The purpose of this article is to provide for the creation and maintenance of a uniform countywide system for the assignment of permanent and unique addresses to all principal buildings in Stafford County. This article, by creating such a system, is designed to assist fire and rescue companies, the United States Postal Service, and other agencies in the timely and efficient provision of their services to the residents and businesses of Stafford County.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-901, 8-9-94)

A system for naming roads and assigning numbers to principal buildings, is hereby established. The index of official road names, on file in the office of planning, is hereby adopted and made a part of this article.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-902, 8-9-94)

The director, or his duly authorized agent, shall be responsible for administering the addressing system established herein, in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-903, 8-9-94)

(a)

The director shall determine roads requiring road names, in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(b)

The director shall record all road names assigned under this article, and the subdivision ordinance, in the index of official road names. The director may amend the index of official road names to correct inaccuracies in explanatory material relative to particular roads or to remove road names not approved by the board of supervisors prior to the effective date of this article.

(c)

The director shall be responsible for the assignment of addresses to all existing and future buildings in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(d)

The director shall record all numbers assigned under this article in the atlas of official road names and principal building numbers, on file in the office of planning.

(e)

The director shall be assisted by the guidelines for addressing, on file in the office of planning, in the assignment of all addresses and in the establishment of administrative procedures for the distribution of such addresses. Where the provisions of this article are deemed insufficient to determine the correct procedure for an address assignment, the current guidelines for addressing shall be revised to establish a procedure which reflects the purpose and intent of this article.

(e)

The director shall be responsible for the installation and maintenance of street name signs at all intersections of public roads named under this article.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-904, 8-9-94)

The owner of a principal building shall post the building's assigned number in a manner so as to be visible and distinguishable from the road on which the building fronts. If a building does not front on a road or is not visible from the road, then the number shall be posted at a walk, driveway, or the suitable location so that it is easily discernible from the road. The number shall be posted in a manner which clearly associates the number with the building to which it has been assigned. The number shall be Arabic numerals only. The cost of such posting shall be the responsibility of the property owner.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-905, 8-9-94; Ord. No. O05-35, 6-21-05)

(a)

Addresses shall be reserved for named roads. Buildings along such roads shall be identified by reference to the addressing system adopted herein.

(b)

Property owners of existing buildings and those buildings issued a building permit prior to the system becoming operational along the road from which the building is addressed shall comply with the provisions of this article within one year of the date of notification of an address assigned by the director.

(c)

Property owners of future buildings and those buildings issued a building permit after the system is operational along the road from which the building is addressed shall comply with the provisions immediately upon receipt of an address by the director.

(d)

Building permits for buildings along roads where the system is operational shall be issued only after an official address is assigned in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(e)

Occupancy permits for buildings along roads where the system is operational shall only be issued after proper posting of the building number is completed in accordance with this article.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-906, 8-9-94)

(a)

Road names shall be assigned to all public and private vehicular accesses serving more than one principal building, when such buildings cannot be clearly identified from any intersecting road.

(b)

Road names shall not duplicate or closely approximate road names already assigned. Family surnames may be used as road names.

(c)

The board of supervisors may name or rename an existing or newly established road at any time by amending and reordaining this article, in accordance with section 15.2-2204 of the Code of Virginia (1950), as amended. Changes in road names involving only road name prefixed or suffixes, including but not limited to, "street," "road," "avenue," "boulevard," "drive," "way," "place," "lane," or "court," shall be subject only to administrative review and approval by the county administrator or the administrator's designee. The naming or renaming of any road shall be in accordance with by the current guidelines for naming roads, on file in the office of planning.

(d)

Road names must be found in the Cambridge Dictionary. Any modification to this regulation shall be approved by the director of the planning department.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-907, 8-9-94; Ord. No. 001-20, 3-20-01; Ord. No. O05-25, 6-21-05)

(a)

Building numbers shall be assigned to all principal buildings within Stafford County.

(b)

Odd numbers shall be assigned on the left side of a road, and even numbers to the right side of a road. Left and right shall be determined from the perspective of a traveler moving away from the road origin in a forward motion.

(c)

The board of supervisors may, by resolution, establish a road's origin. In the absence of a board resolution, the origin of a road shall be the end point with the greatest average daily traffic (ADT), as determined from the most current Virginia Department of Transportation counts, when available. In cases where no ADT counts are available, the origin shall be the end point where it is most reasonable to expect traffic to be the greatest.

(d)

In subdivisions requiring the submission of a preliminary plan, where this chapter precludes subdivision of individual lots, and in manufactured home parks, numbers shall be assigned lot by lot. In all other cases, numbers shall be assigned at a twenty-foot interval along the centerline of the road on which the property has direct vehicular access to.

Addresses for corner lots or lots which front on more than one road shall be assigned on the road that the driveway originates. If the driveway accesses both roads, then the address shall be assigned to the road on which a building fronts. If the driveway accesses both roads and the building is situated at an angle then the address shall be assigned to either road at the discretion of the agent or his designee.

(e)

A building on a parcel fronting a named road, and clearly identifiable from that road, shall bear the number assigned to the interval which captures the midpoint of the building front. In all other cases, a building shall bear the number assigned to the interval which captures a majority of the building driveway.

(f)

In cases where a building is occupied by more than one business, each separate office, commercial, or industrial space shall be designated by a suite number or similar designation. The suite number or like designation, shall be separate from the number assigned to the building and shall be indicative of the floor on which the business is located.

(g)

In cases where a building is occupied by more than one residential unit, each separate front entrance shall be assigned a building number; no number shall be assigned to the building as a whole. When at least one unit has no separate front entrance, each unit shall be designated by an apartment number or like designation. The apartment number or like designation, shall be separate from the number assigned to the building and shall be indicative of the floor on which the apartment is located.

(h)

In cases where the quantity of available numbers along a segment of road is fewer than the number of units which require a number along that segment of road, alphanumeric numbers shall be assigned when whole numbers have been exhausted.

(i)

In cases where a building is located on a corner lot, the address shall be assigned from the street where primary ingress and egress is obtained.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-908, 8-9-94; Ord. No. O05-03, 3-15-05; Ord. No. O05-03, 3-15-05)

(a)

When a citizen is aggrieved by the application of the provisions of this article to property owned by such citizen, an appeal may be made to the county administrator.

(b)

Such appeal shall be in writing and state the nature of the appeal. The county administrator shall interpret the appeal as reasonable or unreasonable, and shall affirm or not affirm the decision of the director, accordingly. Where the decision of the director is not affirmed, the county administrator shall instruct the director to provide redress in a manner consistent with the purpose and intent of this article.

(c)

When an appeal is determined to be unreasonable by the county administrator, the appellant, at his sole discretion, may appeal to the board of supervisors through the county administrator. All such appeals shall be forwarded to the board of supervisors for their consideration. The decision of the board of supervisors, in an appeal under this section, shall be final.

(Ord. No. 094-29, § 28-909, 8-9-94)