(A) Authority.
(1) Street address numbers assigned by the county’s E-911 Addressing Department are recognized by the United States Postal Service as mailing addresses.
(2) Street address numbers, subdivision names, and road names on file with E-911 Addressing shall be the official street address numbers.
(B) Jurisdiction. E-911 Addressing shall assign street address numbers in all areas of the county not within the jurisdiction of a municipality, unless otherwise requested. The municipalities of Angier, Coats, Erwin, and Lillington have requested that E-911 Addressing assign all street address numbers within the jurisdictions.
(C) General.
(1) Street address numbers will be assigned every 5.28 feet from the beginning point of each street. The only exception will be existing municipal streets.
(2) The center point of the county shall be the intersection of N.C. 27, N.C. 210, U.S. 401, and U.S. 421 in the Town of Lillington city limits. The center point shall be the beginning point for major roads such as N.C. 27, N.C. 210, U.S. 401, and U.S. 421. The roads that cross the center point shall be addressed with respect to direction (east, west, north, and south). For example, N.C. 27 shall be N.C. 27 W in areas west of Lillington and N.C. 27 E in areas east of Lillington, and U.S. 421 shall be U.S. 421 N in areas north of Lillington and U.S. 421 S in areas south of Lillington.
(3) For numbering purposes, each road within the county’s jurisdiction has a standard beginning point which shall be zero. Exception to this regulation shall be made in cases of municipal streets and/or conflicts with other counties or postal boundaries.
(4) Even street address numbers will be assigned to right side of the road and odd street address numbers will be assigned to the left side of the road, as one would stand with their back toward the beginning point.
(D) Assignment of address.
(1) General address assignments.
(a) All structures shall be addressed relative to their position on a named road. Structures which are facing a named road shall be addressed with the number which falls closest to the front door of that structure or unit.
(b) Structures that are more than 100 feet from a named road shall be addressed where the driveway intersects the named road.
(c) Structures not visible from the named road shall be addressed where the driveway intersects the named road.
(2) Corner lot address assignment. Structures on corner lots shall be assigned multiple street address numbers. A street number shall be assigned for each named road that abuts the lot. The permanent street address number will be determined before the certificate of occupancy is issued using the method outlined above. Street address numbers that are not used shall be purged from the system.
(3) Multifamily address assignment.
(a) One street address number shall be assigned to each multifamily structure. Each unit within the structure shall be assigned a unit designator, which shall be a number and shall not include alphabetic characters.
(b) Unit designators shall be as follows.
1. Lowest floor level unit numbers shall be as follows: 101, 102, 103, and the like;
2. Next floor level unit numbers shall be as follows: 201, 202, 203, and the like; and
3. Unit designators on all floor levels shall be assigned in the same manner.
(E) Display of address.
(1) Display provisions.
(a) The owner(s) of any addressable structure shall post the approved street address number on the structure for the purpose of health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the county. It shall be the responsibility of the property owner(s) to ensure that the display of the street address numbers is properly maintained.
(b) The height of the street address number displayed on a single-family dwelling or detached residential structure shall be a minimum of three inches.
(c) The height of the street address number displayed on a multifamily dwelling or nonresidential structure shall be a minimum of six inches.
(d) Street address numbers shall be of a contrasting color to the background so that they are clearly visible.
(e) The street address number shall be displayed on the structure in a location clearly visible from the public or private right(s)-of-way or dedicated access easement day and night.
(f) When the structure is not clearly visible or is more than 100 feet from the named road, the street address number shall be displayed at the driveway that serves the structure. The display shall be perpendicular to the roadway and shall be clearly visible from both directions of the public or private right(s)-of-way or dedicated access easement day and night.
(g) The street address number shall be displayed on both sides of the mailbox and on the mailbox door when mail is delivered to the structure by the United States Postal Service.
(h) E-911 Addressing shall have the right to authorize and approve alternate methods of displaying street address numbers which meet the intent of this chapter when strict adherence to these standards cannot reasonably be met.
(2) Display enforcement.
(a) No structure shall receive a certificate of occupancy until a street address number has been issued by the E-911 Addressing Department and that street address number is properly displayed as described herein.
(b) Property owner(s) or residents of a structure already constructed shall properly display the street address number as described in compliance with this chapter.
(c) Property that does not comply with the requirements set forth herein shall be considered a violation of this chapter.
(F) Subdivision naming. In no case shall the proposed name for subdivision duplicate or be phonetically similar to existing subdivisions within the jurisdiction of the county. Additionally, the use of initials, acronyms, letters, numbers, and Roman numerals in subdivision names is prohibited.
(1) E-911 Addressing shall approve and maintain subdivision names in all areas of the county not within the jurisdiction of a municipality. As part of the request to provide street address numbers from the municipalities of Angier, Coats, Erwin, and Lillington, the county’s E-911 Addressing Department shall approve and maintain subdivision names within those jurisdictions.
(2) A subdivision name change fee shall be determined by the county’s Board of Commissioners. This is an administration fee for changing the name in all county systems.
(G) Street naming and signs.
(1) Street names.
(a) E-911 Addressing shall approve and maintain road names in all areas of the county not within the jurisdiction of a municipality, unless otherwise requested. As part of the request to provide street address numbers from the municipalities of Angier, Coats, Erwin, and Lillington, the county’s E-911 Addressing Department shall approve and maintain road names within the jurisdictions.
(b) Road names shall be named, renamed, and/or approved in accordance with the road naming guidelines and G.S. § 153A-239.1.
(c) Any access, easement, driveway, or pathway, whether public or private, with three or more addressable structures shall be named.
(d) All streets not on an approved, recorded subdivision plat shall be approved in accordance with this section.
1. Streets within the unincorporated areas of the county shall be presented in a public hearing to the county’s Board of Commissioners for approval.
2. Streets within the municipal areas of the Town of Angier shall be presented in a public hearing to the Town of Angier Board of Commissioners for approval.
3. Streets within the municipal areas of the Town of Coats shall be presented in a public hearing to the Town of Coats Board of Commissioners for approval.
4. Streets within the municipal areas of the Town of Erwin shall be presented in a public hearing to the Town of Erwin Board of Commissioners for approval.
5. Streets within the municipal areas of the Town of Lillington shall be presented in a public hearing to the Town of Lillington Board of Commissioners for approval.
(2) Street name petition.
(a) Street name petition fee shall be determined by the county’s Board of Commissioners. This is an administration fee for researching and processing the petition and advertisement of a public hearing, and is therefore nonrefundable. This fee shall be paid when the subdivision/street name application is submitted.
(b) New street names created shall adhere to the street naming guidelines and shall be subject to the street name petition fee, unless the street is being created through the subdivision process.
(c) New street names created due to E-911 Addressing mandates shall be exempt from the street name petition fee.
(d) Property owners, developers, or petitioners changing the name of existing streets shall adhere to the street naming guidelines and shall be responsible for the street name petition fee.
(e) Proposed street name changes shall be agreed to by a minimum of 75% of the property owners directly affected by the change. Each tax parcel shall have one vote regardless of the number of property owners for that tax parcel.
(f) The county shall not be responsible for any expenses associated with the street naming or street renaming. Any cost for address changes shall be the responsibility of the property owner(s) or resident(s).
(g) Once a street has been named or renamed, there shall be a five-year waiting period before a subdivision/street name application can be filed. If the street name was approved through the subdivision process the five-year period will begin from the subdivision approval date for that phase, if applicable. If the street name was approved by the county’s Board of Commissioners, the five-year period will begin from the county’s Board of Commissioners approval date.
(3) Street signs.
(a) All named roads in the county shall be identified by a sign showing the official name of that road. Signs should be installed according to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and any other applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
(b) Street name sign fees shall be determined by the county’s Board of Commissioners. This fee shall cover the material and labor cost to create and install the sign.
(c) Street name signs shall be a standard color, size, and design, as approved by E-911 Addressing. The sign background color shall be green and the characters and borders shall be white. A yellow tab indicating “Private Road” may only be used on streets that are not state maintained and are not part of any recorded subdivision plat, unless otherwise approved by this chapter.
(d) Property owners, developers, or petitioners creating new streets or changing the name of existing streets shall be responsible for the street name sign fee. Street name sign fees shall be paid before a subdivision plat can be recorded and before any street address numbers are issued.
(e) All street name signs in the unincorporated areas of the county shall be approved, installed, and maintained by E-911 Addressing.
(Ord. passed 10-17-2011; Ord. 2022-03, passed 1-18-2022)