Title
CITY OF FOLEY ADDRESSING ORDINANCE
Body
BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Foley at its meeting on the 6th day of January, 2014 as follows:
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Ordinance is:
1) To establish a uniform city wide system of assigning addresses to facilitate the locating of buildings in order to protect the public health and safety by enabling a quicker response time by police, fire, ambulance, and other emergency services.
2) To establish the authority of the city to issue and/or change addresses and/or street names as outlined in this ordinance.
3) To establish guidelines for non-compliance of this ordinance.
DEFINITIONS:
ADDRESS means the combination of a number, street name, type, prefix and/or suffix.
ADDRESS NUMBER means a set of numbers as assigned.
STREET means the full right-of-way of a thoroughfare which affords the principal means of access to abutting property.
PRIVATE STREET/EASEMENT means a privately owned and maintained street/easement that provides access to multiple structures.
STREET NAME means a proper name of the street.
STREET PREFIX shall be considered North, South, East or West and shall appear just before the proper name and shall be abbreviated N, S, E, or W, or any combination thereof.
STREET SUFFIX shall be considered North, South, East or West and shall appear just after the proper name and shall be abbreviated N, S, E, or W, or any combination thereof.
STREET TYPE shall describe the type of street and will adhere to E-911 standard abbreviations.
ADDRESSING GUIDELINES:
NUMBERING
1) Even numbers shall be on the South and East sides of the street, and odd numbers shall be on the North and West sides of the street.
2) If a street changes direction, the established numbering remains the same throughout the entire length of the street.
STREET NAMES
1) Street names must be approved in advance by Community Development Department and E-911 personnel prior to the approval of a subdivision or the naming of a private or public street.
2) The Mayor and Council shall have the authority to name streets within the city limits of Foley or change the name of a street as deemed necessary, subject to E-911 review.
3) Developers may request names for new streets provided the names are approved as required by this ordinance.
4) A street shall not be given a name which duplicates the name of any other street, or which is similar enough to an existing street name to cause confusion in an emergency situation.
STREET SIGNS
In cooperation with standards for signs, signals, and pavement markings throughout the United States as established by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and in conjunction with Traffic Sign Retro Reflectivity Policies and other requirements, the following street sign guidelines are hereby implemented.
1) Official colors for city street signs will be green with white lettering.
2) Official colors for private street signs will be blue with white lettering.
3) A subdivision developer will be responsible for making sure all street signs are installed prior to final plat approval.
4) Private street signs will be the responsibility of the developer or property owner. All street names must be approved prior to any sign being installed.
DISPLAY OF ADDRESS:
1) The assigned address numbers shall be placed on the front of the structure and shall be placed in a position that is plainly legible and visible from the street.
2) If the structure is not visible from the street, the number must also be clearly posted on a mailbox or sign at the entrance of the driveway.
3) Address numbers displayed on building fronts shall be of a contrasting and/or reflective color to their background and shall not be less than four inches (4") in height.
4) The owner shall be requested to comply with properly displaying the address within thirty (30) days from the date of notification. If the owner has not properly displayed their address after thirty (30) days, the owner will be considered in non-compliance.
CHANGING ADDRESS NUMBERS:
It shall be the policy of this ordinance to discourage the practice of changing existing addresses or address numbers which are already in use except:
1) When the existing address number is not in sequence and/or does not run consecutively in the same direction as the city address system.
2) When the existing number is such that the assignment of address numbers for new structures is not practical in keeping with the requirements.
3) When a new street is constructed which results in the most appropriate address for the structure to be off of the new street rather than the original street.
4) When an addressing duplication occurs.
5) When the address of an annexed structure results in any of the above mentioned situations, the address number may be changed to be in compliance with this ordinance.
6) When circumstances clearly make the dispatching of emergency vehicles impractical and it is determined that an address needs to be changed for safety and emergency purposes.
CHANGING EXISTING STREET NAME:
It is the intent of this ordinance to discourage the practice of changing existing street names except:
1) When two identical or similar street names exist.
2) When it is determined an error was made with the incorrect name being printed on the street sign.
3) When the address of an annexed structure results in any of the above mentioned situations, the street name may be changed to be in compliance with this ordinance.
4) When circumstances clearly make the dispatching of emergency vehicles impractical and it is determined that an address needs to be changed for safety and emergency purposes.
NOTIFICATION OF NEW ADDRESS:
Community Development Department personnel shall assign an address and provide the following information to other departments/agencies as needed:
SUBDIVISIONS
1) Vicinity map and addressed plat containing the address number and street name including prefix/suffix.
NEW STRUCTURES
1) The address number and street name including prefix/suffix.
NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS:
Community Development Department personnel shall change an address and provide the following information to other departments/agencies as needed:
ADDRESS CORRECTIONS
1) The Address Correction Notification will be used by Community Development Department personnel when an address is changed pursuant to this Ordinance to notify the resident and/or owner of the following:
A) The old address.
B) The new address.
C) The reason for the change.
2) The owner shall be requested to comply with the address change within a thirty (30) day period of time and to report completion of such change to the Community Development Department immediately after the change is made. If the owner has not changed the address within thirty (30) days, they will be considered in non-compliance of this ordinance.
3) If the owner has not properly displayed the new address on the structure as outlined in this ordinance within thirty (30) days, they will be considered in non-compliance of this ordinance.
4) All expenses incurred from changing the address will be the responsibility of the owner.
NON-COMPLIANCE:
Failing to comply with this ordinance will result in the following actions:
1) A final Notice of Non-Compliance will be sent stating the correct address, which will offer the option to correct the address or to sign the Address Refusal Letter.
2) If the owner does not return the signed Address Refusal Letter by the deadline date, the address will be automatically corrected as stated in the letter and the post office will be notified of the corrected address along with other agencies as deemed necessary.
3) By the owner signing the Address Refusal Letter, the property owner accepts responsibility of the consequences that may result from confusion caused by the address discrepancy during an emergency situation, which will hold harmless and release liability on the City of Foley and/or any emergency response agencies.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately after adoption by The City of Foley and publication as required by law.
SEVERABILITY:
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Ordinance is for any reason held invalid of unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision and such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions thereof.