Chapter 19.40

CREATION OF A 911 ADDRESSING SYSTEM

Sections:

19.40.010 Purpose.

19.40.020 Definitions.

19.40.030 Rural addresses.

19.40.040 Urban addresses.

19.40.050 Transition between urban and rural addressing.

19.40.060 Signing.

19.40.070 Private road names.

19.40.080 Implementation responsibilities.

19.40.090 Transition issues.

19.40.100 Information provisions.

19.40.110 Immunity.

19.40.120 Severability.

SOURCE: ADOPTED:

Ord. 409 01/08/91

AMENDED SOURCE: ADOPTED:

Ord. 505 03/23/93

The purpose of this chapter is to establish a uniform system for addressing properties and structures in unincorporated Clallam County as a component of the 911 emergency response system. This chapter will enable implementation of that system until a permanent 911 addressing ordinance is adopted.

The following terms when used in this chapter have the following meanings:

(1) “Rural addressing system” means the type of addressing system in which addresses are determined based on their distance from the origin of the road.

(2) “Urban addressing system” means the type of addressing system in which addresses are determined by rectangular coordinates from established base lines.

(3) “Urban address grid” means an area addressed with an urban addressing system.

(4) “Urban grid boundary” means the perimeter of an area addressed using an urban addressing system, outside of which rural addressing is used.

(5) “Primary access” means the driveway or other access to a given site most likely to be recognized and used, especially by emergency service providers.

(6) Address Road. For each addressed site, the “address road” will be the road on which the primary access for that site originates.

(7) Road Origin. For the purpose of address determination measurements, each public and private road shall have an “origin” designated in accordance with CCC 19.40.030(1)(c).

(8) “False origin” refers to the addition of a fixed distance to all measurements made on a given road, as if that road originated at a different point. It may be used adjacent to an urban address grid such that a road which does not originate at the grid baseline will be projected back to the baseline and measured as if it did originate at the baseline. The purpose of using a false origin will be to prevent address number conflicts around an urban address grid.

(9) “Permanent milepost” means a sign placed along a road showing the distance in miles from that road’s origin to the milepost. Except as indicators of a road origin, mileposts will generally be placed precisely at one mile intervals from the road origin to the end of the road.

(10) “Address distance” means the distance, for address purposes, from the designated origin (or false origin) of the road. Once defined, this distance will not change, even if the actual distance changes due to road alignment changes.

(11) “Private road” means any road other than County roads or Federal or State routes.

(1) Roads.

(a) Road Names. All private and County roads shall be provided with names and identified in the County road index or private road register. A single route will not change names without a good reason. For example, a private road extending from the end of a dead-end County road will retain the same name as the County road, and a single road making a turn that will not later become an intersection will not change names at the turn.

The County shall strive to avoid duplication of road names.

Any road, public or private, serving multiple addresses in such a number or such a configuration that all addresses on said road cannot be adequately addressed as a multiple access driveway, as specified in subsection (2)(a)(ii)(B) of this section, shall be named and addressed with that road name.

Roads or driveways with six (6) or more existing or potential addresses must be named, except as provided for below. Roads or driveways with five (5) existing or potential addresses may be named if a majority of the abutting property owners so choose. Roads or driveways serving fewer than five (5) existing or potential addresses may be named and addressed as private roads if there are unique conditions that prevent the normal method of addressing on a shared driveway from functioning adequately in that situation.

In determining the need for a private road name, undeveloped lots may be excluded from consideration only if those served by the driveway so choose, recognizing that if the number or placement of new addresses changes in a way that cannot meet the above requirement, the driveway must then be named as a private road, and all addresses served by it addressed from that road.

(b) Road Type. Every road name will include the road type designator, such as “Road, Street, Avenue, Lane, Drive, etc.” following the road name, except numbered highways, which may include the designator before the highway number.

(c) Road Origin.

(i) Each road will have a designated origin. Generally, a road’s origin will be the beginning point of the road as accessed from another road, from major to minor roads, and from proximity to US 101, SR 112, and the nearest city or town. These road origins shall be established by the Clallam County Department of Community Development.

(ii) An exception to the above may occur adjacent to an urban address grid. If a road crosses the grid boundary, it may be given a false origin, such that address numbers or ranges of numbers are not duplicated anywhere on that road.

(iii) The precise point of origin for address measurement along a road will be the centerline of the intersecting road or highway. If the road does not originate at an intersection, a milepost type marker will be installed to precisely identify the origin. If a false origin is used, a milepost type marker will be placed where the road actually begins showing the address distance from the false origin to that point.

(d) Use of Directional Designators. If a road extends in two (2) directions from its origin, addresses and signs for each portion will include a directional prefix (N, S, E, or W) before the name, indicating which direction that portion extends from the designated origin. There will be no other use of directional prefixes or suffixes in the rural addressing system except when the road name includes a directional reference to a geographical feature.

(2) Site Address. Each site address will consist of an address number followed by a road name. For multiunit buildings or sites, a unit number may also be used.

(a) Address Number. All address numbers will consist of at least two (2) digits.

(i) Distance from Road Origin. All digits except the final digit indicate the address distance in hundredths of miles from the origin of the address road to the primary access to the site. If road length changes for any reason, the address distance will correspond to the permanent mileposts rather than the actual distance from the road origin. The distance component of addresses on US 101 and SR 112 will correspond to the Washington State Department of Transportation mileposts.

(ii) Final Digit. The final digit will indicate on which side of the address road the site is located, and its relative distance from that road. It may also differentiate sites with driveways closer to each other than 0.01 miles.

(A) Side of Road. When proceeding in the direction of increasing numbers, the last digit will be odd if the address is located on the left side of the road; it will be even if the address is located on the right side of the road.

(B) Relative Distance from Address Road. A final digit of either 0, 1, 2, or 3 will indicate that the site is near the road with either a short driveway or no driveway, or relatively near the road on a multiple access driveway. A final digit of either 6, 7, 8, or 9 will indicate that the location is accessed by a long driveway. A final digit of 4 or 5 may be used for intermediate locations.

On multiple access driveways, the final digit of any address will not be greater than an address located beyond that address on the same driveway. If the addition or relocation of addresses makes it impossible to meet this condition, the driveway must be named and addressed as a separate road.

(C) Adjacent driveways sharing the same address distance. If adjacent driveways are closer than 0.01 mi. (52.8 ft.) and must share the same distance number, the address(es) on the driveway nearest the origin of the address road will generally have a lower final digit than the address(es) on the far driveway, wherever possible.

(b) Optional Directional Prefix. If a road extends in two (2) directions from its origin, the addresses on each portion will include a directional prefix (N, S, E, or W) before the road name, indicating which direction that portion of the road extends from the designated origin. Addresses on each portion will be based on the distance from that common origin point.

(c) Road Name. Every address will include the official or registered name of the public or private road that is the address road for that site. The road name will include the road type designator.

(d) Optional Unit Number. Any addressed site which includes multiple apartments, suites, spaces or other units, may include the appropriate unit number in the address following the road name. The owner of a multi-unit address site will be asked to supply a map or drawing locating each unit adequately for guiding emergency response. Copies of such drawings will be provided to the appropriate emergency response agencies.

(1) Use of Existing City Addressing Systems. Wherever practical, the existing address systems of the municipalities in Clallam County will be incorporated as components of the Clallam County 911 addressing system. Permanent boundaries will be established for the extension of each urban address grid beyond the current city limits of each municipality. Addressing within that boundary will be compatible with the municipality’s addressing system.

(2) Modification of Existing City Addressing Systems. Municipalities may be requested to make certain modifications to their addressing systems in order to insure long term compatibility between addresses inside and outside of that jurisdiction. The Director of the Clallam County Department of Community Development is authorized, on behalf of Clallam County, to develop interlocal agreements with other jurisdictions within the county which will coordinate the transition between urban and rural addressing in the applicable areas.

19.40.050 Transition between urban and rural addressing.

(1) Transition Guidelines. Wherever possible, the Clallam County 911 addressing system will adhere to the following guidelines in coordinating the transition between urban and rural addressing adjacent to municipalities.

(a) Permanent urban address grid boundaries will be established, in consultation with the municipality involved, such that there will be no possibility of duplicate address numbers on any road. Wherever possible, said boundaries will be established to include entire roads in only one system.

(b) Where a road, or the projection of a road crosses an urban grid boundary, a false origin may be established such that the range of address numbers within the urban address grid does not overlap the range of numbers outside the urban address grid.

(c) If the urban grid boundary follows a road, both sides of that portion of the road will be addressed in the same system. Either both sides of the road will use rural addressing, or both sides will use urban addressing.

(2) Interagency Coordination.

(a) Recognizing that it is in the mutual interest of all jurisdictions to prevent addressing conflicts, municipalities within Clallam County are respectfully requested to maintain compatibility with the above guidelines in the course of any future annexations, and any modification to, or implementation of their own addressing ordinances.

(b) Emergency dispatchers will be provided with address information on all roads that cross the city limits sufficient to rapidly and simply determine whether a given address is inside the city.

(c) Comment will be requested from all relevant emergency response agencies on any city-county addressing coordination policy before it is implemented.

(1) Roads. All public and private roads in Clallam County which serve addressable properties or structures will be signed in accordance with the standards of the Department of Public Works. Private road signs will identify the road as private.

(2) Mileposts. Permanent mileposts will be placed on all county roads longer than one mile. These will indicate distance in miles from the designated road origin.

On each road without a readily recognizable origin, a permanent milepost will also be placed near the beginning of the road showing the address distance at that point.

Permanent mileposts will conform to the standards of the Clallam County Department of Public Works.

(3) Addresses. Each addressed site will be provided with a sign showing the address number in white reflectorized numbers on a green reflectorized background. The sign shall be posted in accordance with the standards of the Clallam County Department of Community Development. Although the sign will remain the property of Clallam County, the addressee may relocate or mount the sign in any way that is consistent with the above standards.

Where necessary, additional address signs may be provided to identify individual sites on a common driveway.

(4) Road Origin Reference Points. In order to facilitate ongoing consistency of measurements, a road origin reference point may be established near the beginning of the road. The reference point will be a fixed object, such as a road or traffic sign. The reference point will be identified in a road index, along with the address distance, in thousandths of a mile, from the road origin. The distance may also be posted on a road or traffic sign post. It will show the address distance, in thousandths of a mile, and must be readable by the driver of a vehicle proceeding onto that road.

Road origin reference points will be established in any case where use of the centerline to initiate measurement presents a significant hazard, including all roads originating from US 101 or SR 112. Road origin reference points will be established for any road whose precise point of origin is ambiguous.

19.40.070 Private road names.

(1) Registration. Private road names may be posted and used for addressing purposes only if they are registered with Clallam County. A private road name will not be registered if its similarity to an existing public or private road name is sufficient to confuse emergency response or mail delivery. Signing of an unregistered road name in such a way that emergency response may be mislead is prohibited.

A private road name will not be registered until a reasonable effort has been made to assure that there is no significant opposition to the new name, or that it is acceptable to a majority of its residents and property owners. If there is no available road name which is acceptable to a clear majority of those served by the road, the County may choose a name.

(2) Private Road Register. The Clallam County Department of Public Works shall maintain and make public a register of all public and approved private road names.

(1) The Department of Community Development will assume the following responsibilities under this chapter:

(a) Administration of 911 addressing program;

(b) Assigning of new temporary addresses prior to measurement;

(c) Assigning of new permanent addresses upon completion of initial measurement and address calculation;

(d) Public information and referral;

(e) Creation of a permanent 911 addressing ordinance;

(f) Administering contract(s) for the following services:

(i) Coordination of re-addressing of all addressable locations in unincorporated Clallam County, including training, scheduling, and otherwise facilitating effective volunteer fieldwork;

(ii) Coordination of procurement of materials;

(iii) Preparation of private road register, including coordination of resolution of conflicts, and disputes over private road names;

(iv) Measurement to determine address numbers;

(v) Preparation of informational materials, and address assignment packages for mailing;

(vi) Creation of index of public and private roads with address of origin of each road;

(vii) Coordination with Port Angeles, Sequim, and Forks to ensure mutually acceptable and compatible addresses in the vicinities of these municipalities.

(2) The Department of Public Works will assume the following responsibilities under this chapter:

(a) Installing road signs;

(b) Measuring and installing mileposts and road origin reference points;

(c) Naming of County roads;

(d) Maintenance of road index upon termination of consultant contract;

(e) Registration of private road names upon termination of consultant contract.

(3) Other Tasks and Responsibilities. Recognizing the expressed commitment of several emergency response agencies, and the essential nature of their participation in implementation of the Clallam County 911 addressing system, the Department of Community Development or its consultant(s) may authorize volunteer organizations and their members to carry out appropriate functions under the guidelines contained in this chapter. The County will provide training, materials, and coordination for, and otherwise facilitate such participation, which may include:

(a) Physically locating each addressable site, determining its existing address, and determining the final digit of its new 911 address;

(b) Determining locations for and installing address sign posts;

(c) Installing address sign plates;

(d) Contacting residents to initiate private road naming where appropriate.

(1) Conversion.

(a) Minimum Conversion Area. Unless agreed to by both the applicable fire district and postmaster, all addresses within a single fire station response area will be converted to the new system at one time.

(b) Simultaneous Signing and Notification. As much as possible, address sign plates will be installed at the same time as residents and occupants are notified of their new 911 addresses.

(c) Errors. A reasonable attempt will be made to identify and correct errors as soon as possible after addresses are initially assigned. Suspected errors should be brought to the attention of the Department of Community Development or its consultant(s).

(d) Permanence of Address. It is the intent of this chapter that after the effective date of an address assignment that address will not be changed again as a part of the conversion process.

(2) Road Naming during Transition. Road names requested or assigned during the transition period will be registered as soon as possible. New road names will become official on the effective date of the address assignments for that road. Road signs for newly named roads will be installed at the time of address assignment on that road.

911 addressing will not occur on newly named roads until address measurement is accomplished in the course of the overall program. Wherever possible, residents will be encouraged to use their existing addresses until address measurement is completed on the newly named road.

Where requested, temporary addresses may be assigned on a newly named road prior to determination of permanent addresses. These addresses will be identified as temporary.

(3) New Address Requests during Transition.

(a) If a new address is requested on a road for which address conversion is not yet complete, a temporary address may be assigned until that conversion is complete.

(b) If a new address is requested on a road for which 911 addresses have been assigned, a permanent address will be provided.

(4) Appeals for Variance from Ordinance Standards.

(a) Any decision by the County or its agents or consultants involving road naming or addressing may be appealed. Appeals may be submitted in writing to the Department of Community Development prior to thirty (30) days after the official notice of address change has been sent. Community Development staff will include a statement explaining the consequences of approving the appeal. The appellant will be given an opportunity to respond in writing to any staff statements included with the appeal, before it is sent out to the Review Board. A reasonable attempt will be made to resolve appeals as soon as possible after they are submitted.

(b) The Review Board will consist of representatives of all interested emergency service agencies in Clallam County, as well as agencies or organizations with ongoing responsibility to administer the addressing system. The Board will have the authority to arbitrate road naming conflicts, and to approve any exceptions to the requirements of this chapter which, in its determination, do not compromise the intent of this chapter to facilitate effective emergency response, and to uniquely identify address locations in Clallam County. Copies of the appeal will be sent to each member of the Address Appeals Board for consideration. Written responses will be compiled by the Department of Community Development. The Director of the Department of Community Development will determine whether the appeal can be granted, with or without conditions, while meeting all significant concerns identified by the Review Board. The appellant will be notified in writing of the determination.

(c) One or more public meetings of the Review Board may be held, if necessary to resolve appeals still outstanding after the above written review process. Notice of said public meetings will be published in the official County newspaper and concurrently posted in the affected area at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting. Notice shall include the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting.

(1) Emergency Response Agency Information.

(a) Emergency response agencies will be notified in a timely manner of all temporary or permanent addresses assigned prior to completion of the conversion process in the area involved, and all newly registered road names.

(b) Emergency response agencies will be provided with cross referenced indices of old and new road names and addresses in a timely manner following conversion.

(2) Postal Service Notification. The Postal Service will be notified in a timely manner of all newly registered road names and temporary or permanent addresses assigned by the County.

(3) Addressee Notification. Each resident or occupant will be notified in a timely manner when a 911 address is assigned or re-assigned.

(4) Public Information. Clallam County will make available to the public, for the cost of reproduction, an up-to-date list of all public road names and all registered private road names.

Clallam County shall be immune from any and all civil liability for any actions taken pursuant to this chapter, or for any failure to take action to enforce the provisions of this chapter. It is not the purpose or intent of this chapter to create on the part of Clallam County any special duties or relationships with specific individuals. This chapter has been enacted for the welfare of the public as a whole.

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected.