate the direction and to some extent the loca-
tion of minor dead-end streets lying between num-
bered thoroughfares.
Reduced rights-of-way branching from courts,
places, or ways.
Curving streets of less than 1,000 feet. An unin-
terrupted street ending in a cul-de-sac and generally
designated by a name.
Secondary roads connecting with each other.
Loops and Circles
Circles could be short streets that return to them-
selves. Loops could be short drives that begin and
end in the same street (as shown in Figure 3)
Circular or semicircular roads.
A circle is a secondary road that begins and circles
back to terminate on the same road.
Circles—loop streets.
A street forming a closed loop, generally designated
by a name.
Parkway (See also boulevard)
A special scenic route or park drive, generally
designated by a name.
Paths
A minor local street running in a diagonal direction,
usually between a north -south "avenue" and an
east -west street; a path may also be a diagonal con-
nector between offset portions of a north -south or
east -west collector thoroughfare.
Pike
State primary -numbered roads.
Place
A cul-de-sac or permanent dead-end road.
FIGURE 3. EXAMPLES OF STREETS THAT MIGHT
HAVE LOOP OR CIRCLE DESIGNATIONS
b
fLOOP
-/C
5r2FET
Dead-end rights-of-way under 1,000 feet in length,
running north and south.
North -south streets less than 1,000 feet in length.
Permanently closed dead-end streets.
Short streets parallel to the grid pattern or in be-
tween the regular grid streets.
A short curvilinear or diagonal street generally
designated by a name.
Indicates the direction and to some extent the loca-
tion of minor or dead-end streets lying between
numbered thoroughfares.
Roads
Limited thoroughfares that are frequently used,
have heavy traffic volume, and run in any direction.
Thoroughfares running at oblique angles to the grid
pattern.
Secondary facilities connecting with a U.S. or state
primary highway.
Diagonals longer than 1,000 feet and designated by
a name.
Diagonal streets.
Streets and Avenues'
Streets run north and south and avenues run east
and west, but this may be reversed.
Streets are roads that generally run in an east -west
direction, avenues are roads that basically have a
north -south orientation.
Avenue—a thoroughfare running principally in a
north -south direction and usually terminating at an
east -west street. Street—a thoroughfare running
principally in an east -west direction and usually
terminating at a north -south avenue.
Avenues run east and west; roads run north and
south.
Street and avenue designations are reversgd for use
in incorporated places with a grid pattern.
Streets are north -south roads longer than 1,000 feet;
avenues are east -west roads longer than 1,000 feet.
Trails
A diagonal local street serving as a collector for one
or more local thoroughfares.
All curvilinear streets.
Ways
Dead-end rights-of-way under 1,000 feet running at
oblique angles to the four points of the compass.
A minor street that changes direction or begins and
ends on the same thoroughfare.
Diagonal streets less than 1,000 feet in length.
7. According to "The Science of Street Names" [editorial, American City,
November 1960, p. 7.[, the unwritten rule when using the grid system was
that streets ran east and west, avenues north and south. A basic principle
is that streets and avenues run in different directions.
The use of thoroughfare designations alone to facilitate
locational access will probably be inadequate in all but the
smallest communities. It is too general to enable people to
locate streets easily and quickly in large cities. The street
and avenue system, because it is generally based on com-
pass directions, depends on a grid pattern of streets.
Using an expanded list of thoroughfare designations with
standardized application will extend the benefits of a
street and avenue type of system into areas with cur-
vilinear streets. Nevertheless, for most communities,
these devices by themselves will probably be inadequate.
THEME NAMES AND ALPHABETICAL SEQUENCING
Naming streets around themes to designate different
sections of a community is another way of making a street
name a locational device. Some themes that have been
used in other communities are presidents, famous per-
sons, trees, natural features, authors, politicians, martyrs
or saints, states, animals, inanimate objects, flowers, and
first names.
Another widely used method of street naming is that of
alphabetical sequencing. In such a system, naming
streets in alphabetical order by first letter facilitates
locating a street in relation to others. (See Figure 4) The
U.S. Postal Service prefers that streets be named in an al-
phabetical sequence when possible.' It is not uncommon
to combine theme names with alphabetical sequencing.
For example, the east half of Dakota County, Minnesota,
uses proper names, while the west half uses the names of
places or things, each in alphabetical order.
The use of themes and alphabetical sequencing can
limit the system in certain ways. For instance, if presi-
dents or states were used in a section in a particular order,
once the last state or president's name has been used, the
system does not allow for expansion. If states were used
in alphabetical order, it would be impossible to expand in
the opposite direction, starting at the name of the first
state used. Tulsa, Oklahoma, for instance, used alpha-
betical sequencing until the last letter was reached and
then changed to a numerical system.
NEIGHBORHOOD UNIT SYSTEM
This is one variation of the use of theme names and
alphabetical sequencing. While irregular street design in
new subdivisions enhances the aesthetic quality of the de-
velopment and provides for pedestrian safety, it makes
the easily negotiated grid system of street naming inap-
plicable and the decimal numbering of houses impossible.
Thus, new street -naming systems need to be applied in
subdivisions laid out in curvilinear patterns or wherever
streets do not form a rectilinear pattern due to topog-
raphy. The neighborhood unit system is designed to apply
in this situation.
In the neighborhood unit system, sections of a develop-
ment are named for local landmarks, historical events, or
themes. For example, a section of a subdivision might be
called Fountain View because it had a large fountain at its
center. The basic principle of the neighborhood unit
8. U.S. Postal Service, Economic Analysis Division, Finance Department,
New Towns and the U.S. Postal Service: Some Guidelines for Postal Offi-
cials and New Town Developers. (Washington, D.C.: 1975), 100 pp.
h h h h n n h
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FIGURE 4. ALPHABETICAL SEQUENCING OF STREET
NAMES
system is that major collector streets in the section are
named for the theme, and then all arterials feeding into
that street are given names related to the theme or begin-
ning with the same letter as the theme, usually arranged
in alphabetical order. In new parts of Columbia, Mary-
land, the main streets are named after authors and the
arterials are named after the author's works. For instance,
"Evangeline Way" is found in the Longfellow neighbor-
hood of the development. (See Figure 5) Thoroughfares
FIGURE 5. THEME NAMES FOR STREETS IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD
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FIGURE 6. ALFH"k 1'1UAL bkNtJEN ;1NV ANu
THOROUGHFARE DESIGNATIONS
Minor streets are named differently than major streets in this
example.
can still be classified according to a hierarchy of types
(such as street, avenue, trail, and so forth), so that the
thoroughfare designation will signify whether it is a
major or minor street.
There is some disagreement in the literature about
whether to distinguish circular or loop streets with
separate names or to use the same name with a minor
thoroughfare designation. (Compare Figure 6 with Fi-
gure 7, Dixie Lane off Delaware Avenue versus Conrad
Court off Conrad Drive.) As mentioned earlier, this is per -
FIGURE 7. MINOR STREETS DISTINGUISHED FROM
MAJOR STREETS BY THOROUGHFARE DESIGNATIONS
ONLY
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missible when the thoroughfare designation denotes a
subsidiary street. Sometimes minor side streets such as
courts or places are also named in alphabetical order.
There are several limitations of the neighborhood unit
system. The most obvious is that this method of street
naming does not facilitate locating streets as easily as
those laid out in a grid pattern. Second, using alphabetical
sequencing requires more streets with similar names that
are difficult to distinguish at night and are more easily
confused. For example, in Bowie -Blair, Maryland, there
are streets named Keyberry Lane, Keynote Lane, Keyport
Lane, and Keystone Lane, or Lyle Lane, Lyn Place, and
Lyric Place, or Corbett Place or Corbin Place. Neverthe-
less, for areas with curvilinear streets, there are few alter-
native methods of systematically naming streets.
QUADRANT SYSTEM
A quadrant street -naming system depends on the use
of base lines to divide the municipality into sections, which
are identified by the nearest appropriate compass desig-
nation. In this system, a directional suffix or prefix is
used with the street name to indicate the quadrant loca-
tion of the street in question. Sometimes quadrants are
north, south, east, and west; other times they are desig-
nated northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. (See
Figure 8) In some systems, the directional prefixes or suf-
fixes do not indicate the direction of the street with respect
to ' base lines, but only quadrant location. Washington,
D.C., is a familiar example of the quadrant system. The
axes intersect at the Capitol Building- North Capitol and.
South Capitol Streets form one axis while East Capitol and
a line due west to the Washington Monument form the
other axis.
The decision about a central reference point and base
lines should be, in part, based on natural or topographical
divisions of a community. For example, a section of the
community known as the south side should be in one of
the south quadrants. If there are distant topographical
divisions not connected by bridges and roads, it may be ad-
visable to use more than four divisions. For example in a
system suggested for Augusta County, Virginia, the
quadrant is combined with the classification of thorough-
fares and used in sparsely settled rural areas. The system
divided the county into eight sectors, four quadrants, and
four subquadrants. The number of quadrants can also be
reduced if there are natural barriers such as a river which
precludes growth in that direction.
This system is sometimes combined with elements of
the thoroughfare designation and alphabetical naming of
streets to provide better locational information in a street
address. For example, 340 Elm Avenue, N.E., suggests
that the house is located on a north -south road (indicated
by the word avenue), in. the northeast quadrant (indi-
cated by the N.E. suffix), a little more than three blocks
east of the base line running north and south (indicated by
the 340). When streets with numbers as names are used in
such a system, the location of the road with respect to one
base line is given by the number name of the street and
the relation to the other base line is given by the house
number. For example, 340 Fourth Avenue, N.W., sug-
gests that the house is three blocks from the north -south
base line and four blocks from the east -west base line in
the northwest quadrant.
The advantages of the quadrant system are that the
system, whether in combination with the thoroughfare
designations or not, has the flexibility to accommodate
future growth. This system provides some assistance in
the finding of either diagonal or curved streets because of
the directional prefix or suffix used with the address. The
quadrant system in combination with other mechanisms
is frequently employed in larger geographic areas, such as
counties. The use of names alphabetically in one direction
and numbers in the other would permit the use of prefixes
only, such as N. Linden Avenue, and the numbered
streets can then be simply E. Fifth Street; one can still tell
the part of the community and distance from the baseline
with those addresses. While providing more locational in-
formation than a simple street and avenue system, the
quadrant system alone is still rather general for dense ur-
ban areas.
COORDINATE OR LYMAN SYSTEM
The coordinate or Lyman system is based on the same
principle used to locate coordinate points on a graph. It
was developed by Richard E. Lyman, a civil engineer from
Salt Lake City, and makes it easier to find street
addresses without a map. The system is used in Salt Lake
City and County, Saint George, Utah, and Seattle, Wash-
ington. It is a complicated system for the average citizen
to understand, but it provides good locational informa-
tion.
This system requires a grid, with base -line streets di-
viding the city into east, west, north, and south portions.
The base lines are named, and all other streets are given
numbers as names with directional suffixes making up
part of the names, according to their distance and direc-
tion from two axes. They are numbered in 100's-100 for
each block away for the two axes (e.g., 500 North Street
and 300 South Street). Streets parallel to and north of the
east -west base lines are given the direction North; streets
parallel to and south of that base line are given the desig-
nation South. In a similar manner, East and West desig-
nations are given to streets parallel to the north -south
base line. Thus, a street that dosses the north -south base line
FIGURE & THE QUANDRANT SYSTEM OF STREET
NAMING
and runs two blocks south of the other base line is 200
South Street, and a street running parallel to and 20
blocks east of the north=south base line is 200 East Street.
A house at the intersection of these two streets would be
200 South, 200 East Street. Figure 9 shows how the Lyman
system might be used.
The road number and the building number are both
used to locate an address. The number of the road which
intersects nearest a specific location will give the first
part of a building number in the area; e.g., to find 33393
Road 160, one would follow Road 160 past Avenue 332 for
1/4 of a mile (if there were 200 numbers per 1/4 mile.( Simi-
larly, the first part of a building number will indicate
approximately the road number of an intersecting street
in the vicinity. The last two figures in a building number
show the location of a building between two successive
number -named roads. Thus, the address 2468 Avenue 35
is located between Road 24 and Road 25. While in the
quadrant system, directional suffixes are used to indicate
quadrant location of the address, the Lyman system
makes the distance from the baseline and direction of the
FIGURE 9. THE COORDINATE OR LYMAN SYSTEM
t
100 NORTH STREET
I
0 EAST STREET
I
p I 100 SOUTH STREET
I
BASELINES, I�=STRE
STREOUTH 200 EAST
s 200 SOUTH 8
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FIGURE & THE QUANDRANT SYSTEM OF STREET
NAMING
and runs two blocks south of the other base line is 200
South Street, and a street running parallel to and 20
blocks east of the north=south base line is 200 East Street.
A house at the intersection of these two streets would be
200 South, 200 East Street. Figure 9 shows how the Lyman
system might be used.
The road number and the building number are both
used to locate an address. The number of the road which
intersects nearest a specific location will give the first
part of a building number in the area; e.g., to find 33393
Road 160, one would follow Road 160 past Avenue 332 for
1/4 of a mile (if there were 200 numbers per 1/4 mile.( Simi-
larly, the first part of a building number will indicate
approximately the road number of an intersecting street
in the vicinity. The last two figures in a building number
show the location of a building between two successive
number -named roads. Thus, the address 2468 Avenue 35
is located between Road 24 and Road 25. While in the
quadrant system, directional suffixes are used to indicate
quadrant location of the address, the Lyman system
makes the distance from the baseline and direction of the
FIGURE 9. THE COORDINATE OR LYMAN SYSTEM
t
100 NORTH STREET
I
0 EAST STREET
I
p I 100 SOUTH STREET
I
BASELINES, I�=STRE
STREOUTH 200 EAST
s 200 SOUTH 8
street (as indicated by a directional suffix or prefix) the
name of the street itself.
Curving diagonal, short, and narrow streets can be inte-
grated into this system. Figure 10 shows how this system
can be applied to short streets parallel to the axis, to dia-
gonal streets, and to streets which are curved or horse-
shoe -shaped. In the case of a street like A -B, which is
parallel to one of the axes but not an even hundred in
number, the distance is measured from the side closest to
the axis and the number/name 526 North Street on the A
side—and 525 North Street on the other end because a
house on that end would have an odd number. Thus, this
street can be found, just like a house with that number,
from either street. A diagonal, such as C -D in the Mustra-
tion, is treated like a north -south or east -west street,
whichever its angle is more similar to. Since it cuts across
from where a house at 626 would be to a location of 675, it
is given both number/names, one at each end, so that it
can readily be found from both side streets. Residences
would use one name or the other, depending upon which
side street they were closer to. If a diagonal such as C -D
was extended to cut through several blocks, it would re-
ceive a new number/name at each intersection. For major,
long diagonals, a name might be used throughout, with a
number/name shown at each intersection in addition to
10
the regular name, e.g., Main Street (350 E. Street). In the
case of streets that change direction within a block (as E-
F -G in the illustration), portions of the street are given
number/names according to their predominant direction.
In the example, the E -F portion of the streets is con-
sidered to be an east and west street, and it is named 626
North Street, while the F -G section is considered to be
north and south and named 525 West Street. When such a
street forms a horseshoe, beginning and ending on the
same street, both sections would be considered to be
streets running in the same direction and given related
number/names such as 626 North Street and 676 North
Street.
There are several disadvantages to the Lyman sys-
tem. First, it is most workable when streets are laid out on
a rectilinear pattern. Second, when used in a large area,
the street name/numbers can be long, e.g., West 140
North 15250, making it especially difficult for a small
child to remember his address. The system does not func-
tion well over areas with scattered, discontinuous urban
development. When houses are spaced far apart, a per-
son looking for an address loses his frame of reference.
Possibly the system is not extensively used because it
seems so complicated to the average citizen.
A representative of the U.S. Postal Service in Wash -
FIGURE 10. THREE COMMON TYPES OF IRREGULAR STREETS THAT CAN BE
INTEGRATED INTO THE COORDINATE OR LYMAN SYSTEM
i
T_
700 -M -ST
3
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ington, D.C., said that while addresses based on the coor-
dinate system facilitate location, they are not easy for the
Post Office to use. In contrast, a Salt Lake City Post
Office spokesman said that they are pleased with the sys-
tem because it is easy to find addresses. In the Salt Lake
area, there is a reference point in each city in their district
and one reference point for the county. While he admitted
some problems of dropping off suffixes, he said that it was
not a major problem. The Seattle Post Office also agreed
that the system was rather good. A representative men-
tioned that addresses anywhere in the county were easy
to pinpoint. Their office had been represented on the
Planning Board when the system was implemented, Thus,
Postal Service authorities are divided on the merits of the
Lyman System, but there do not appear to be strong
objections by those most closely involved.
King County, Washington, in which Seattle is located,
has used a modified coordinate system for some years and
had a number of specific recommendations for refinement.
First, new streets should be given number names cor-
responding to the grid, whether the streets in between are
present or not. For example, if there are no regular streets
between First and Fourth Streets, Fourth should not be
named Second because streets may be put through later.
Their Post Office suggested that similar street names
should not have overlapping house numbers: First
Avenue, N.E., and First Place, N.E., should have
staggered or unduplicated house numbers. King County
does not encourage named streets and uses them only for
wandering roads which have always been known by that
name. In new developments, King County assigns the
property numbers and the street number/name. They per-
mit some regular names if the streets are internal to new
developments and will not affect the outside system. A
matrix in the phone book indicates where the named
streets are located on the grid. If there are three or more
homes off of a main road, the road is designated on the
grid, even if it is private. When wandering streets are not
internal, they must be given number names where they
cross other streets in the grid to facilitate locating an
111111111Q, J: t( 041# R1 Ofl] 1- 01 A LVA".4, I
LYmanlCoordinate System
King County, Washington (Seattle)
City/County
Salt Lake City/County, Utah
City/County
St. George, Utah (used in older part only—
new subdivisions have names)
city
Tippecanoe County, Indiana
County
Quadrant
Fort Worth, Texas
city
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
City/County
Milan, Tennessee
city
Us Lunas, New Mexico
Small City
Haughton, Louisiana
Small City
Munford/Atoka, Tennessee
Two Cities
Fresno, California
County
Lexington/Fayette, Kentucky
City/County
ThemelAlphabetical
Sunnyvale, California
city
Columbia, Maryland
city
Dakota County, Minnesota
County
Thoroughfare Designation
Racine County, Wisconsin (plus base line)
County
Haughton, Louisiana (plus street and
avenue)
small city
Dakota County, Minnesota (plus
alphabetical)
County
Eureka, California
Small City
Carrville, Alabama
Small City
Munford/Atoka, Tennessee
Two Cities
Compiled from street -naming and house -numbering reports written for
these communities.
address. Seattle has a similar system to that of King
County.
Different systems have been tried across the country.
Table 1 lists where such systems have been proposed or
used. The choice of whether to use names as locational de-
vices and if so which to use should be based on the de-
sires and topography of the particular jurisdiction.
110
be the same. The size of such an interval might be based
on the minimum lot width in zoning ordinances and block
lengths in subdivision regulations.
METHODS OF ASSIGNING PROPERTY NUMBERS
There are several methods of assigning property num-
bers: 1. the assignment of numbers based on present
property divisions; 2. the use of frontage intervals from a
point of reference (see Figure 11); and 3. the division of
streets into blocks and the assignment of numbers within
blocks. Unique problems with the assignment of numbers
on curvilinear streets, particularly in new subdivisions,
will be considered. Problems in the implementation of
these methods will also be mentioned.
1. Numbers Assigned Based on Existing Property Di-
visions. The simplest method of assigning numbers is to
begin at one end of a street and assign them as the prop-
erties are divided at present. While easy to implement,
this method can cause problems later if the properties are
subdivided further or if several buildings are built on the
same piece of property. There are two methods of
handling these problems. The first is to use subnumbers,
such as 127 112 or 127 A, 127 B. The second method is to
renumber the entire street from beginning to end—a
method often opposed by property owners and one which
causes general confusion in the transition. A variation of
this method is to assign the corner lot numbers based on
frontage intervals from the nearest axis (the next method
to be discussed), and to assign lots between the corners in
a block the house numbers based on the present divisions
of property. (In such a system, if renumbering due to later
subdivision is required, the inconvenience is confined to a
single block. The following methods should be preferred
to the use of lot divisions because lots and buildings are
not standard sizes and because they are frequently
changed.
2. Uniform Measurement, Century, or Equal Interval
Numbering. The basic characteristic of the Uniform Mea-
surement System, the Century System, and the Equal
Interval Numbering System is that a frontage interval is
used to assign a progression of numbers to properties,
working out from base lines. Individual buildings, lots,
and blocks are disregarded because they do not have a
standard size. Some of the frontage intervals used in these
three systems are given on the frontage interval chart.
(See Table 2) Each interval point has an odd number on
14
one side of the street and an even number on the other
side of the street. The unit must be small enough to allot a
single number to each building in even the most con-
gested area. The system can be used in both built-up and
rural areas.
In the Uniform Measurement or Equal Interval sys-
tems, grid lines are drawn on a grid overlay, perpendicular
and parallel to base lines at standard intervals. When this
overlay is placed over a map showing building locations,
the number nearest the hypothetical number is assigned
to existing structures. (See Figure 12)
One variant of the Uniform Measurement System is the
Century System, promulgated by R. H. Denman. The
base lines and frontage interval concepts are similar, but
there are no grid lines. Numbers are based on fractions of
a mile, indicating both the distance along the road and the
distance between properties on the road. Numbers are
assigned by attaching a mechanism called an odometer to
the speedometer to indicate the intervals based on dis-
tance of road covered. This odometer can divide street
miles into a hundred units per mile on each side of the
road, making a total of 200 numbers per mile (one number
on each side of the road) or a number approximately every
53 feet on each side of the road.
Jefferson County, Colorado, has a numbering system
based on increments of one -thousandth of a mile, marked
on the road with numbered mileposts. Between the mile-
posts, blocks are defined to be 100 numbers long (e.g., 100,
200, etc.), but they are not marked with signs. Addresses
are then assigned on the basis of ten "blocks," determined
by dividing the footage from the lower numbered mile
marker to the point by 5.28, and adding the prefix de-
termined by the number of the mile on that mile marker.
If the place to be addressed were 3,263 feet from mile
marker 2, for example, 3263 is divided by 5.28, which
equals 618. Adding the 2, the mile marker number, one
ends up with 2618 (or 2617 if on the odd side of the road.)
The advantage of this system is that the address is known
in miles from the central point along the road. (See
Figure 13)
The Uniform Measurement System—and its modffica.
tions—does not require a grid system of streets and is particu- -
lady appropriate for rural areas. But because there is inten-
tionally no relationship of street numbers to physical
blocks, the address of an interior street is not locatable
except by quadrant and distance from a base line. The
FIGURE 11. PROPERTY NUMBERS ASSIGNED TO INTERVALS
PERPENDICULAR. TO THE FRONT ENTRANCE OF STRUCTURES
vaavv.�aa�v n a 14VC L`2L2 i 1\U1V1iS.L'rbll�iU
INTERVAL
The smallest interval between buildings should be chosen as the
base interval to allow a full number to the narrowest building in
the most congested area of a community.
system does provide information on the distance from a
base line. It is less expensive to install in rural areas than
methods that require surveying.
3. Philadelphia Block or Decimal System. According to
the Philadelphia Inquirer, the location of Philadelphia
houses was first designated by relationship to squares, for
example "between Second and Third on Market." Mer-
chants used odd signs to identify the location of their
shops or described them as so many doors from a particu-
lar tavern. When numbers were instituted, there was no
permanent pattern, and a new building often threw off the
existing numbers on a whole street. According to Solomon
Goodman, a postal clerk from Long Island, New York,
whose hobby is street -naming and house -numbering sys-
tems, there are three candidates for originator of the
Philadelphia System. The three men are John McAllister,
Jr., the proprietor of an optical and mathematical instru-
ments business; John F. Mascher, a city councilman; and
Thomas Marsh, both a councilman and a builder. All three
were given credit for originating the numbering system in
obituaries and memorials.
The Philadelphia System was adopted by ordinance on
September 16, 1856. It came into fashion about 1900,
when trolley_.carswere in extensive use. Having 100 num-
bers per block meant that riders could tell which corner
TABLE 3. BLOCK INTERVALS
Interval of Feet
Source Between Grid Lines
Tennessee State Planning Office Manual
600 feet
Carrville, Alabama
500
Montgomery County, Maryland
500 or 600
Prince William County, Virginia
400
Milan Planning Commission, Tennessee
11000
U.S. Postal Service
1,000
12 blocks per mile
440
16 blocks per mile
330
was the closest to their destination. Both pedestrians and
fire companies favored such a scheme. Many United
States cities eventually changed to this system. Accord-
ing to a survey conducted in 1932 by Joseph P. Schwada,
a city engineer from Milwaukee, the block system was the
most commonly used. It has probably declined because
subdivision streets frequently are not laid out on a grid
pattern and because the automobile has resulted in the
judgment of distances by mile rather than by block.
The main characteristics of the block system are that at
each main intersection the numbering begins a new
hundred series (e.g., 1800, 1900, etc.). Addresses interior
FIGURE 13. USE OF THE CENTURY SYSTEM OF
PROPERTY NUMBERING IN JEFFERSON COUNTY,
COLORADO
CJI �U"
SUMMIT COUNTY ROAD
NUMBER 6 ENDS HERE
SUMMIT
6
e 19 COUNTY 17 16
a
20 4 20 21
MILE MARKER NO, 4
I
I
is
20 3 20 xi
30
20 MILE MARKER
NO. 3
2
MILE MARKER
NO 2
END OF FIRST MILE
so
2• 1 MILE MARKER NO. 1, PLACED
si
2� 2•
32 S2 SS
SUMMIT
6
`.
i
COUNTY I
.I
SUMMIT COUNTY ROAD
\ NO. 6 BEGINS
15
1 810 I 812 1 820 1840 1850 I 876 I I 940
FIGURE 14. THE BLOCK SYSTEM, WITH DECIMAL NUMBERING
WITHIN EACH BLOCK
to that block are within that hundred series (1802, 1945,
etc.), which means there are 100 numbers available per
block. Numbers are assigned by existing lot divisions or
by frontage units. The former method causes problems
because neither the lots nor the blocks are standard sizes.
This might result in one street having 100 numbers while
a parallel street one block away might have numbers in
the 800'x. The use of the block concept does not neces-
sarily imply the application of a grid overlay to assure
uniformity of numbers on parallel streets and to provide a
point of reference, but it is clearly advisable to use one.
Table 3 gives typical block intervals.
In the decimal version of the block system, the block
interval has 100 numbers, and it is divided into 50 equal
spaces, regardless of the length of the spaces, with one
number allotted to each space. Thus, numbers ending in
50 would always be at the middle of the block. The ad-
vantage of such a system is that numbers are assigned
proportionally to a larger interval and more numbers are
usually available at each interval than can be used. Blocks
of uneven size can thus be accommodated; however, this
might result in some inconsistency of numbers between
blocks. (See Figure 14)
The problem of fitting a grid overlay on the existing
FIGURE 15. NUMBERING CURVILINEAR STREETS
USING THE BLOCK SYSTEM IN DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
16
street layout is one of the major difficulties in using a
block system with grid overlay. Invariably cities have
diagonal, discontinuous, curved, and looped streets that
are not in conformance with a standardized network of
imaginary grid lines. In some cases, even the base lines
are not straight or perpendicular to each other because of
topographical features or man-made facilities such as
roads. There are several general rules to follow when using
a grid overlay:
1. The grid should conform to the base lines, even
if they are slightly crooked; grid lines can be
evened out further away from base lines.
2. The intersections of grid lines should conform as
closely as possible to the intersections of exist-
ing streets so that a traveler can observe a dis-
tinct change, for instance, from a 500 block to a
600 block. Nevertheless, divide a long block be-
tween two streets at a grid line, even though
there is no intersection at that point.
3. Skip over or omit minor streets when the grid
does not dictate a new block.
4. Try to maintain a fairly constant block interval
between grid lines, such as 12 or 16 blocks per
mile. The general pattern is to have 12 blocks per
mile.
When subdivision occurs within the existing grid, read -
adjustments of the grid line may be needed. If blocks are
based on an existing street pattern rather than on stan-
dardized intervals, the distance from the axis is known in
blocks rather than feet. The grid overlay is only a ref-
erence point; its principal purpose is to determine a range
of numbers on a particular portion of land in relation to
the principal street of access.
There are many examples in the literature of the prob-
lem of hundred blocks not relating to the building num-
bers on that block. To find the location of a house number
on avenues of Manhattan in New York City, one cancels
the last figure of the number, divides the remainder by
two, and adds a given key number. For example, to locate
596 Seventh Avenue, divide 59 by two, which equals 30.
You add 12 (the key number in this instance) and you have
42nd Street. But as the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine
suggests, by the time a person figures out the address, the
homeowner may have moved. Thus, if number names are
used, property numbers should correspond to the hundred
numbers.
There are several advantages to the use of the block
system with a grid. First, such a system can be employed
by superimposing the grid over the land to be subdivided
if the streets are not cut through. Second, the system is
especially convenient when streets have number names
designating the appropriate hundred block in which prop-
erties are numbered (e.g., 1804 being between Eighteenth
and Nineteenth Avenues). Third, it requires that the
same numbers be assigned on parallel streets and thus
satisfies the principle of comparability. Fourth, some
curved streets can be accommodated. Finally, because
there are usually left -over numbers with each block, any
shifting can be taken care of without changing the num-
bers beyond that one block.
CURVILINEAR STREETS WITHIN THE BLOCK
SYSTEM
The block method of house numbering just discussed is
based primarily on a street layout of perpendicular and
parallel streets. Frequently, in new subdivisions or in
areas of varied topography, the use of such a system is not
possible. A 1953 article in Public Works suggests the
following method for accommodating the block system
with grid lines to curving streets. Grid lines are numbered
outward consecutively from the axis parallel to them. Any
house numbers to be assigned within a given square are
designated within the 100 block of the side nearest to the
axis which most nearly parallels the street. When a street
crosses a grid square, one jumps to the next hundred
number. On diagonals, house numbers are continuous. If a
street winds enough to exceed 100 times one-half the
frontage unit, special provisions for longer units or for
subnumbers are made. Such a system indicates distance
from the axis opposite of the street to the given square.
In Dakota County, Minnesota, the planning depart-
ment has determined that in curvilinear subdivisions
where streets vary from the house -numbering grid, num-
bers should be taken from the axis that is most nearly at a
right angle to the principle direction of the thoroughfare.
(See Figure 15) Small adjustments in the size of the
intervals may be necessary so that comparable num-
bers are on parallel streets. For example, in one block the
house numbers may increase by tens, while in the next
block, they may increase by 20 or 30. This county also
coordinates thoroughfare designations with house num-
bers, for example, requiring that structures on "Boule-
vards," "Trails," or "Paths" be numbered from the
north/south axis, despite directional changes.
M
Chapter 4. Assigning Numbers to
Individual Properties
When assigning numbers, start at the grid or base line
and allow hypothetical numbers for each frontage inter-
val. Do not skip across streets, turnpikes, utility ease-
ments, railroads, streams, etc., because if time brings
change, there will be numbers available to assign. (But
vacant property is not to be assigned a number until there
is something built upon it.) The interval number closest to
a line perpendicular to the front entrance is the one
assigned. Sometimes it is necessary to determine what
future extensions may be planned for existing streets and
determine the most logical method of numbering.
ODD AND EVEN NUMBERS
Odd numbers are assigned to buildings on one side of
the street and even numbers to those on the opposite side.
The general rule is that even numbers are used on the
north and east sides of streets and the south and west
sides of streets are given odd numbers. However, this is
not universal.
Our earlier PAS report was critical of systems that
assigned even numbers to the right sides of a street as one
left a courthouse or the city square because these systems
leave a newcomer to the city wondering where the public
square is in relation to his position at any one time. De-
termining that odd and even numbers are on particular
streets based on their directional orientation means that
they are always on the same side of the street, regardless
of what part of the city one is in or regardless of the loca-
tion of the central business district.
Another system is to assign even numbers to the left-
hand side of the street in the direction of increase and odd
numbers to the right-hand side of the street in the direc-
tion of increase. Nevertheless, the use of even and odd
numbers, based on directional orientation of streets, is
preferred by most jurisdictions.
APARTMENTS AND CONDOMINIUMS
Separate internal units of condominiums and apart-
ments should be designated with sub -numbers or letters,
not individual property numbers.
FIGURE 16. STREET NAME SHOULD CHANGE WHEN THE STREET SHIFTS DIRECTION
FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE AND ANGLE
Below, B is preferred over A because the prefix "North" is added to distinguish the shift.
A =
r..
B
................... .............. .........................�.,,,.�. : • R
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Z 708 0 t LLOO R 708
z:
lad x 7b6
os l
lo= 7C¢ J MARDI NQ ROAD
wu
s......v....................................�;;�.,........Qr .,��................... �, cd.
•---� �+
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18
X901 9531 1001
0
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913 953 1001
0
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931
-931 9.5.4 10-01
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m
F 1UURE 17. STREET NUMBERING BEGINS AT
BASELINE SO PROPERTIES AT THE SAME LATITUDE
CAN BE NUMBERED CONSISTENTLY
BUSINESS DISTRICTS
In a business district, each door should have its own
number.
NUMBERING WHEN THE STREETS CHANGE
DIRECTION
As a general rule, if a street changes direction dras-
tically and for a substantial length, the numbering should
be changed to reflect the orientation with a different base
line. The same criteria which is set up to determine when
FIGURE 18. STREETS NOT EXTENDED TO BASE LINE
SHOULD BE NUMBERED AS IF THEY WERE
to change street names should be used to decide whether
to use numbering from the east -west or north -south axis.
(See Figure 16)
STREETS STARTING FROM DIFFERENT POINTS
ON THE SAME CROSS STREET
When a street does not begin at the same location as a
parallel street, the numbers should begin with the same
number measured from the base line as on the parallel
street. See Figure 17 for an example of such a determina-
tion of the numbering. Likewise, buildings facing streets
that do not extend to the base line at present are assigned
numbers as if they were extended. (See Figure 18)
riuvnr:ia. lIMUr;JJIAliVINAIbr ATHENUMBEHEll1N
ACCORDANCE WITH EITHER THE EASTf WEST OR
NORTIUSOUTH SERIES
The community may decide; otherwise, number according to the
predominant direction.
DIAGONAL STREETS
The general principle to apply when numbering diag-
onal streets is to treat the street as either a north -south or
an east -west street if it is not a perfect diagonal. If it is a
perfect diagonal, an arbitrary decision is made to treat it
as a north -south or an east -west street. (See Figure 19)
CORNER LOTS
The general rule to apply when assigning a number to.a
building on a corner lot is to assign a number from the
street upon which the front entrance faces. Dual
addresses should be avoided if at all possible. If a corner
building has two entrances which both look like front en-
trances, the decision is based on the general site layout.
On the other hand, if the direction a corner structure is
facing is indeterminate, one should consider the street
from which the number would be most readily identified
as the street upon which the structure faces. Sometimes
the number is assigned on the street that has the shortest
frontage. If it is later determined that the building faces
the opposite street, a new number should be assigned.
GROUP HOUSING PROJECTS/PRIVATE DRIVES
Because of their private drives and interior parking
bays, group housing developments present unique
19
FOURTH LINE W.
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1! 11
FOOTHILL ROAD
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M- QUEEN ROAD w
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CHIPPEWA STREET
to change street names should be used to decide whether
to use numbering from the east -west or north -south axis.
(See Figure 16)
STREETS STARTING FROM DIFFERENT POINTS
ON THE SAME CROSS STREET
When a street does not begin at the same location as a
parallel street, the numbers should begin with the same
number measured from the base line as on the parallel
street. See Figure 17 for an example of such a determina-
tion of the numbering. Likewise, buildings facing streets
that do not extend to the base line at present are assigned
numbers as if they were extended. (See Figure 18)
riuvnr:ia. lIMUr;JJIAliVINAIbr ATHENUMBEHEll1N
ACCORDANCE WITH EITHER THE EASTf WEST OR
NORTIUSOUTH SERIES
The community may decide; otherwise, number according to the
predominant direction.
DIAGONAL STREETS
The general principle to apply when numbering diag-
onal streets is to treat the street as either a north -south or
an east -west street if it is not a perfect diagonal. If it is a
perfect diagonal, an arbitrary decision is made to treat it
as a north -south or an east -west street. (See Figure 19)
CORNER LOTS
The general rule to apply when assigning a number to.a
building on a corner lot is to assign a number from the
street upon which the front entrance faces. Dual
addresses should be avoided if at all possible. If a corner
building has two entrances which both look like front en-
trances, the decision is based on the general site layout.
On the other hand, if the direction a corner structure is
facing is indeterminate, one should consider the street
from which the number would be most readily identified
as the street upon which the structure faces. Sometimes
the number is assigned on the street that has the shortest
frontage. If it is later determined that the building faces
the opposite street, a new number should be assigned.
GROUP HOUSING PROJECTS/PRIVATE DRIVES
Because of their private drives and interior parking
bays, group housing developments present unique
19
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RS FOPO,VT'/Va ST@EE7-
_ ,as Tai
Tel T66
o 0191110A 110M
12F
700 C
FIGURE 20. PROPERTIES IN PARKING BAY NUMBERED
AS IF FRONTING ON THE MAIN STREET
problems to the assignment of street numbers. There are
two methods suggested by the Tennessee State Office of
Planning for handling this problem. The first is to con-
sider all dwelling units or structures facing a parking bay,
private drive, or interior court, as if they were facing upon
the main street to which the driveway connects. The dis-
advantage of such a system is that the numbers on one
side of the street are thrown out of balance with house
numbers on the opposite side of the street from the in-
terior drive. (See Figure 20)
The second method is to assign a number to the prop-
erty where a driveway joins the street; this becomes the
street address of all units which face upon that in-
terior court. (See Figure 21) The separate apartments or
building interior to that would have a subnumber; for ex-
ample, 630 East Woodlawn, Apartment Building D. This
method is superior to the first if the number of buildings
is not large because addresses along both sides of
the street correspond. This method is particularly useful
for assigning numbers in crowded, disorganized, or hap-
hazard development where there are rear dwellings.
Mobile home parks should be treated like other multi-
family developments. The property as a whole should be
assigned one number, and each mobile home should re-
ceive numerical designations such as Lot 1, Lot 2, Lot 3,
in addition to the general number. However, if the
FIGURE 21. PROPERTIES ALONG THE PARKING BAY
ARE ASSIGNED ONE NUMBER AND ALPHABETICAL
DESIGNATIONS
Here, harmonious numbering is possible along the principle
street, in contrast to Figure 20.
`Ir
0
s f
D '
- 4f(
i
cs- a ens
i
Wood 1 awn
- m o
F
,634 Os6
_
A
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GOO E
20
development is a mobile home subdivision, following
normal subdivision regulations on lot sizes and streets;
the properties should be treated as individual residences.
Private drives are not usually considered for numbering
purposes. If access to a business or industrial establish-
ment is not approached on any public street, the address
is assigned using the interval where the drive joins the
street. If the structure's principle access is from the
private drive but is hidden behind other structures or is
located on the interior of the block, the center line of the
driveway is used to assign the number.
DUPLEX BUILDINGS
According to our earlier street -naming report, separate
numbers should be assigned to the entrances of a duplex
house, for an upstairs apartment which has an outside
entrance, for separate buildings in the rear of other build-
ings, and for separate entrances in an apartment building.
If a commercial enterprise that is part of a residence has a
separate entrance from the street, it may also be assigned
a separate number. (See Figure 22)
REAR HOUSES AND BUILDINGS ON
INTERIOR LOTS
For landlocked parcels with rear dwellings, a subordinate
designation can be assigned. Subordinate designations or
partial numbers are used in two forms: the half number,
and the alphabetical suffix. It is preferable to borrow a
number from the next interval rather than to use partial
numbers because half numbers are more difficult to read
and some billing systems are not set up to accommodate
fractions. Numbers are assigned according to the cor-
responding position along the street.
The only exception to a rule that separate entrances
should have separate numbers is if a structure is hidden or
plainly subsidiary or auxiliary in nature to a primary
structure, or when there are two or more entrances to a
separate unit of the same structure. Do not use "R" if
there is more than one rear structure. In all those cases,
only one number should be assigned; only when auxiliary
structures are themselves separate housing units should
they receive separate numbers. -
If there is a rear entrance or a hidden structure, a post
should display the number on the path leading to the en-
trance, even if it is reached through another structure. For
units on alleys or interior malls where there is no access to
a street paralleling the alley, a name is given to the alley
and house numbers are assigned. If there is access from a
parallel street, numbers are assigned from the series on
that street.
In the case of commercial or industrial facilities,
auxiliary buildings would not be assigned separate num-
bers, but the main building—where mail is received and
business is transacted—would receive a building number.
NUMBERING ON CIRCLE STREETS AND
HORSESHOES
Circle streets or horseshoe -shaped streets begin and
end touching the same street. It is advisable in such cases
to ignore compass directions and to give numbers on such
streets to correspond with the numbering on the street
FIGURE 22. NUMBERING DUPLEXES AND MULTIPLE
DWELLINGS
where the circle originated. The even numbers are put on
the inside of the circle and the odd numbers on the out-
side of the circle. (See Figure 24A) There will be more prop-
erties on the outside of the circle than on the inside of the
circle. In such cases, numbers should be assigned in a
regular manner to the side of the street having the great-
est property frontage along the street, using consecutive
odd or even numbers. Numbers should then be assigned
to the aide having the shorter frontage so that these num-
bers correspond with property on the opposite side of the
street. (See Figure 25) In cases like those illustrated in
Figure 24A, the streets should be given names and
numbers if they have three or more houses. It is wise to
avoid duplication of numbers if an auxiliary street using
a different thoroughfare designation carnes the same
name as the main street. The Post Office sometimes ob-
jects to the illogical sequencing of numbers based on how
a mail carrier would normally deliver mail.
In another method, the two halves of the loop are
treated as separate streets, starting from a common street
and ending at the end of the loop. Obviously, this should
only be done where the street's name is distinguished in
some way, even if itis only by the prefix north or south. It
is recommended that corresponding numbers on parallel
segments be offset by two digits to keep them distinct;
for example, 383$ South Bryan Circle and 3840 North
Bryan Circle. (See Figure 24B) Before using any of these
methods, it is important to determine whether this will
be
a permanent circle or whether at some later date both seg-
ments might be extended.
FIGURE 23. NUMBERS FROM THE MAIN STREET ARE
CARRIED
INTO A SMALL DEAD-END CIRCLE
Fl -2067
1204
�o
o
0
1200
104 706 116 118
N.E. 12 TH.
ST.
3051 SOu41 Ja 3021 I 30 300 Y9u91 Eai /
BRYAN
30050 $Oa40 30Q30 i 30❑20 30❑IO 30❑00 Y9❑90 2Y�30
Y 60 2B❑70 2!❑80 2880 2900 29❑i0 2820 Zu
DUPLEX
DUPLEX
MULTIPLE
DWELU NOS
6S
F.
MULTISTORY
f ORREST DR. �e. ,i x , �x ♦sE -�
FIGURE 22. NUMBERING DUPLEXES AND MULTIPLE
DWELLINGS
where the circle originated. The even numbers are put on
the inside of the circle and the odd numbers on the out-
side of the circle. (See Figure 24A) There will be more prop-
erties on the outside of the circle than on the inside of the
circle. In such cases, numbers should be assigned in a
regular manner to the side of the street having the great-
est property frontage along the street, using consecutive
odd or even numbers. Numbers should then be assigned
to the aide having the shorter frontage so that these num-
bers correspond with property on the opposite side of the
street. (See Figure 25) In cases like those illustrated in
Figure 24A, the streets should be given names and
numbers if they have three or more houses. It is wise to
avoid duplication of numbers if an auxiliary street using
a different thoroughfare designation carnes the same
name as the main street. The Post Office sometimes ob-
jects to the illogical sequencing of numbers based on how
a mail carrier would normally deliver mail.
In another method, the two halves of the loop are
treated as separate streets, starting from a common street
and ending at the end of the loop. Obviously, this should
only be done where the street's name is distinguished in
some way, even if itis only by the prefix north or south. It
is recommended that corresponding numbers on parallel
segments be offset by two digits to keep them distinct;
for example, 383$ South Bryan Circle and 3840 North
Bryan Circle. (See Figure 24B) Before using any of these
methods, it is important to determine whether this will
be
a permanent circle or whether at some later date both seg-
ments might be extended.
FIGURE 23. NUMBERS FROM THE MAIN STREET ARE
CARRIED
INTO A SMALL DEAD-END CIRCLE
Fl -2067
1204
�o
o
0
1200
104 706 116 118
N.E. 12 TH.
ST.
3051 SOu41 Ja 3021 I 30 300 Y9u91 Eai /
BRYAN
30050 $Oa40 30Q30 i 30❑20 30❑IO 30❑00 Y9❑90 2Y�30
Y 60 2B❑70 2!❑80 2880 2900 29❑i0 2820 Zu
2610;26YG
I
26''4
2646 Up
2644 powN
r
FIGURE 22. NUMBERING DUPLEXES AND MULTIPLE
DWELLINGS
where the circle originated. The even numbers are put on
the inside of the circle and the odd numbers on the out-
side of the circle. (See Figure 24A) There will be more prop-
erties on the outside of the circle than on the inside of the
circle. In such cases, numbers should be assigned in a
regular manner to the side of the street having the great-
est property frontage along the street, using consecutive
odd or even numbers. Numbers should then be assigned
to the aide having the shorter frontage so that these num-
bers correspond with property on the opposite side of the
street. (See Figure 25) In cases like those illustrated in
Figure 24A, the streets should be given names and
numbers if they have three or more houses. It is wise to
avoid duplication of numbers if an auxiliary street using
a different thoroughfare designation carnes the same
name as the main street. The Post Office sometimes ob-
jects to the illogical sequencing of numbers based on how
a mail carrier would normally deliver mail.
In another method, the two halves of the loop are
treated as separate streets, starting from a common street
and ending at the end of the loop. Obviously, this should
only be done where the street's name is distinguished in
some way, even if itis only by the prefix north or south. It
is recommended that corresponding numbers on parallel
segments be offset by two digits to keep them distinct;
for example, 383$ South Bryan Circle and 3840 North
Bryan Circle. (See Figure 24B) Before using any of these
methods, it is important to determine whether this will
be
a permanent circle or whether at some later date both seg-
ments might be extended.
FIGURE 23. NUMBERS FROM THE MAIN STREET ARE
CARRIED
INTO A SMALL DEAD-END CIRCLE
Fl -2067
1204
�o
o
0
1200
104 706 116 118
N.E. 12 TH.
ST.
3051 SOu41 Ja 3021 I 30 300 Y9u91 Eai /
BRYAN
30050 $Oa40 30Q30 i 30❑20 30❑IO 30❑00 Y9❑90 2Y�30
Y 60 2B❑70 2!❑80 2880 2900 29❑i0 2820 Zu
CIRCLE
28r�61 12071 1 2661 12891 ( 29O01 I 291 I 29�2I 1
29❑31
a❑
�O
12�210]010 01= 3031 302 L30'' 3001 2991 2991 i O
P�
N BRYAN CIRCLE
3030 3040 3030 ' 3020 - 300 3000 2990 2990
3019 3039 3029 L 30.9 3009 2999 2989 2974
3, BRYAN CIRCLE O
ry
3018 3038 3028 3018 3008 2
FIGURE 24. NUMBERINGCUL-DE-SACS
CIRCLE
28r�61 12071 1 2661 12891 ( 29O01 I 291 I 29�2I 1
29❑31
a❑
�O
12�210]010 01= 3031 302 L30'' 3001 2991 2991 i O
P�
N BRYAN CIRCLE
3030 3040 3030 ' 3020 - 300 3000 2990 2990
3019 3039 3029 L 30.9 3009 2999 2989 2974
3, BRYAN CIRCLE O
ry
3018 3038 3028 3018 3008 2
FIGURE 24. NUMBERINGCUL-DE-SACS
L978
998
E988
In A, they are treated as one street, with odd numbers on the
outside of the circle and even numbers on the inside; in B, they
are considered two separate streets, distinguished by prefixes
North and South, on the assumption that the streets maybe
continued at a later date.
While these general principles and rules for numbering
structures provide guidance in constructing a property -
numbering system, it is not possible to develop rules for
all of the problems that will be encountered in perfecting
such a numbering system. Those persons laying out or re-
vising anumbering system will realize quickly that the
existing pattern of streets within a municipality must be
carefully studied, and the problems of separate streets
must be considered in relation to the network of the entire
muncipality before the property -numbering system is
established. It is important to develop a system that is
both logical and constru
cted with common sense.
NUMBERING IN PRINCE
TOWNSHIP, ONTARIO, CANADA -
21
FIGURE 25. CUL-DE-SAC
Chapter 5. Implementing the
New System
It should be the responsibility of the planning agency,
through a delegation by the city council or county ad-
ministrative agency, to coordinate street naming and
house numbering in a jurisdiction. Once a new system is
set up, the ongoing responsibility might be assigned to
another city department to function as the control point
through which new names and numbers must be cleared.
When a jurisdiction avoids such responsibilities, other
users of addresses assign their own numbers. In Virginia
Beach, Virginia, for instance, the new house numbers
were assigned by the power company, the telephone com-
pany, the post office, and the citizen's groups, each to
support its own purposes. A legally adopted system
assures both uniformity and continuity to the street nam-
ing and numbering.
The department with ongoing responsibility for the
system varies with the size of the jurisdiction. It is
usually the building department or city engineer. In some
municipalities, it is the responsibility of the fire depart-
ment. In very small communities, with only a volunteer
fire department, the police department assumes this duty.
When planning and building officials are part-time, the
fire and police departments usually become involved be-
cause they depend on accurate locational identification in
emergency situations. In one community, street names
and house numbers were the responsibility of the City
Beautiful Committee. In another, the city clerk assigns
numbers in response to applications for water meters. Re-
gardless of what city agency assumes ongoing respon-
sibilities, the planning agency should have primary re-
sponsibility for the development of an adequate and effi-
cient system.
In a metropolitan area, a regional agency or council of
governments might develop a comprehensive system, but
it should be formally adopted by individual local gov-
ernments. The Maryland National Capital Park and Plan-
ning Commission is one that has undertaken such re-
gional coordination.
22
STEPS TO ADOPTION
The following is a hypothetical list of steps a jurisdic-
tion would go through to initiate and institute a new
street -naming and property -numbering system.
1. A decision is made to evaluate the adequacy of
present systems.
2. Street names are inventoried and reviewed.
3. Alternative systems should be explored and one
system proposed for adoption.
4. An advisory committee is established to review
the proposal and to handle the transition prob-
lems.
6. A public hearing is held on the proposed system.
6. An ordinance is adopted by all affected juris-
dictions so that the new system will have the
force of law.
7. Budgeting is completed for implementing the
new system.
8. The public is informed through the media of the
proposed changes that are under review.
9. Field measurements are taken of existing prop-
erties to either update a base map or actually
to measure off numbers from a base line and
assign them to structures. In the latter option,
properties are numbered by field staff.
10. The actual physical assignment of the numbers
to the houses is next if a field survey has been
translated into a building line map. Property
owners can be asked to pick up their numbers
from the city or be notified of their new numbers
and be required to install them.
11. Accurate records should be maintained, with
procedures for implementing the new system. A
procedure manual for maintenance of the
system is developed.
12. An enforcement check is made to insure com-
pliance with the new system.
13. Street signs with new names and numbers are
erected by the city.
14. Copies of the new number assignments are sent
to all city departments, the Post Office, the
public utilities, federal, state, and county agen-
cies, the Board of Election Supervisors, and pri-
vate delivery firms.
STAGING
The literature is almost unanimous that street naming
and house numbering should be developed simultaneously
and adopted at one time. In large jurisdictions, it may not
be feasible to assign new names and numbers all at once,
but it is possible to develop a definite schedule stating
when the new names and numbers will be adopted in each
section. Sometimes partial implementation will not work
because of the interdependence of the parts of the overall
system. Failure to enumerate the steps and follow
through on the staging could result in the adoption of in-
correct numbering or naming systems that would in-
validate a comprehensive system. Table 4 gives a sample
staging of the implementation of a uniform street -naming
and house -numbering system over a two-year period in
Prince William County, Virginia. Shasta County, Cali-
fornia, estimated a five-year implementation period. It is
advisable to make all changes in a given section of the
community at one time, rather than changing thorough-
fare designations at one time and street names at a later
date. It is important that enough lead time be given so
that residents and businesses can make appropriate
changes in stationery, labels, advertising, tourist litera-
ture, and the like; the change should also be coordinated
with such things as the printing of new phone books.
AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAY BE
HELPFUL IN DEVISING A SYSTEM
There are many agencies and organizations in the com-
munity which are vitally interested in any revisions in a
street -naming and house -numbering system. A planning
agency can determine if changes are needed by polling
groups listed below to determine whether there is dissatis-
faction with parts of the system. Agencies to contact are:
1. The Post Office.
2. City departments -police, streets, fire, public
works, the city engineer, and the sanitary engi-
neer.
3. County agencies such as the county health de.
partment and assessor.
4. State agencies such as the State Highway or
Transportation Department and the Depart-
ment of Licenses and Permits.
5. Regional offices of federal agencies such as the
Federal Housing Administration,
6. The retailer's association or large department
stores.
7. The Chamber of Commerce or merchants or-
ganizations.
8. Better business associations and businessmen's
associations like Yiwanis and the Rotary.
9. The local private parcel delivery service.
10. The real estate board, the local homebuilder's
TABLE4. THE UNIFORM STREET -NUMBERING
AND NAMING SYSTEM
(Recommended staging, over a two-year period*)
1. May 11, 1967 Set Ordinance for public hearing
(See Appendix B)
2. June 1, 1967
Public Hearing on Ordinance
3. July 6, 1967
Adopt Ordinance to be effective
June 1, 1968
4. July, August 1967
Establish atlas
5. September,
Eliminate duplication of existing
October 1967
street names and name unnamed
streets
6. October 1967
Determine budget needed to oper-
ate summer 1968 parcel -numbering
project
7. November,
Provide Washington Metropolitan
December 1967
Council of Governments with street
names for regional base map
8. January 1968
County base map updated, 3000
scale available from COG
9. February 1968
Apply county grid -numbering sys-
tem to 3000 scale map from COG
10. June 1, 1968
Ordinance becomes effective
11. July 1968, and
New site pians, subdivisions, and
after
zoning permits will be issued num-
bers under new grid system. (Old
numbers not yet changed)
12. July, August 1968
Summer project worker to assign
grid numbers to approximately
30,000 parcels in county
13. September 1968
Establish street number change -
March 1, 1969
over list
14. March 1, 1969
Mail notification of newly assigned
street numbers
15. April 1, 1969
Effective date of all new street
numbers
16. May 1, 1969
Last day of compliance for dis-
playing new house number
17. September 1, 1969
Date post offices cease to deliver to
old street numbers
*Prince William County, Virginia, Planning Commission, On Numbering
Properties and Establishing Street Names, Manassas, Virginia, 1967, pp.
11-12.
23
association, subdividers of large tracts, and title
abstracting firms.
11. The local newspapers.
12. Civic groups.
13. Local utility companies such as phone, power,
electric, and gas.
14. Local medical societies.
15. Village trustees.
16. Councils of governments.
Contrary to practice in some places in the United
States, the U.S. Postal Service should not assign house
numbers. It is the policy of the Postal Service to (1) co-
operate with a municipality's building and planning de-
partments in the numbering of houses, (2) assist in dis-
seminating the information of address changes, and (3)
advise local officials about the duplication of names. Par-
ticularly in new subdivisions, the Postal Service prefers to
meet with the developer, the city, and other affected agen-
cies early in the planning stages to provide assistance
that will ensure government service to the new areas.
Once the problems with existing systems have been
identified, a task force should be set up composed of those
agencies most concerned with the revisions. This group
should be responsible for naming unnamed streets, de-
ciding how to resolve duplications of name, and setting
other policies. Once all streets have official names, this
committee would be disbanded, and all new street naming
and numbering would become the responsibility of the
planning commission or other city department. The city
council or county board might appoint representatives
from city agencies, but other organizations and groups
should be invited to join. The planning department should
act as support staff for the committee or task force, con-
ducting research and writing proposals for consideration
by the task force. Intergovernmental cooperation should
be encouraged, particularly if the area of concern involves
several governmental bodies.
MAPS, STREET -NAME INDEXES, AND RECORDS
An accurate set of records of existing street names and
property numbers that have been used is essential, both
to review changes needed in a present system and to
maintain a new system. Permanent records of these can
be on maps or lists; the latter can be computerized or
manual.
Base Maps
The base map of the area to be considered is necessary
to review the existing system. Sometimes separate base
maps are used for street naming and property numbering
because of the different level of detail necessary. Par-
ticularly in larger jurisdictions, two sizes of base maps
will be needed. The larger size, perhaps 40 by 60 inches,
will be employed to examine thoroughly the overall pat-
tern of streets and to make decisions about where the
point of reference and base lines should be located. Aerial
photographs might be suitable for this initial review.
Sandborn maps, building line maps, or tax maps might be
W
reproduced if they are available. Local and regional trans-
portation planning agencies are often good sources of
maps showing street systems in detail. These maps
should show all street names, water -related information,
and political boundaries. The beginning and end of each
street should be clearly marked. Prints of the smaller
maps will be used in field work and might also be chosen
for the permanent official record.
The exact scale of the base maps used by jurisdictions
which have implemented new systems varies greatly,
from one inch equals 100 feet to one inch equals 1,000 feet
(or one centimeter equals 10 meters). Others have used
scales of one inch equals 200, 400, or 800 feet. If smaller
scale maps are used and areas covered are large, the base
maps frequently are prepared in sections with one inch
overlapping the next section. These are bound in booklet
form with a number in the upper right-hand corner of the
section and a smaller scale index map in the front of each
booklet.
Street Name Master List or Record
A complete inventory of existing street names should
be compiled and maintained, whether on a map or list.
Using a list in alphabetical order facilitates the location of
duplications when new names are proposed.
To identify all existing streets, there are several steps.
First, earlier street maps should be located. Local officials
should also be contacted if the jurisdiction doing the in-
ventory is not a municipality. A field survey might be
undertaken to locate unrecorded streets. The official deed
records in the clerk's or tax assessor's office can be
searched.
After all the streets have been identified, street names
should be put in alphabetical order to identify duplica-
tions and avoid confusion, as well as to help in the assign-
ment of new names. They might also be broken down by
thoroughfare designation (e.g., road, street, circle) if dupli-
cate names are permitted on minor streets. (See Table 5)
Compass directions of each street should be indicated as
should quadrant location, if applicable.
Phoenix, Arizona," has produced such an index by cen-
sus tract as a public document. This publication lists all
the streets alphabetically and gives general information
on the system that is helpful for visitors and newcomers.
It is advisable to distribute a citywide index or maps show-
ing new street names and numbers after revisions have
been made.
Property Number Records
Property numbers can also be stored in a map or in
written form. Similar sources for names can be used to
determine property numbers, and duplicate numbers
might be discovered through a field investigation. Exist-
ing street numbers not shown on the structures and not
obtained in field measurement work are determined from
the records of the engineering department, assessor's
office, local utilities, the phone directory, or city directory.
A sample of written form storage is given in Table 6. Such
11. Phoenix, Arizona, Community Council. Street Index 6y Census Tract
of Municipalities and County Area, Maricopa County, Arizona, (Phoenix:
1960), 93 pp.
a list should specify street names with assigned numbers
as well as final plat lot and block numbers. If the map is
used, each frontage interval number already used is indi-
cated on the map (if one is using an interval or block
system based on frontage units). Subdivision plats are
TABLE 5. STREET -NAME INVENTORY WITH
THOROUGHFARE DESIGNATIONS
Alphabetical Listings of Street Names in
the Town of Waterford
Roads—North- and Sou th-Oriented Thoroughfares
Big Bend
Gale
North River Bay
Buena Park
Halverson
North Tichigan
Burma
Hillside
Pleasant
Caldwell
Honey Creek
Riverside
Contour
Lake View
Scenery
Deer
Loomis
Sunset .
Division
Maple
Town Line
Fox River
Marsh
Washington
Drives—East- and West -Oriented Thoroughfares
Back
Greeley
Miller
Beach
High
. North Lake
Bridge
Hillside
Oak
County Line
Hill Valley
Pleasant
Craig
Janesville
Prospect
East Main
Kramer
Raab
East River Bay
Lakeview
Ranke
Elm Island
Lawn
West Main
Grand
Loland
Wood
Lanes—Dead-End or Non -Through Streets
Apple
Elm Island
Oakhill
Arrow
Empire
Pine
Barne
Field
Pleasant View
Beach
Fir
Point
Beechwood
Forest
Shady
Birth
Forest Isle
Small
Burma
Spruce
Canal
Hickory
rY
Sunny
Cedar
Idlewood
Sunset
Center
Irma
Valley View
Cherry
Ivy
Walnut
Chest
Levin
War Bonnet
Class
Meadow
Waterford
Clearview
Mountain
White Oak
Easy
Mulberry
Willow
Highways—North- and South -Oriented Thoroughfares
New Highway 36 Northwest Highway 83
Courts—Dead-End Streets
Burma or Idlewood Island View
Irma Caley
Circles—Loop Streets
Briarwood Kramer
Canal Loomis
Elm Island Northwest
Gale Poplar
Source. Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, A Uni-
form Street -Naming and Property -Numbering System for Racine County,
Wisconsin, Waukesha, Wisc.. 1975, p. 28.
filed alphabetically with property numbers assigned to
and recorded on each lot. Written storage requires one
Page for each subdivision filed alphabetically with a list-
ing of block and/or lot numbers opposite the assigned
number.
The Indianapolis -Marion County Department of Metro-
politan Development Planning, Division of Planning and
Zoning, uses an addressing grid system which is com-
puterized. This system is part of a file of 51 address maps
at a scale of 400 feet per inch. Base maps with grid lines to
reflect block intervals have been developed. Parcel
boundary lines and street numbers are shown, and new
addresses are assigned from the grid maps. in newly de-
veloped areas such as subdivisions, addresses are
assigned from the Geographic Base File (GBF). De-
velopers are required to furnish the prints of the pre-
liminary site plan and a list of proposed street names. The
street names are reviewed for duplication or similarities to
existing names, and numbers are assigned to the prop-
erties. The GBF, the reserved street list, and Postal Zip
Code are used to prevent duplications. The developer is
then given an approved copy of the address plan for trans-
fer of information to Mylars for plat reproduction. When
subdivision plats are finally approved and recorded, the
address information is coded for updating the Address
Coding Guide master file. When developments with pri-
vate streets are submitted, address plans are developed
for these areas and coded for updating in the GBF file
after permits have been issued for construction. This
Geographic Base File system is based on the original
Census Bureau Address Coding Guide concepts (ACG).
This system was designed, developed, and implemented
TABLE 6. EXAMPLES OF WRITTEN STORAGE SYSTEM
Block Lot Street Name Number
A 1
Hansel Street
313
2
317
3
321
4
325
5
329
A 6
First Avenue
2102
7
2106
A 8
Gretel Street
330
9
326
10
322
11
318
12
314
B 1
Turner Court
2200
2
2204
3
2208
4
2212
5
2209
6
2205
7
2201
Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission, Street
Naming and House Numbering, Carrville, Alabama, Montgomery, 1975, p.
13.
25
by the local planning staff to support the Indianapolis -
Marion County central data processing organization. In
the Indianapolis ACG, there are 45,000 block face records,
which include geocodes for census tracts/blocks, council
districts, traffic zones, neighborhoods, environmental
survey study areas, NDP areas, fire service districts, and
schools districts. An issue of Planners Notebook," pub-
lished by the American Institute of Planners, describes
current use and forecasts the direction anticipated for the
system. Another publication available on this subject is
the agency's Geographic Base File." Sault Ste. Marie and
Area Planning Board also uses a computerized storage of
property numbers.
Montgomery County, Maryland, provides a system of
preserving names for developers that is rather unique.
The approved names are placed on reserve for the de-
veloper for a period of one year. If the name has not been
used within that year, the developer is phoned, and the
name is either reserved again for another year or can-
celled. When the names are used, they are recorded on
plats and then become official. From these plats, the num-
bers are assigned to building permits, and a small check is
placed in the lot indicating that a building permit has
been issued. Until the permit is issued, the house number
can be changed on the plat without notice.
Records of Change
Change sheets—forms with column headings listing
occupant's name, old address, and new address—should
be maintained. Explanatory information at the top of each
sheet should include the name of the street for which the
addresses are listed, the beginning and end point of the
addresses from one intersection to another, and the effec-
tive date of changes. The name and old address are listed
while the field survey is in progress. New street numbers
are recorded when assigned, either in the field or from the
office. These change sheets are grouped in booklets by
quarter section for further action on an area basis. They
might be used for the following purposes: (1) doing
mailings to individual addresses to assign street numbers;
(2) mailing in booklet form to agencies to inform them of
change in official members; (3) to use in checking com-
pliance with street assignments; (4) check -off use by per-
sonnel enforcing street -number assignments; and (5) use
of official record of street -number changes already made.
If a map is used, prints of the map are distributed to all
city departments and other affected agencies.
PROCEDURES FOR THE ACTUAL ASSIGNMENT
OF STREET NUMBERS ON A BLOCK
There are several methods for the assignment of street
numbers. An outside firm might be hired to apply the new
system to the community and to install the numbers. This
eliminates staff pressures on local officials, but, of course,
is expensive. One method of implementing the system is
12. Spaid, Donald, and Wilcox, Bernard W. "The Address Coding Guide:
Indianapolis Develops Geographic Base File Built on ACG." Planners
Notebook, vol. 2, no. 6, (December 1972).
13. Indianapolis -Marion County Indiana, Department of Metropolitan
Development, Division of Planning and Zoning, Geographic Base File
(April 1976).
26
to assign numbers at the same time field work is done,
using the same staff to measure off the frontage intervals
and affix the numbers to the structure. Measurement of
the frontage interval might be done by using surveying
equipment or by devices such as pedometers and odo-
meters. In the second method, numbers are assigned from
accurate, small-scale base maps, using a clear overlay and
straight edge. This method might require civil engineers
to survey all the streets to plot each building on field
maps.
Field Assignment and Measurement
The procedure for simultaneous field measurement and
number assignment is as follows. The field crew selects an
area or quadrant of the city in which to begin. A crew of
five men assign numbers, plus two to attach new numbers
to buildings. The work assignments might be broken
down as follows: (1) Two men handle the measuring tape
and the marking of the property numbers intervals on the
sidewalk or street; (2) two men are assigned the job of
filling out instruction and field sheets and delivering the
sheets to the occupants. They also write new numbers on
the building; (3) another two men follow those crews and
install the new numbers; (4) a supervisor records a new
number on the field map and monitors the work of the
crew.
Starting from the point of reference and working out-
ward toward the edges of the jurisdiction, the measuring
crew measures off the intervals. These intervals are
chalked on the sidewalk. The supervisor follows and,
noting the location of the entrance, determines in which
interval the entrance falls and assigns the appropriate
number. He also records that information on the field
map. A runner following him records the number on a field
sheet and fills out an instruction form, which is delivered
to the occupant. (Sometimes the new number notification
is mailed by the post office or the village after a field
check to determine the accuracy and feasibility of the new
system.) In consultation with the occupant, this runner
determines the location of the number to be attached
physically to the structure. The staff following then
attaches the number at the location chalked on the build-
ing by the runner. Installing the number ensures that the
change is made.
After each day's work, the information from the field
map and change sheets are transferred to the preliminary
property -numbering map. Color schemes can be used to
differentiate old numbers from new.
The following equipment is needed for the field work.
1. A push cart or hand -pulled wagon for trans-
porting materials and supplies;
2. A measuring tape marked off at whatever prop-
erty interval has been selected by the use of
color strips of tape at appropriate places. A
100 -foot tape is a convenient length, if 20 -foot
intervals are used;
3. A supply of white chalk;
4. A supply of colored pencils;
5. An engineer's pocket scale;
6. A set of field maps;
7. A supply of instructional sheets to be delivered
to the occupants of the building;
S. A supply of field sheets to be used in recording
the name, old and new address, and old and new
number;
9. A supply of house numbers and nails for
installing them;
10. Hammers and screwdrivers;
11. A stepladder.
Involvement of Citizens in Field -Procedures
Some communities make an effort to involve citizens in
the implementation procedures, both to save money on
hiring a staff and to gain citizen acceptance of the new
system. The house -numbering project might be publicized
in the local newspaper and on radio and television to
interest. volunteers. Sometimes city employees will volun-
teer to supervise. Community service organizations can
also be used to help the aged and handicapped in installa-
tion procedures if a do-it-yourself policy is chosen. One
county agency proposed that street signs, meeting gov-
ernment specifications, be purchased and erected by local
civic organizations, after which the county would assume
their maintenance and installation.
Use of Odometer or Pedometer to Assign Numbers
Particularly with the uniform measurement and Lyman
systems, pedometer or odometer can be used to assign
numbers. An odometer is attached to the steering wheel of
a car and intervals are determined on the basis of this
measuring device. This machine replaces the surveying
necessary in the first system, but other procedures are the
same. This device will be particularly useful in rural areas
where distances are great between properties to be num-
bered. Fewer staff is necessary because numbers can be
assigned by one person driving a car, rather than having
the area surveyed, properties mapped, and the numbers
assigned. The method is, however, more inaccurate.
Assignment of Property Numbers from Maps
If accurate base maps, Sandborn maps, or tax maps of
sufficient detail are prepared or available, property num-
bers can be assigned using them. These base maps can be
created by surveying the jurisdiction, taking a measure-
ment to a line parallel with the front door or driveway
entrance of each structure. Such a map would need to
show whether residential structures were single family,
duplexes, or apartment buildings, since these would re-
quire a different quantity of address numbers. This might
need to be determined by field inspection.
Numbers are assigned in the office, using a ruler or
straight edge, marking numbers from a clear overlay
showing base lines, reference point, and dotted grid or
property -numbering intervals. The base map might show
old numbers in one color and new numbers, assigned by
placing a ruler or straight edge over the maps and noting
the intervals which are close to existing buildings, in a
second color.
ATTACHMENT OF NUMBERS TO BUILDINGS
New property numbers can be installed by the city, dis-
tributed by the city and installed by property owners, or
purchased and installed by property owners individually.
Installation by the City
It is preferable to install numbers on buildings physi-
cally at the time assignment of new numbers is made if
the first method is used. When this is done, every building
has been renumbered, and the change -over can occur at
one time. This means that the numbers will have to be
ordered and shipped before the procedure can begin.
When this method is used, it is easier to collect installa-
tion charges through regular billing procedures (water or
tax) rather than to have the field staff try to maintain
financial records in addition to other responsibilities.
Distribution of Numbers by the City
Some municipalities prefer to buy property numbers in
bulk to save money and to assure uniformity, but cannot
afford to pay for installation. In this case, occupants of
property must come to the city hall to obtain their num-
bers upon notification by the city. This can result in delay
and confusion in adopting the system. People can lose
their instruction sheet, which is also the record of their
new house numbers. In other cases, the numbers will be
installed carelessly, in incorrect sequence, resulting in an
entirely different numbering system than had been as-
signed. Immediate installation when assignments are
made avoids these pitfalls. Supplying numbers without
charge may make the change -over more palatable to the
public.
Individuals Supply Their Own Numbers
The third alternative is to set up criteria for house num-
bers and require residents to supply their own numbers.
These standards should be specified in the ordinance
adopted by the city and in the notification of number
change.
NOTIFICATION OF NUMBER CHANGE
In all cases, property owners should receive official
notification of the change in property numbers in advance
of changes. These notices should state the old and new
address, effective date of the change, and penalty for not
displaying the new number, as well as instructions for ob-
taining and installing the number. Notifications of
number change are usually sent 30 days before the effec-
tive date of the change, permitting ample time for the pur-
chase and placing of numbers on structures in accordance
with specifications for the use of numbers, if necessary.
ENFORCEMENT
Experience has shown that if numbers are not installed
by the city, only a few property owners will cooperate in
putting up new numbers, unless numbers are provided or
unless the new system is enforced. A field check should be
made shortly before the effective date of change to de-
termine the compliance with street numbering or renum-
bering. If the new numbers have not been installed, warn-
ing letters should be sent indicating that failure to display
27
the new number denies the owner and the neighbors the
advantage of consistent numbering in keeping with the
uniform system adopted by the jurisdiction. The property
owner should also be informed that the change has been
made with the post office, utility companies, city direc-
tories, and public agencies. It should mention the legal
penalties for noncompliance. Finally, the owner should be
urged to display the new number by the effective date of
the change.
A second check is done immediately after the effective
date to determine noncompliance. The change sheet might
be used to produce a reliable record of those addresses
that have not been changed. The unchanged addresses are
reported to the enforcement agency, which is usually the
police department. The policeman should personnaly visit
each property owner who has not made the appropriate
change with the change sheet giving evidence of the new
number. The officer should inform the property owner
that the new number must be displayed within five days.
A second visit by a uniformed officer should be made to
check compliance with this order. A citation and/or fine
should be issued if compliance has not resulted after a
specified period, for instance, 30 or 60 days.
PUBLICITY
It is important that the public be kept well informed of
the need for changes in street -naming and house -
numbering systems. This can be accomplished by holding
public hearings on the proposed ordinance, through news-
paper articles, radio, television, posters, letters to prop-
erty owners before and after the change, and other pro-
motional materials. It is important that the numbering has
the public support of all the official bodies, the utilities, and
the post office, so that people believe the change will
occur. A private firm might be hired to handle the public
relations—to design the brochures, posters, and press re-
leases.
When the system is to be revised, publicity notices can
invite any property owners who are unhappy with present
road names to notify the appropriate person and request
changes. These people are frequently required to submit a
letter explaining the problem and possible solutions,
signed by as many as possible as of those directly
affected.
After the change has occurred and the ordinance has
been adopted, an explanation of the new system might be
sent out with the next property tax bill. New city maps
should be placed in strategic locations thoughout the
municipality—the post office, city hall, and major com-
mercial establishments. For a specified period, dual
records should be maintained to handle the change -over.
A two-year period mail delivery to the old route and box
numbers gives residents ample time to convert corres-
pondence and stationery to the new system; current
postal regulations require the deliveryof mail to an old
address for a period of one year. Dual addresses such as
John Doe, Route 5, 318 Murphy Road, Collinsville, Vir-
ginia, might be used for the interim period; after, say, six
months route numbers should be dropped. New address
numbers on structures, however, must be displayed on
the effective date of the change. The success of a street -
28
naming and house -numbering program depends on public
acceptance, which in turn depends on the effectiveness of
publicity both before and during the process of transition.
COSTS OF IMPLEMENTATION
It is obvious that the cost of a change -over depends on
the size of the area, the adequacy of existing records, the
method of assignment used, the type of number plates,
and other factors such as staffing. The program will re-
quire the financial commitment by the council or county
board. Funds will need to be budgeted and a work pro-
gram developed.
The public works budget should include allocations for
replacing signs, reprinting signs when names are
changed, adding signs to both sides of the street, and the
labor cost of installation. For example, Henry County,
Virginia, estimated that it would take a three-man crew
200 to 250 working days to survey property in the county
to prepare a base map adequate for street -number assign-
ment. Signs might be installed on a repair and main-
tenance basis, rather than a capital expense basis.
Major downtown businesses such as banks might be
asked to donate and distribute community maps showing
the new system. Savings can be achieved through volume
purchase of the numerals. There is very little revenue
generated from the selling of numerals in city hall, and
charging might make the change -over more offensive to
property owners. Table 7 shows a sample budget from the
city of Tampa's Traffic Engineering Department for in-
stalling street numbers. If any value can be placed on the
lost time of residents, delivery services, and outsiders in
TABLET SAMPLE BUDGET
TAMPA, FLORIDA*
Cost Estimate for Emergency Vehicle Street -Numbering System
15,000 installations Each
1. Aluminum sign blanks (4 @ $2.00) $ 8.00
2. Reflective faces (4 C $3.50) 14.00
3. Miscellaneous hardware .50
4. Location inventory 25
5. Installation cost 4.50
6. Fabrication 3.10
Cost per sign: $ 30.35
Total cost ofprojectforcity (15,000®$30.35) $455,250.00
10% Contingency 45,525.00
Grand Total $500,775.00
NOTE: Because of vandaliem, accidents, etc., approximately 10 per cent
of all city street signs must be replaced every year. This will tend to lower
the incremental cost of the program. All costs shown are today's costs in
current dollars.
*Tampa. Florida, summary report prepared for discussion at a meeting of
the Tampa City Council, June 5,1975,15 pp; xeroxed
searching for addresses in a poorly numbered municipali-
ty, a renumbering plan should pay for itself in less than a
year, according to L.S. Mannell."
DESIGN OF SIGNS AND BUILDING NUMBERS
Street Signs
One of the last steps in implementing a new system is
the changing of street names and signs. New signs are,
unavoidably, the financial responsibility of the juris-
diction. The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal
Highway Administration, has published national stan-
dards for sign construction that are mandatory for all
jurisdictions using federal money.
Street name sign specifications are:
Street Name Signs
Street name signs should be erected in urban areas
at all street intersections regardless of other route
markings that may be present and should be erected
in rural districts to identify important roads not
otherwise marked.
Lettering on street name signs should be at least
four inches high. Supplementary lettering to
indicate the type of street (e.g., Street, Avenue,
Road, etc.) or section of city (e.g., N.W.) may be in
smaller lettering, at least two inches high. Conven-
tional abbreviations are acceptable except for the
street name itself.
The street name sign should be reflectorized or
illuminated. The legend and background shall be of
contrasting colors and should have a white message
and border on a green background.
In business districts and on principal arterials,
street name signs should be placed at least on diag-
onally opposite corners so that they will be on the
far right-hand side of the intersection for traffic on
the major street. Signs naming both streets should
be erected at each location. They should be mounted
with their faces parallel to the streets they name.
In residential districts at least one street name sign
should be mounted at each intersection.
A supplemental advance street name sign may be
erected on more important intersection approaches
or below an intersection warning sign. When com-
bined with a yellow diamond sign, the color should
be a black message on a yellow background. 15
14. Mannell, L. S., "House Numbering for Growing Communities,"
American City, September 1955, pp. 200-201, 203.
15. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and High-
ways, U.S. Supt. of Public Documents (U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C.).
Many states have adopted this standard, but some
states have expanded its provisions; therefore one should
contact the appropriate state highway agency for infor-
mation on state standards. Many such agencies also will
recommend sources of sign materials.
It is recommended that all four -cornered intersections
should contain two street signs at opposite quadrants of
the intersection. These signs should show both the street
name and the numbers of the intersecting blocks. A new
trend in metropolitan areas is to use the community logos
on the signs, as well as to indicate the town in which the
intersection is located.
Property Numbers
Standards for the design and display of property num-
bers should be specified in the ordinance if number plates are
not supplied by the jurisdiction. Some communities recom.
mend that numerals be displayed below the outside light
or in a prominent space, but not on the lawn or door. Other
communities require only that they be visible from the
road, and they may be located on or above the door or
gate. If the entrance of a structure is not seen from the
street, they should be located on the front of the building.
In any case, if a house or building is 50 feet from the prop-
erty line, a number should be displayed near the walk or
driveway. If on -street parking is permitted, display on
curbs is undesirable because the numbers are not easily
visible from a car.
Numbers should be on a .background of contrasting
color. The usual size for numerals is three inches square,
but some communities permit them to be as small as two
inches. The Athens/Clark County Planning Commission,
rather than specifying the location size and color of num-
erals, requires only that numbers " ... be posted in a
manner as to be legible and distinguishable from the
street on which the property is located." This flexible
standard permits businesses and shopping centers to use
large numerals for business identification and allows
property owners to use novel or creative methods for dis-
playing property numbers. According to the Commis-
sion, there has been no problem thus far judging which
are legible and distinguishable.
The Maryland -National Capital Park and Planning
Commission has developed a seven -question check list for
proper display of building numbers, as follows:
1. House numbers are large enough to be seen easily
from the street.
2. House numbers are set on a background of a con-
trasting color.
3. When a house is some distance from a road, or
when view of the house is blocked by trees or
shrubs, house numbers should be on a sign at-
tached to a tree, fence, gate, or lawn stake.
4. On a corner lot, the house number should face the
street named in the address.
5. In a rural area the house number should be on the
mailbox as well as the house.
6. House numbers should be illuminated or easily
visible at night.
29
7. House numbers should be plain block numerals,
not script or written numbers.
The agency suggests that, if a house number does not
comply with all of these requirements, time should be
taken to improve its visibility. These are good criteria for
adequate property -number display.
GUIDELINES FOR RENAMING EXISTING STREETS
The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Com-
mission suggests the following criteria when considering
the changing of a duplicate street name:
1. Does one street have any historical reason for
having the name it has?
2. Which street has the least number of houses on
it and thus would require the least number of
address changes?
3. Which street has had its name for the longest
30
period of time?
4. Is the name appropriate according to the other
street names in the neighborhood?
5. Which street name is used for the longest dis-
tance or the most traveled section?
Priorities can be established by numerically weighing the
importance of these items. Streets with the highest total
number would be given priority and their names would
not be recommended for change.
L. H. Hart in his "Rules for House -Numbering" recom-
mends that as many existing names and numbers be used
as possible. He suggests that when renumbering a
given street, if even numbers are on one side and odd on
the other and each number is higher than the last, the
numbers should be retained. While it is preferable to
follow street -numbering and naming principles, Hart's
suggestion is practical if violations of the principles do
not cause confusion to the average citizen.
Chapter 6. Legal Aspects of
Street Naming and Numbering
It is important that mechanisms exist both for assign-
ing new addresses when development occurs and for re-
vising numbers in built-up areas. Unincorporated rural
areas may devise their own systems or be permitted to be
a part of existing systems of nearby municipalities.
LEGAL CONTROL OVER THE SYSTEM
Ordinances. The new street -naming and house -
numbering system should be legally adopted by the juris-
diction so that compliance can be compelled. Although
voluntary compliance with the system should be sought,
there will be times when it is necessary to enforce com-
pliance. A check of the accuracy and feasibility of the sys-
tem should be made before it is officially adopted. Items
typically included in a street -naming and house -
numbering ordinance are:
• Specification of the reference point
• Description of the base lines
• Size of the frontage interval and block interval
• A requirement that even and odd numbers be on
opposite sides of the street, and a statement about
how diagonal streets will be numbered
• Duties of property owner—description of numeral
and location required
• Responsibility for administration of the system
• Adoption of property -numbering or street -naming
map if it is the official storage mechanism*
• Penalties for violation and number of days after
notification when enforcement is to proceed
• Charges, if any
• Definitions of thoroughfare designations, if they
are to be used
• Changes of names, from old to new names
• Subdivision procedures modifications to be made
• Recorded street name and property member records should not be called
Official Maps; to do so would be to confuse them with the legislative de-
vices that protect future streets.
• A requirement that before building permits are
issued for erecting, altering, replacing, or tearing
down structures, the property number must be
approved.
Another option is to adopt guidelines for implementing
the system by referring to the guideline document in an
ordinance. Sample ordinances are included in the Appen-
dix of this report.
SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS AND
BUILDING PERMITS
Continuing control of street naming and house num-
bering can be ensured by requiring approval from the de-
partment in charge of maintaining the system before (1)
subdivision plats are approved and (2) building permits
are issued. While such a system applies in incorporated
areas, the municipality might also offer property owners
of unincorporated lands the benefits of inclusion in the
system. No permit approval should be given for razing or
moving structures until numbers have been changed. Sub-
division regulations should be amended to include:
A statement of who is responsible for naming
streets. If developers name streets, they should
be required to propose names to the review
agency, which will check with the Post Service for
duplication. If the planning agency names
streets, they might be required to furnish a list
of proposed names to the developer, who then
could choose names.
2. A requirement either that the developer furnish
road signs to standard specifications, with a de-
posit to be put down by the developer as perfor-
mance bond to insure their installation, or that
the government install them.
3. A requirement that names and numbers be given
and checked on the preliminary plat before it
receives conditional approval, and that they be on
the final plat before it is approved. Official
house numbers should be shown on the building
31
permits when issued. A check might be placed in
the subdivision plat indicating that the permit
had been issued. Montgomery County, Mary-
land, for example, reserves the right to change
house numbers without notice until the building
permit is issued. Or numbers might be assigned
only when building permits are issued.
4. Many subdivision ordinances have specific
policies prohibiting name duplication, while some
allow duplication on minor streets. This should
be stated one way or the other in the ordinance.
5. Specification of the block and frontage interval.
Sample subdivision regulation provisions are also in-
cluded in the Appendix.
SAMPLE SUBDIVISION REVIEW PROCEDURES
The procedures for the assignment for new subdivision
street names and numbers in Los Lunas, New Mexico, are
as follows:
1. The subdivision plats are submitted for review
by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
2. If there is a conflict in street names, the plat
is returned to the subdivider requesting a street -
name change.
3. If no conflict exists, the streets are named as
requested.
4. The Master Street Inventory maintained by the
Planning and Zoning Commission is updated
with the names from the approved plat.
5. A copy of the approved subdivision plat is filed
with the village clerk.
6. A copy of the approved subdivision plat is filed
with the village clerk for endorsement.
7. The clerk or designated official determines and
assigns the address numbers for any structures
on a spec parcel.
8. If there is no conflict with the zoning and sub-
division's regulations, the endorsed application
and plans are returned to the applicant within
five working days. If there are conflicts, changes
are requested.
9. Each assigned address number is then re-
corded in the street address directory, and noti-
fication of the change is sent to the affected
agencies.
10. The Address and Street Name Reference Map
is updated as often as the county assessor's
maps are revised.
LEGAL JURISDICTION OVER STREET NAMES
AND NUMBERS
The legal title to city streets belongs to the state, which
has full authority and control over them. Local govern-
ments exercise only that control and authority which has
been delegated to them by constitutional provisions. At
least four states -Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Vir-
32
giniaf6 -have delegated the responsibility for naming
and/or numbering streets outside municipalities to coun-
ties. A special law was passed in Maryland giving the
Maryland -National Capital Park and Planning Commis-
sion the authority to name, rename, number, and re-
number properties in the metropolitan district." In Ohio,
the general planning powers of the Ohio General Code1,
have been interpreted to grant such powers in unincor-
porated areas to counties. Municipal charters often
state that the jurisdiction has the power to name and
number properties.
According to McQuillin's The Law of Municipal Cor-
porations,19 the exclusive authority over streets is gen-
erally given to the municipal council, which is a vesting of
power to name streets. This naming is a legislative act,
usually done through an ordinance or resolution by the
municipal council. Because it is a legislative and not a judi-
cial act, street names are not subject to review by or in-
terference from the courts." The only exception would be
if the ordinance that enacted the new names and numbers
was the result of the exercise of arbitrary power, such that
it was unfair, unjust, and capricious." Also, because it is a
legislative power, the power is not exhausted by one act of
adopting a naming and numbering system; the municipality
can change names and numbers as many times as it wants.'
In jurisdictions that use street names and house numbers
(rather than plat and lot numbers) to identify property in
deeds, the municipality should be careful about switching
because it could cause havoc for property titles.
Recorded street names are generally superceded by offi-
cial street names. Even if a subdivision plat is recorded
with a different name than that already assigned by the
municipality, the recording does not affect the official
name of the street. 13 Nevertheless, if there is no street
with the name assigned to the subdivision plat, the city
council cannot require the name on the recorded plat of a
subdivision to be changed.'* If a street has a certain name
on a subdivision plat and the municipality accepts the de-
dication of the street, the name of the street becomes the
official name.46 A deed conveying a street to a muni-
cipality may restrict the grantees right to change the
name of the street.'i8 Aside from these limitations, the re -
16. Wisconsin Statutes §59.07 (65), Virginia Code §15.1 279, General
Assembly of Indiana passed acts in 1953, Act Nos. 115 and 230.
17. Chapter 780 of the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, 1959,
as amended, June 1, 1961,1959, ch. 780 §42.
18. Ohio General Code §4366-15.
19. McQuillin, Eugene, The Law of Municipal Corporations, (Callaghan
and Co., 165 N. Archer Ave., Mundelein, IL 60060), vol. 10, §30.14.
20. Darling v. Jersey City, 78 A. 10, 80 N.J.L. 514.
21. Bacon v. Miller, 160 N.E. 381, 247 N.Y. 311, and Brown v. Topeka, 74
P.2d 142,146 Kan. 974.
22. Miller v. Cincinnati, 10 Ohio, Dec. 423, 21 CcN. LAW BUL. 121.
23. Peck v. Bernard, 12 CaL App. 558,108 P.55,
24. Ibid
25. Peck v. Strassforth,156 Cal. 201,103 P. 918.
26. Belden v. Niagara Falls, 136 Misc. 406,241 N.Y.S. 5.
naming or renumbering of streets is up to the discretion of
the municipality.
Property owners do not have vested rights in street
names or numbers. Even if a business has built up an
association with location over the years, the inconvenience
and expense of acquainting the public with the change is
not sufficient to show a property right in the street
name." Businesses that want prestige addresses (e.g.,
One First National Plaza) should obtain specific approval
from the municipality and from the Postal Service.
If a jurisdiction has the authority to name and number
streets in the area, it probably has the right to name and
number private streets as well as publicly dedicated
streets. Sometimes ordinances mention this power speci-
fically. King County, Washington, designates private
roads if there are three or more houses on the road, or if
the existing designation conflicts with their system.
Shasta County, California, provides that private roads
within the unincorporated area of the county may be offi-
cially named or the names changed when the county re-
ceives a petition of 60 per cent of the property owners
whose property is serviced by the private road, when the
planning commission recommends changes, or when the
Board of Supervisors passes a resolution of intention.
Naming Private Roads; Change of Name; Procedure
Any private road within the unincorporated area of
the county may be officially named or existing
names may be changed by the Board of Supervisors
upon petition of 60 per cent of the property owners
27. Hagerty v. Chicago, 196 N.E. 652 (IL).
whose property is serviced by the private road pro-
posed to be affected, upon recommendation by the
Planning Commission, or upon a Resolution of In-
tention by the Board of Supervisors. The Board of
Supervisors may refer the proposed private road
name to the Planning Commission for report and
recommendation. The petition shall be set for hear-
ing, and notice of such hearing shall be given by
posting notice at an obvious and conspicious place
along the private road proposed to be affected. Such
posting is to be made at least ten (10) days before the
date set for hearing. At the time set for hearing or at
any time to which the hearing may be continued,
the Board shall hear and consider proposals to adopt
a name for, or change the name of, such private
road, and upon the adoption or change thereof shall
make an order in its minutes officially designating
the name for said private road. Thereafter, such pri-
vate road shall be known by the name so desig-
nated."
Montgomery County, Maryland, has specified that
they have the right to assign names and numbers to
private as well as public roads. Whether or not private
streets are named and numbered should be spelled out in
the ordinance. A statute that requires municipal authori-
ties to change a street name upon the petition of a certain
percentage of property owners was held to be an unconsti-
tutional delegation of legislative power.29
28. Shasta County California Ordinance 494-13.
29. Miller v. Cincinnati, supra,
RK
Chapter 7. Problems of Larger Jurisdictions—Rural Areas,
Metropolitan Areas, and States
RURAL AREAS
There are several problems with street naming and
house numbering that are unique to rural areas. The first
is that regional and county governments may lack juris-
diction to be able to impose a system. Because the area is
to be covered is large, it is expensive to survey, install,
and maintain street signs and house numbers. Second, the
distances between properties are large, which imposes
certain constraints on the system chosen. Depending on
the topography of the area many rural roads may be
curvilinear, the most difficult type for which to devise a
satisfactory system.
Problems of Jurisdiction
Because rural free delivery routes are subject to change
and provide no locational information, rural residents may
express a need for a standardized street -naming and
house -numbering system. If systems exist, they are often
tied to the land developmentisubdivision process, which
does not apply to rural areas. As discussed in the chapter
on legal aspects, counties in some states are authorized to
implement street naming and house numbering in unin-
corporated rural areas. If not specifically allowed, the
power might be construed from the general planning
powers given to local governments. Another alternative is
to have a special act passed to give a regional agency or
county the power to enact a street -naming and house -
numbering system. It is preferable to have the system in-
stalled over the entire area because piecemeal adoption by
some rural residents and not others may only add to the
confusion in unincorporated areas.
It is important to have a particular agency empowered
to install a new street -naming and street -numbering
system so that one agency will be responsible for its con-
tinuing implementation. One county reviewed in the
study set aside a certain amount of money each year
and progressively installed the system.
34
Distance Problems
When there are great distances between properties, a
system should accommodate these distances and still be
comprehensible. According to Branham, "the character of
travel on the local roads is predominantly intracounty
includes some intercounty and interstate movement.
Most of this local road travel is to and from the county
seat, or other trade areas in the county, and in adjacent
counties. "30 Thus it is desirable that methods of iden-
tifying rural roads and numbering rural dwellings be on a
countywide basis and be uniform throughout the state,
continuous with adjacent counties. Counties reviewed in
this study used quadrant systems, the Lyman system,
and the century or equal interval system. Quadrant sys-
tems that are designed to cover whole states are partic-
ularly relevant. The pros and cons of those systems have
already been discussed. Because they have a larger area to
cover, many metropolitan and rural systems emphasize
uniform numbering, only requiring that numbers not be
duplicated.
Curvilinear Roads
All systems reviewed can accommodate some roads
that do not follow a grid system. The equal interval or
century system is most applicable to areas where curving
roads predominate. The quadrant and century systems
were proposed for Augusta County, Virginia, to provide
some of the advantages that directional suffixes and pre-
fixes give with the renumbering methdology of the cen-
tury system.
In rural areas, it is important to adopt a plan that
closely fits the general characteristics of road use, traffic
volumes, and street alignment in the jurisdiction. Con-
tinuity with adjacent counties and state systems should
also be considered in the choice of a system. Considerable
30. Branham, A. K., "County Road Identification and Numbering of
Rural Residences," Public Works, June 1956, p. 106.
intergovernmental cooperation may be required both
within the area and on the boundaries of the jurisdiction
to achieve a comprehensible and continuous system.
METROPOLITAN AREAS
In metropolitan areas, there are additional' problems
with the implementation of a street -naming and house -
numbering system. First, there is the problem of achiev-
ing intergovernmental cooperation—agreeing upon the
need for a system, creating a common system, and deciding
who will coordinate and maintain the system and how the
implementation will be financed. Second, the system
chosen must relate a built-up area with surrounding areas
of lower densities, which means the system must be flexi-
ble to accommodate both types of development.
Intergovernmental Coordination
Intergovernmental cooperation may be made easier by
establishing an advisory committee with representatives
of all affected municipalities. The regional agency, Coun-
cil of Government, or county may coordinate the imple-
mentation. That umbrella agency should also maintain
the system by keeping one centralized street -name list
and property -number record. Ordinances enacting the
system should be adopted by all affected jurisdictions
because incorporated municipalities are usually exempt
from regional systems.
Attempts should be made to keep one name for streets
that extend from the city into fringe areas. A study done
for Lexington -Fayette County, Kentucky, recommended,
however, that an exemption to this rule be made for roads
as they pass from urban service areas to rural ones. If a
different name had been used outside the urban area, the
study recommended that it remain unchanged, but all
variations within the urban area were changed to a single
name.
Areas of Different Densities
Most of the systems reviewed in the report can accom-
modate varying densities of development. Sometimes a
change is required in the frontage interval, from 50 feet in
rural areas to 25 or 15 feet in built up areas. Most of the
metropolitan areas for which reports were reviewed sug-
gested that the system used in the major city, rather than
the county, be extended into fringe areas so that the
whole unincorporated metropolitan area is based on one
central point of reference. Then the suburban system is a
logical extention of the urban system when traveling from
the city to the surrounding area and no changes would be
required if the area is annexed. It is especially important
that the city rather than the county system be adopted in
rapidly growing fringe areas that are likely to become part
of the city.
Two large metropolitan areas have been chosen to illu-
strate how particular problems of those jurisdictions
might be handled. In the Washington, D.C., area, special
legislation was passed to give the Maryland -National
Capital Park and Planning Commission the responsibility
for street naming and house numbering. Each county sub-
mitted county base maps showing existing street names
for the regional agency to update and review. The ad-
dresses begin in Washington, D.C., and extend to the
limits of Montgomery and Prince Georges County.
In a 1963 study of the Atlanta area, a review of existing
street -naming and street -numbering systems resulted in
the suggestion that the Atlanta Metropolitan Area be di-
vided into three relatively distinct sections. Although it
was recognized that it would have been ideal to have the
whole metropolitan area on one system extending from a
single point, this was not considered possible or neces-
sary. Three separate systems were recommended because
several effective systems were already in existence and
because two of these systems were divided from the city
of Atlanta by a river or by large areas of undeveloped
land. Thus five counties were to be coordinated with three
numbering systems. Quadrant systems were suggested in
each case, and quadrant designations were to be required
even if the entire street was within one quadrant so that
similar streets in other quadrants could be distinguished
by the quadrant designation (e.g., Northwest Spring
Street.) The regional agency was to maintain a census
tract street index, listing streets in the five counties. Sub-
division regulations in the municipalities were to prohibit
duplication of street names. Cooperation was to be en-
couraged among local government when subdivisions on
both sides of the line between the systems are named and
numbered; when such a subdivision had enclosed streets,
it was to be added in its entirety to one numbering system
to prevent internal confusion. The proposed revisions for
Atlanta were never adopted.
Systems Adopted
Metropolitan areas seem to use the quadrant system
most frequently, but the Lyman system is also sometimes
adopted.
STATE SYSTEMS
Several states have attempted to make a standardized
naming and numbering system which would be coordi-
nated between counties. In Illinois, a "Rural Residence
and Reference System" has been suggested. The state is
divided into a grid, with north/south grid lines at 30
minutes of longitude and east/west grid lines at 30
minutes of latitude. (See Figure 26) A letter is assigned to
each grid square. The grids are divided into six units of
10, and routes are marked with letters and numbers.
East -west streets are marked with A -L, and north/south
streets are marked with M -W (without using O, Q, U, W,
X, Y). The letter of the grid square is followed by the num-
ber of the 10 series (e.g., 10, 20, 30) in which the route is
predominantly located. Routes are marked independently
of county lines. Curving roads are named for their "mean"
or major location on the grid. Signs are required at the
county and township road intersections.
Purdue University professors proposed a uniform sys-
tem for Indiana that a number of Indiana counties have
adopted. In this coordinate or Lyman -like system, each
county is divided into four quadrants, with baselines
either at (1) the intersection of range and township lines
near the center of the county, projected due nortb/south
and east/west, or (2) a projection of section lines near the
county courthouse, which is presumed to be a well-known
35
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FIGURE 26. RURAL
RESIDENCE AND
REFERENCE
SYSTEK PROPOSED
FOR ILLINOIS
point in the county. The first reference point is preferable
because it is generally close to the county seat and pro-
vides good continuity between counties. The second
method should be used if the county has irregular boun-
daries (such as a river) making the shape varied, and when
the county seat is some distance from the geographic
center of the county so that unbalanced quadrants are the
result.
In the Purdue systems, the grid lines are section lines.
One hundred numbers are allotted per section. Like the
Lyman system, roads following grid lines carry number
names indicating the distance from the base line, followed
by directional letters. Roads paralleling base lines be-
tween section lines are also given appropriate number
names, such as 175th St., which would be 1-3/4 miles from
the base line. It is recommended that local names be used
in conjunction with number names, but official road signs
and maps should show the number names. Where state
highways coincide with number names, the state numbers
or names should be preferred. Counties give number
names to roads on their south and west, but not north and
east, boundaries.
To number properties in the Purdue system, the first
digit, or the first two digits of the address if 10 or above,
give the distance from the base line in miles. The last two
digits give the distance in hundredths of a mile within the
section. Thus relative positions of dwelling units are
found to the nearest fiftieth of a mile because oddleven
numbers reduce by half the number of intervals available.
Diagonal streets can either be given number names based
on coordinate points or be given regular names (while
regular grid streets are number named) and assigned
property numbers based on their prevailing direction.
In another version of this system, properties are num-
bered in thousandths of a mile, with the last three digits
indicating the location of the dwelling. This allows a num-
ber every 10-1/2 ft. Fresno County, California, uses such a
system.
M
Appendices
Appendix A. Bibliography
American Society of Planning Officials. Street -Naming
and House -Numbering Systems. Chicago: April 1950.
19 pp. Planning Advisory Service Report No. 13.
Association of Washington Cities. Uniform House Num-
bering, Basic Grid System, Street Names and Signs.
Joshua H. Vogel. In cooperation with the Bureau of
Governmental Research and Services, University of
Washington. Seattle: University of Washington Press,
June 1963.41 pp. Information Bulletin No. 250.
Atlanta Region Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Proposed Property -Numbering Systems for Metropoli-
tan Atlanta Atlanta: 1963.22 pp.
Atoka Municipal Planning Commission and the Munford
Regional Planning Commission. MunfordlAtoka Street -
Naming and Property -Numbering Study. Jackson,
Tenn.: 1975.
Augusta County, Va., Board of Supervisors. Interim
Street -Naming and Building -Numbering System for
Augusta County, Virginia. Prepared by Howard
Needles, Tammer & Bergendoff. 1969.33 pp.
Branham, A.K. "County Road Identification and Num-
bering of Rural Residences." Public Works, June 1956,
pp. 105-110.
Caddo -Bossier, La., Council of Local Governments.
Municipal Numbering System for Belcher, Louisiana
Shreveport: 1974.6 pp.
-. Street Names and Municipal Numbering System for
Haughton, Louisiana Shreveport: 1974. 5 pp.
Caro, Leonard H. "Change of Address in Peoria: How to
Develop a Uniform House -Numbering System." Public
Works, April 1956, pp. 105-112.
Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development
Commission. Street Naming and House Numbering,
Carrville, Alabama Montgomery: 1975.30 pp.
Centre Regional Planning Commission. A Street -Naming
System for Centre Region. State College, Pa.: 1968.
34 pp.
City Club of Chicago, Street Names Committee. "Mud-
dled Street Names." Chicago: 1935.9 pp.
Critz, George C., Jr. "For Whom Is the Street Named?"
Planning Notes, Jan. 27, 1964, entire issue.
Dakota County, Minn. Dakota County Uniform Street -
Naming and House -Numbering System: Procedural
Manual. Undated. 6 pp.
Denman, R.H. Rural Planning and House Numbering.
Ithaca, N.Y.: 1968.27 pp.
Eureka, Calif., Planning Commission, Master Plan: Street
Naming and Numbering. 1965.23 pp.
38
Goodman, Solomon. "A Bibliography on the Subjects of
House Numbering, Street Numbering, Street Names,
and Street -Name Signs." Sept. 1954.16 pp., mimeo.
Hart, L.H. "Rules for House Numbering." Metuchen,
N.J.: Jan. 1955.1 p., offset.
Henslee, L. Walter. "Galveston Authority Has Devised
Simple, Effective House -Numbering Plan." Journal of
Housing, May 1947, p.147.
Illinois Department of Transportation. Memos on "Coun-
ty Route -Marking Program and Rural Residence and
Reference System," and "Metric Reference System
Guidelines." Springfield. Undated. 3 pp. each, xeroxed.
Kendall, William W. Property -Numbering Plan of Russell
Springs, Kentucky. Jamestown, Ky.: Lake Cumberland
Area Development District, Inc., May 1975.20 pp.
King County, Washington. "Street Designations and
Addressing." Undated. 5 pp.
Kriege, Olin W. "Uniform County Roads Identification
and Rural House -Numbering System for Illinois Is Pro-
posed." Better Roads, June 1964, pp. 13-15+.
Lexington -Fayette County Planning Commission.
Street -Name and Building -Number Plan for Lexington
and Fayette County, Kentucky. Lexington. Undated.
Los Alamos County, N.M., Planning Department. Com-
prehensive Visitors' Guide -Sign Study. Ronald N.
Short. Los Alamos: July 1967.13 pp.
Los Lunas, N.M. Handbook on Street -Address Identifica-
tion for Los Lunas, New Mexico. 1973. Var. pag.
Lyman, Richard R. "New Street -Numbering System for
Salt Lake City." American City, vol. 57, no. 9 (Sept.
1942), pp. 62-63.
Mace, Herbert. "Name This Road." Town and Country
Planning, February 1952, pp. 75-76.
"Major League Signs for a Major League City (Oakland,
California)." Public Works, June 1968, pp. 128-129.
Mannell, L.S. "House Numbering for Growing Communi-
ties."American City, Sept. 1955, pp. 200-201, 203.
-. New Science of House Numbering." Civic Admini-
stration, January 1950, pp. 20-21.
Maricopa County, Ariz., Planning and Zoning Depart-
ment. Street -Name System for the Unincorporated
Area o f Maricopa County. 1961.9-!- pp.
Martin, Daniel S. "Uniform House -Numbering and
Street -Naming System." Public Works, June 1951, pp.
53-54,72,74.
Montgomery County, Ohio, Planning Commission. House
Numbering. Dayton, Ohio: 1952. House -Numbering
Report No. 1.
Montgomery County, Pa., Planning Commission. A Guide
to Street Naming and Property Numbering. Dorothy L.
Keon. Norristown, Pa.: Nov. 1952. 7 pp., mimeo. Pub.
No. 4.
Moore, J. Brewer, and Trant, Bruce C. "Street Renaming
Is No Cinch." American City, Aug. 1962, pp. 82-84.
Municipal Administration Service. House Number Signs,
Joseph W. Nicholson. New York: 1931. 19 pp. Pub.
No. 20.
Nashville -Davidson County, Tenn., Planning Commis-
sion, Advance Planning Division. Street -Coding Guide
for Planning Units, Nashville Standard Metropolitan
Area (Davidson County, Tennessee). Nashville: 1959.
75 pp.
National Institute of Municipal Clerks. "House Numbering,"
excerpt from letter of November 6, 1951, from Depart-
ment of Public Works, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 3 pp.
Phoenix, Ariz., Community Council. Street Index by Cen-
sus Tracts of Municipalities and County Area, Mari-
copa County, Arizona. Sponsored by the city of Phoe-
nix, Maricopa County, and the Phoenix Chamber of
Commerce. Phoenix: 1960.93 pp.
"A Plan to Number Rural Roads and Homes." Better
Roads, April 1954, pp. 21-22.
Prince Township, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Canada. Final
Report. • Civic Numbering for the Township of Prince.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 1975. 50 pp.
Prince William County, Va., Planning Commission. Re-
port of Numbering Properties and Establishing Street
Names. 1967.27 pp.
Purser, George W. "San Francisco's New Street Signs."
Traffic Engineering, Sept. 1950, pp. 471-472.
Robinson, Theodore G., and Whitnall, Gordon. "House
Numbering for Rural Areas." American City, Feb.
1950,p.143.
Santa Clara County, Calif., Planning Commission.
"Master Plan of Uniform House Numbering for Santa
Clara, California, Being a Portion of the Streets and
Highways Master Plan." San Jose: 1950. 26 pp.,
mimeo.
Schwada, Joseph P. "Street Names and House Num-
bers," Civil Engineering, March 1932, pp. 186-189.
"The Science of Street Names," American City, Nov.
1960, p. 7.
Scott, Hugh, "A Hundred Years Ago, Philadelphia In-
vented the Flexible Decimal System of Numbering
Houses and Streets, But Who Had the Idea?" Phila-
delphia Inquirer Magazine, Sept. 16, 1956, p. 18.
Secrest, Bill. "Upgraded Signs Give Positive Identity."
American City, April 1970. pp.108,110.
Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
A Uniform Street -Naming and Property -Numbering
System for Racine County, Wisconsin. Waukesha:
1975. 52 pp.
"Street Naming, House Numbering." Public Works, May
1953, pp. 68-69, 96-98,100.
Tennessee State Planning Commission. A Guide to Street
Naming and Property Numbering. Nashville: Nov.
1951.47 pp.
"An Ordinance to Provide a Uniform System of
Numbering Properties and Principal Buildings in Jef-
ferson City." In Community Planning in Tennessee, pp.
71-72. Nashville, 1942.
Tennessee State Planning Office. Milan Street Naming
and Property Numbering, Milan, Tennessee. Oct. 1974.
19 pp.
Tippecanoe County, Ind., Area Plan Commission. County
Road Number System. In Thoroughfare Plan. Lafay-
ette: 1965.
Tulare County, Calif., Planning Commission. Road- and
House -Numbering System. Visalia: Dec. 1951.9 pp.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Procedures for Defining, Numbering, and Renumbering
Census Block Groups and Blocks. (GBF/Dime System.)
Washington, D.C.: 1976. GEO-307.
U.S. Postal Service, Economic Analysis Division, Finance
Department. New Towns and the U.S. Postal Service:
Some Guidelines for Postal Officials and New Town
Developers. Washington, D.C.: 1975. 100 pp.
"Prepared Package for Use of Volunteer Groups
That Desire Systematic Street House Numbers in
Rural Areas." Undated. 4 pp.
"Systematic House Numbers for Rural Areas:
Recommendations and Information Regarding Resi-
dence and Business Numbering in Rural Areas." Un-
dated.
Van Cleef, Eugene. "Urban House Numbering and Plan-
ning."American City, Feb. 1950, p. 14 1.
Virginia Beach, Va., Planning Commission. Renumbering
and Street Renaming Program. Undated. 16 pp.
Vogel, Joshua H. "House Numbers for Urban and Fringe
Areas." Public Works, Dec. 1963, pp. 121-123.
Whiten, George. "Uniform House Numbering ... Pro-
vides a Way to Keep from Getting Lost in Gainesville,
Georgia." American City, Aug. 1960, p. 97.
Wilson, S. Leigh. "Street -Naming and Numbering Sys-
tems," Mayor and Manager, April 1968, pp. 11-13;
and in Municipal Yearbook, 1964, pp. 249-254. Wash-
ington, D.C.: International City Management Associa-
tion.
Woods, N.L. "County Road Naming and House Number-
ing." Public Works, May 1976, pp. 107-109.
39
Appendix B. Sample Ordinances,
Subdivision Regulations, and Forms
This appendix gives sample ordinances, subdivision None of the ordinances are recommended over others;
regulations, and forms to use in devising and implement- they have been provided merely as samples.
ing a street -naming and property -numbering system.
City of Irvine, California
A Street -Naming and Numbering Resolution
Whereas the city of Irvine is interested in developing a
program to provide a unique and fresh approach toward
the naming and numbering of streets;
Whereas, the city is desirous that this approach reflect
the city's emphasis upon the village concept and the de-
velopment of a greater sense of place;
Now, Therefore, the City Council of the city of Irvine
does hereby resolve as follows:
§l. Street Names
A. Choice of Names. Names should be chosen that re-
late to the scale and location of a project.
1. Objectives—Names should be pleasant sounding,
appropriate, easy to read (so that the public, and
children in particular, can handle the name in an
emergency situation), and should add to pride of
home ownership.
2. Categories—Large developments to use a single,
significant category; small subdivision should use
the same category as the surrounding or adjacent
area, which helps establish locational identity.
3. Unacceptable Village Street Names—Numerical
names (1st, 2nd, etc.); alphabetical letters (A, B,
C, etc.); surnames of living persons (pioneer fami-
lies, etc., excluded); frivolous, complicated, or un-
desirable names; unconventional spelling; com-
pound names (use sparingly and not on short
streets).
B. Affixes. Unnecessary affixes are to be avoided.
Terms that may be utilized are:
1. "East," "West," "North," and "South," indicat-
ing direction.
2. "Boulevard," "Drive," "Road," and "Parkway"
for arterial highways based upon discretion of the
City Council.
C. Name Duplication. Similar sounding names are con-
sidered to be duplication regardless of spelling. No
duplication of names is permitted within the pro-
jected service area of a United States Post Office or
of local public agencies such as fire and police de-
40
partments. Preferably, the avoidance of duplica-
tion should be countywide because of future ur-
banization.
D. Continuity.
1. A continuous street, or one proposed to be con-
tinuous, should bear the same name throughout,
even though it changes directions. If it is inter-
rupted by a channel, freeway, railroad, etc., and
eventual connection is not probable, the segments
shall bear different names. Loop or U-shaped
streets which would create duplication of house
numbers require two names, the change to occur
at a knuckle or sharp turn, may be excepted from
the above in the event such an identifiable break
point does not exist. In these cases, the utilization
of an appropriate affix may be allowed.
2. No separate name is to be used for a cul-de-sac
that provides street frontage for three or less lots
or units. The name shall be the same as that of the
intersecting street. Where there is a series of long
and short cul-de-sacs, however, all should have
separate names.
§2. Street Numbering
A. Arterial Highway Numbering.
1. The numbering of arterial highways shall begin at
a central geographical point within the city and
extend outward to the north, east, south, and
west.
B. Residential Street Numbering.
1. A numbering system shall be developed for each
new development without necessary regard for
the existing countywide grid system: to facilitate
residential identification, the village name may be
included as an integral part of the address.
2. Residence numbers shall be limited to as few di-
gits as necessary to carry out a local system based
on village boundaries. Residence numbers shall
begin with "1" or "2" at the entrance to a street
and continue to the end of the street with odd
numbers on the left and even numbers on the
right.
C. Apartment Complexes.
1. The low numbering system noted above for resi-
dential street numbers shall be adhered to in
apartment complexes.
2. Each structure shall have a street number re-
flecting the policy.
3. Individual units shall be identified in a manner
meeting the intent of the policy for residential
numbering.
§3. Characteristics of Street Numbering.
Physical characteristics of street numbering on dwell-
ing units should be such so as to minimize problems of
identification for emergency and other services.
1. Street numbers shall be located so as to be visible
from and oriented toward the street from which
address is taken.
2. Street numbers shall be affixed to dwelling units.
Devices providing numbering for directional assis-
tance may be placed throughout an apartment or
condominium complex. Where parking facilities are
not attached to the dwelling units, no street num-
bers shall be affixed thereto.
§4. Characteristics of Street Signs.
Physical characteristics of street signs should be con-
sidered as an additional area of responsibility. New tech-
niques and materials for providing street name signs are
available which can add distinctive character to the city of
Irvine. (Example: molded thermal plastics with color and
reflective material as an integral part of the surface are
available).
In addition to possible new types of signs for street in-
tersections and advance notification signs on arterial
highways, consideration should be given to the following:
(a) Lighting and visibility;
(b) New techniques and materials;
(c) Emphasizing a hierarchy of sign size to distinguish
the importance of various streets;
(d) Numbering ranges should be shown on sign;
(e) Signs should be vandal resistant.
City of Irvine, California
Street Signs, Street Names, and Street -Numbering Ordinance
V. §78.034, subparagraph (q), of the Codified Ordinances
of the County of Orange, adopted by reference by the city
of Irvine, is hereby amended to read as follows:
(q) Street Name Signs
Street name signs, approved by the Director of Public
Works, shall be installed by the subdivider at the inter-
section of all streets and highways and at such other
locations as may be determined to be necessary by the
Director of Public Works.
§2. §78.034, subparagraph (r), of the Codified Ordi-
nances of the County of Orange, adopted by reference by
the city of Irvine, is hereby amended to read as follows:
(r) Street Names and Numbering
Street names and numbering shall be determined
in accordance with the street -naming and number-
ing policy adopted by resolution of the City Coun-
cil of the city of Irvine. After approval of a tenta-
tive tract map, the subdivider shall submit a street -
naming and numbering proposal to the Depart-
ment of Public Works of the city of Irvine. The street -
copies of (1) a map of the overall tract illustrating street
layout, the name proposed for each street and the pro-
posed numbering for each lot, and (2) an alphabetical
list of the proposed street names, together with an al-
ternate name for each name proposed. The Transporta-
tion Commission shall review the proposed street -
naming and numbering program for duplication of
names, appropriateness of names, and for overall com-
pliance with the street -naming and numbering policy.
The Commission may modify or amend the program as
it deems necessary in order to bring it into confor-
mance with the street -naming and numbering policy.
The decision of the Commission may be appealed to the
City Council within fifteen (15) days after action by the
Commission. The approved street names and num-
bering shall be included in the final map which is sub-
mitted to the City Council for approval and for recor-
dation.
41
Sample Property -Numbering Ordinance
North Carolina League of Municipalities
An ordinance establishing a property -numbering
system for the (city) (town) of North
Carolina.
The (governing body) of the (city) (town) of
does ordain as follows:
§ 1. Numbering Map
The property numbering map entitled "Property Num-
bering Map, dated North
Carolina," is hereby adopted as the official property -
numbering map of the (city) (town) of , North
Carolina, and all property numbers assigned shall be as-
signed in accordance with this numbering map, and no
other property numbers shall be used or displayed in the
(city) (town) of , except numbers assigned in ac-
cordance with the official numbering map. The property -
numbering map shall be kept on file in the office of the
(City) (Town) Clerk.
§ 2. Numbering System
On the property -numbering map, is hereby
designated as the North-South axis and is
hereby designated as the East-West axis, and all avenues,
streets, and alleys running generally North and South
shall be numbered from the East-West axis consecutively
to the corporate limits of the extremity of such avenue,
alley, or street. Avenues, streets, or alleys running gen-
erally East and West shall be numbered from the North-
South axis in the same manner. Wherever possible, one
hundred (100) numbers shall be allowed to each block so
that the number of each consecutive block shall com-
mence with consecutive hundreds and one.
One whole number shall be assigned for every fifty (50)
feet of ground whether improved property or vacant lot on
every street within the corporate limits, excluding the
business district in which case one whole number shall be
assigned for every twenty-five (25) feet whether im-
proved property or vacant lot. Odd numbers shall be as-
signed to the West side of the street on all North-South
streets, and even numbers to the East side. On East-West
streets, odd numbers shall be assigned to the South side
of the street and even numbers to the North side.
§ 3. Owners to Purchase Numbers
Every property owner of improved property shall, on or
before the day of , 19 , pur-
chase and display in a conspicuous place on said property
the number assigned.
§ 4. Numbers for Future Buildings
All residence and business buildings erected after the
adoption of this ordinance shall be assigned a number in
accordance with the property -numbering map and shall
purchase and display such number as provided in §3 of
this ordinance.
§ 5. Unlawful to Deface Number
It shall be unlawful for any person to alter, deface, or
take down any number placed on any property in ac-
cordance with this ordinance, except for repair or replace-
ment or such number.
Excerpts from Peoria County, Illinois*
Land Subdivision Regulations
5.28 STREET NAMES AND NUMBERS
5.281 The continuation of an existing street shall have
the same name. The name of a new street shall not
duplicate the name of an existing street within the
area served by the same post office or fire depart-
ment.
5.282 Each plat for a new subdivision in areas where sur-
veys have been made to establish the County Uni-
form Numbering Grid shall contain the block num-
ber for each four hundred forty (440) feet of street
or road frontage, together with designation of
whether North, South, East, or West of the base
line, and shall further show at sixty (60) foot inter-
vals along the street frontage the last two numbers
* Adopted 1968, revised in 1976,
Y!
of the house number assigned to such point. Said
house numbering shall be on the basis of one num-
ber for each thirty (30) feet of frontage, but only
every other number be required to be shown.
6.33 The subdivider shall provide the subdivision with
street signs at the intersection of all streets.
7.11 The preliminary plat shall show all existing condi-
tions required above in topography data and show
all proposals, including, but not necessarily limited
to, the following:
a. Streets: Names, right-of-way widths, approxi-
mate grades and gradients.
7.2 PLATS AND DATA FOR FINAL APPROVAL
c. Name of each street or other rights-of-way.
A Sample Ordinance, Athens, Georgia
An ordinance to amend the code of the city of
Athens, Georgia, (1962) by adding thereto a provi-
sion for numbering buildings and to provide punish-
ment for failure to do so.
Be it ordained by the Mayor and Council of the city of
Athens, and it is hereby ordained by authority of the
same, as follows:
§ 1. That the Code of the city of Athens, Georgia,
(1962) be amended by adding thereto the following to be
known as §23-20(a):
§23-20(a):
1. Designation of Street Numbers
(a) Street numbers for dwelling units and places of
business on all public and private streets shall be
assigned by the Planning Commission in accor-
dance with its administrative procedures.
(b) The Athens -Clarke County Planning Commission
shall keep a record of all numbers assigned under
this ordinance.
2. Posting of Designated Street Address
(a) The owner or occupant or person in charge of any
house or building to which a number has been
assigned will be notified in writing by the Building
Inspection Office of the number assigned to the
same at any time after the adoption of this ordi-
nance.
(b) Within sixty (60) days after the receipt of such writ-
ten notification from the Building Inspection Of-
fice, the owner or occupant or person in charge of a
house or building to which a number has been as-
signed shall affix the number in a conspicuous
manner in a conspicuous place.
(c) It shall be the duty of such owner or occupant or
person in charge thereof upon affixing the new
number to remove any different number which
might be mistaken for, or confused with, the num-
ber assigned to said structure by the Commission.
(d) Each principal building shall display the number
assigned to the frontage on which the front en-
trance is located. In case a principal building is oc-
cupied by more than one business or family dwell-
ing unit, each separate front entrance may display
a separate number.
(e) Numerals indicating the official numbers for each
principal building or each front entrance to such
building shall be posted in a manner as to be legible
and distinguishable from the street on which the
property is located.
3. New Structures
(a) Numbers will be assigned to each proposed lot or
tract on the surveyors' copies of Final Subdivision
Plats by the Athens -Clarke County Planning Com-
mission.
(b) No building permit shall be issued for any principal
building until the owner or developer has procured
from the Building Inspector of the city of Athens
the official number of the premises. Final approval
for a certificate of occupancy of any principal build-
ing erected or repaired after the effective date of
this ordinance shall be withheld until permanent
and proper numbers have been displayed in accor-
dance with the requirements of No. 2 above.
4. Penalties
(a) In the event that the owner or occupant or person
in charge of any house or building refuses to com-
ply with the terms of this ordinance by failing to
affix the number assigned within sixty (60) days
after notification, or by failing within said period of
sixty (60) days to remove any old numbers affixed
to such house, or house entrance, or elsewhere,
which may be confused with the number assigned
thereto, he shall be punished as provided for in
§9-4 of the Code of the city of Athens, Georgia,
(1962) as amended.
5. Effective Date
This ordinance shall take effect and be in full force and
effect thirty (30) days from after its passage.
§2. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict
herewith are repealed.
43
King County State of Washington
Jahn D. Spellman, County Executive
Department of Planning
and Community Development
Thomas M. Ryan, Director
BUILDING AND LAND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION
Edward B. Sand, Manager
450 King County Administration Building
Seattle. Washington 98104
206-344-7900
TO: RESIDENT
SUBJECT: ADDRESS CORRECTION
A recent survey indicates that there are many address errors in
King County. The County Building and Addressing Code (Ordinance
Number 1017) requires that every building have an address which
conforms to the grid system established for King County. In addition
the proposed "911" program for rapid central dispatch of emergency
aid (fire, police, ambulance, aid car, etc.) makes it imperative that
these errors be corrected as rapidly as possible.
A study of your area indicates your address to be in error for one
or more of the following reasons:
1. Number is out of proper sequence .
2. Number does not indicate correct distance.
3. —Number series presently in use is incorrect or
misleading.
4. Odd or even number on wrong side of roadway.
5. _ Principal entrance does not face the street as
now addressed.
6. —New street intersection makes present number
outmoded.
7. —Change of road pattern makes present number
outmoded.
Change of street designation.
9. _Designation of private roadway
(over)
ADDRESS CORRECTION
10. __._ Identical numbers on similar street, avenue,
place, etc
11. _ Not using assigned address.
i2. ` No address presently assigned
13. _ Change from rural route and box number to
urban type address.
14. _ Present address is misleading.
15.
Therefore it is necessary to correct this address as shown on the
attached official Address Notice. Please do not use the new address
before the effective date. We will assist you by notifying the agencies
listed on the notice. The post office will also assist you with your
address correction.
The ordinance also requires that all buildings, residential or comm-
ercial, have the correct address displayed in a conspicuous place
over or near the principal entrance. The numbers must be easily
legible figures not less than two inches (211) high and in a color
contrasting to the building background. (Your fire chief recommends
reflective numbers.) The post office also requires correct, easily
legible numbers on your mailbox which are not obscured by the flag.
We regret any inconvenience this change may cause you but we know
you will recognize the importance of this correction.
If you have any questions regarding this matter please contact the
Addressing Section, phone 344-7980.
Lorraine Crist, ,
Vera Grover,
Address Technicians
Attachment: Address Notice
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Sample Address Correction Form
King County, Washington
King County Building and
Land Development Division
450 King County Administration Bldg.
(206) 344-7980
ADDRESS NOTICE
NAME
The County Building and Addressing
Code (Ord. #2096) requires every
building to have a correct address.
Because the one you are now using
is not consistent with the county's
established numbering system it is
necessary to correct your address
from
(old address)
to
Effective date
We will notify the following:
Post Office Phone Co Water Dist
Assessor Light Co Sewer Dist
Election Dept Gas Co Fire Dist
Date By
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