Addressing and Road Naming
Ordinance
1.
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to establish a
uniform system for addressing, road naming, and for the enforcement thereof as
it relates to the properties and buildings throughout the county’s jurisdiction
in order to support services dependent upon physical
addresses.
2.
Authority
The provisions of this ordinance are adopted
under authority granted by the North Carolina General Statutes Chapter
153A-240.
3.
Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of this ordinance includes
the entire unincorporated geographic area of
4.
Numbering System
A frontage unit (standard interval in feet)
shall be assigned for every 5.28 feet of ground whether improved property or
vacant lot on every street/road within the entire geographical area of
5.
Road Name Signs
Road name signs shall be acquired and
installed for unincorporated areas of
6.
Definitions
For the purpose of this ordinance, the
following terms are defined below.
Unless specifically defined, words or phrases used in this ordinance
shall be interpreted to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to
give this ordinance the most reasonable application.
Board of Commissioners:
Building: A structure having a roof supported by
columns or walls for the shelter, support or enclosure of persons, animals, or
equipment and requiring a separate power meter to be installed for the building
to have electrical service. This
will also include mobile homes or manufactured homes. For the purposes of this ordinance, the
term “building” may also include other manmade structures meeting the same
requirement as in the first sentence.
Driveway: A private road, easement, or private
right-of-way, giving access from a public road, private road, or private
right-of-way, leading to a building.
A driveway does not serve more than two buildings that have or require
separate power meters to be installed for electrical
service.
Frontage unit: A frontage unit is a standard interval in
feet used to assign consecutive property numbers on a street or road. The standard frontage unit adopted for
use throughout
House number: The number assigned by the Property Address
Coordinator to any building for the purpose of identification of the
location.
Mailing address: The address assigned by the Property Address
Coordinator and used by the United States Postal Service for the purpose of
delivery of the
Official Road Name:
The road name list and the road name map on file with the Transylvania
Count 911 Emergency Operations shall be the official road names and map for
Private Road:
Any road, which is not maintained by the North Carolina Department of
Transportation and/or municipality through the use of public funds, or is not a
driveway as defined by this ordinance.
Property Address Coordinator:
The official of
Road:
A public or private one-way or two-way road for ingress and/or
egress. Such roads may be of
various types including frontage roads, rear access roads, roads with
cul-de-sacs and dead-end roads.
This definition includes secondary roads, but does not include
driveways.
Road Sign:
A metal blade and necessary hardware used to convey a road name and,
where applicable, the state road number.
State Road Number:
A number assigned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation,
also known as the “SR Number” for secondary state-maintained
roads.
7.
Renaming a Road
a.
Request
for name changes must include a completed petition signed by at least 66% of the
property owners along the affected road.
b.
A
petition to change an existing road name must include a fee to cover all
associated costs.
c.
Petition
applications may be obtained at the Transylvania County 911 Emergency Operations
Center,
d.
A unique
name must be chosen (
e.
All
existing road names, which were in use before the effective date of this
ordinance, will be grandfathered into use except in the case of road name
duplication. After new addresses
are delivered to each respective postal district, residents will have fourteen
days to petition the 911 office for a new road name in the event the petitioner
is unhappy with the name which was assigned to his road. After the fourteen days expire, no
appeals to change the road name will be accepted for one (1)
year.
f.
The
Property Address Coordinator will review requests to determine if all procedures
are met and to ascertain that the proposed name does not duplicate an existing
name nor does not have a sound-alike name, and also to ensure that the petition
meets all other requirements of this ordinance.
8.
Guidelines for Naming an Unnamed
Road
a.
Choose a
unique name (
b.
To avoid
confusion, do not select names that sound similar to other road names or
subdivision names.
c.
Use
short names that are easier to understand when spoken and will be cost efficient
when purchasing road signs. Choose
names with fewer than fifteen characters in total length, including spaces, but
not including suffixes.
d.
Avoid
special characters such as hyphens, apostrophes, periods or
decimals.
e.
Do not
use North, South, East or West.
f.
Do not
use personal or proper names. There
are many people with the same first or last names, which could create confusion
when trying to locate a particular road.
g.
Do not
use numbers as part of a road name.
h.
Do not
select discriminatory names.
i.
Names
that have historical or geographical significance may be
selected.
j.
Select
names of birds, fish, animals, plants, trees or flowers that are indigenous to
the area.
k.
When
selecting a road name, choose two (2) alternate names in case the primary name
has already been selected or is already in use.
9.
Addressing
a.
All
roads, both public and private, shall be named and addressed if three (3) or
more addressable buildings, including mobile homes, are located on and accessed
by them.
b.
When
each building has been assigned its respective address, the Property Address
Coordinator in cooperation with the United States Postal Service shall notify by
letter or in person the owners, occupants, or agents of the affected building
advising of the new address.
10.
Display of Address
Numbers
a.
The
official address number must be displayed on the front of a building or at the
entrance to a building, whichever is most clearly visible both day and night
from the street or road.
b.
If a
building is more than 100 feet from any road, the address number shall be
displayed at the end of the driveway or easement nearest the road which provides
access to the building.
c.
Numerals
indicating the address number of a single-family dwelling shall be at least four
inches in height and shall be posted and maintained so as to be legible from the
road.
d.
Numerals
for multiple dwelling units and non-residential buildings shall be at least six
(6) inches in height and shall be placed on the front of the building facing the
road or on the end of the building nearest the road.
e.
Numerals
must be of contrasting color to the background. It is preferable that these numbers be
reflective to ensure better visibility at night.
f.
Mobile
home lots shall have sequential address numbers throughout the mobile home
park. Each lot will have a separate
address number assigned. The
address number of each lot must be clearly displayed on the mobile home which is
located on that lot and must be clearly visible from the road. If the lot is more than 100 feet from
the road, the address number shall be displayed at the end of the road or
easement giving access to that mobile home.
g.
The
address shall be placed on existing buildings within thirty (30) days from the
date of the letter of notification.
11.
New Address
Assignment
a.
The
owner, occupant, or person in charge of any house or business in need of an
address in the unincorporated area of
b.
No
building permit shall be issued for any principal building until the owner or
occupant has procured from the Property Address Coordinator, Addressing Section,
the official address of the premises.
c.
Final
approval for a certificate of occupancy of any principal building erected or
repaired after the effective date of this ordinance shall be withheld until a
permanent and proper address has been displayed in accordance with the
requirements outlined in this ordinance.
d.
No
certificate of completion will be issued for mobile home parks until address
numbers are properly displayed for each lot within the
park.
e.
The
record plat of any subdivision must show the address for each lot created or
recorded. No building permit shall
be issued until an official house number has been assigned for a lot, and no
certificate of completion will be issued until address numbers are properly
displayed.
f.
The
person or business applying for a building permit that will result in the
establishment of a road that will have three or more buildings as defined will
be required to first submit the proposed names of the road(s) to the Property
Address Coordinator, and then submit a fee determined by the Property Address
Coordinator to cover the cost of installing the required road name
signs.
12.
Property Address
Coordinator
a.
The
Property Address Coordinator is hereby designated administrator of this
ordinance and shall have authority to verify, modify or assign addresses and to
enforce the requirements of this ordinance.
b.
The
Property Address Coordinator shall assign and maintain a record of all addresses
for
c.
The
Property Address Coordinator shall maintain a database of existing road names,
such that duplication and sound-alike road names are neither assigned nor
approved.
d.
The
Property Address Coordinator shall submit to the board of commissioners on a
monthly basis a list of any changes to road names required to execute this
ordinance.
13.
Amendments
The Transylvania
County Board of Commissioners will, before adoption, review amendments to this
ordinance.
14.
Variances and
Exceptions
The Property Address
Coordinator may issue variances and exceptions from the requirements of this
ordinance such that would not be contrary to the public interest, or the spirit
and intent of this ordinance, and where, due to special conditions, a literal
enforcement of the provisions of this ordinance would result in an unnecessary
hardship. In granting a variance,
the Property Address Coordinator may prescribe appropriate solutions, as it
deems necessary to preserve the intent of this ordinance. In granting a variance or exception to
this ordinance, the Property Address Coordinator must determine the
following:
a.
Special
conditions and circumstances exist which are peculiar to the road naming or
addressing involved, and which are not applicable to other roads or
addresses.
b.
The
literal interpretation of the provisions of this ordinance would deprive the
applicant of rights commonly enjoyed by other citizens.
c.
Special
conditions and circumstances do not result from the actions of the applicant;
and
d.
Granting
the variance requested will not confer on the applicant any special privilege
that is denied by this ordinance to other citizens.
e.
All
variances and exceptions granted will be forwarded to the board of commissioners
for their information.
15.
Appeals
The board of
commissioners will handle appeals.
Any person wishing to have an appeal heard shall submit his request to
the clerk to the board of commissioners.
A time and date for the appeal to be heard will be set at that
time.
16.
Enforcement
After the effective date of this ordinance, any person, firm, or agent
thereof who intentionally violates this ordinance shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor, for the conviction of which, the maximum penalty by law may be
imposed. Each day’s continuing
violation is a separate and distinct offense. Owners or occupants of buildings already
constructed which do not comply with this ordinance will be notified and
requested to meet these requirements within thirty (30) days from the date of
the notification. A warning notice
will be issued after sixty (60) days if the requirements have not been met. If the owner or occupant does not comply
voluntarily with this ordinance within thirty (30) days of delivery of a warning
notice by mail or by hand delivery to the building in violation, enforcement
action pursuant to NCGS 153A-123 may be initiated.
17.
Limitation of
Liability
The county,
directors, officers and agents are not liable for any damages in civil action
for injuries, death or loss to persons or property incurred by any person as a
result of any act or omission of any of its employees, directors, officers or
agents, except for willful or wanton misconduct, in connection with developing,
adopting, implementing, maintaining or operating any 911
system.
18.
Severability
Should any section or provision of this article be decided by a court of
competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall
not affect the validity of the article as a whole or any part thereof other than
the part so declared to be unconstitutional or invalid.
19.
Previous Ordinances Null and
Void
This ordinance shall supersede and replace all
Approved this 26th day of April,
2004
______________________________
ATTEST:
Raymond D. Miller, Chairman
_______________________________
Kimberly T. Conover,
Clerk to Board