UNIFORM RURAL ADDRESS SYSTEM

31.01  Purpose
31.02  Assignment of Road Names
31.03  Standards for Rural Road Names and Signs
31.04  Costs
31.05  Assignment of Building Numbers
31.06  Standards for Building Number Signs
31.07  Responsibility for Installation and Maintenance of Building Number Signs
31.08  Violation and Penalty

31.01 PURPOSE

The purpose of this chapter is to establish the standards and guidelines for the County-wide signing and addressing.  This chapter is designed to promote voluntary compliance with its provisions by the residents of the County.  Implementing a uniform address system helps all members of the community when directing emergency vehicles and law enforcement authorities to accidents, to emergencies, and to potential and actual crime scenes.

31.02 ASSIGNMENT OF ROAD NAMES

  1. Responsibility.  The responsibility for naming all rural public and private roads shall be the responsibility of the E911 Service Board.  The developer of a subdivision may make recommendations to the E911 Service Board regarding the naming or numbering of new roads.
  2. System.  The system for naming is as follows:
    1. Roads that run in a north-south direction are generally called “avenues” and are named in alphabetical order beginning at the County’s western boundary, each mile starting at the westernmost road (A) and proceeding in sequence through the alphabet for each mile east of the western boundary.
    2. Roads that run in an east-west direction are generally called “streets” and are numbered in sequence beginning with the number 100 on the road which is on or nearest to the northernmost boundary of the County and increasing by increments of 10 for each mile south of the northern boundary (... 110, 120, etc.).
  3. Subdivisions.  The official street designations within a new subdivision shall comply with the standards set forth in this chapter.  Any final plat shall show the assigned road name or number prior to recording.  Only those names and numbers assigned by the E911 Service Board are allowed on private road intersections.  Any other roadway designations are in violation of this chapter and shall be removed.

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31.03 STANDARDS FOR RURAL ROAD NAMES AND SIGNS

  1. Road signs erected at the side of the road in unincorporated areas of the County shall be mounted at a height of at least five (5) feet above the grade level of the road.
  2. The road identification signs, known commercially as marker blades, shall have white letters or numbers no less than four (4) inches in height and shall have a green background for all public roads, and a red background for private roads, and shall be made of reflective material of at least engineering grade aluminum.

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31.04 COSTS

Except as otherwise indicated in this section, the County E911 Service Board shall be responsible for the purchase, installation and maintenance of road identification signs at designated road intersections in the unincorporated areas of the County.  Property owners within a subdivision shall be responsible for the purchase, installation and maintenance of road identification signs at intersections within their subdivision.

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31.05 ASSIGNMENT OF BUILDING NUMBERS

Property owners wishing to add a building number to a new or existing building location shall contact the E911 Coordinator to obtain a 9-1-1 Rural Address Application.  The E911 Service Board shall assign and notify property owners of building numbers for residences, businesses and buildings on all public and private streets and roads in unincorporated Washington County, Iowa.

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31.06 STANDARDS FOR BUILDING NUMBER SIGNS

A sign displaying the building number assigned for each residence, business or building shall be erected and maintained according to the following specifications. See Appendix for specifications for rural address sign post and typical residence marker sign.

  1. The building number sign shall be of aluminum material, blue background, fourteen (14) inches wide, six (6) inches high and display the number assigned the residence, business or building in four-inch high, white reflective numerals.
  2. The building number sign shall be located:
    1. No closer than fifteen (15) feet and no further than thirty (30) feet from the near edge of the main access driveway to the residence, business or building;
    2. Within one and one-half (1½) feet of the road right-of-way line or fence on the near side of the road so that the numerals are legible and distinguishable to persons approaching the property from either direction traveling on the road by which the sign is located and can be read by persons from a vertical height of between four (4) and six (6) feet above the road, and shall be kept free from obstructions;
    3. So that the top of the sign shall be placed no lower than four feet, six inches (4¢6²) above the natural ground at the point of installation;
    4. So that the post that secures the sign shall be embedded in the ground a minimum of two (2) feet.
  3. In addition to the building number sign described above, the assigned building number may be affixed on each side of the rural mail box for the property.

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31.07 RESPONSIBILITY FOR INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF BUILDING NUMBER SIGNS

  1. In order to insure uniform installation and maintenance of building number signs and in furtherance of the purpose of Chapter 34A, Code of Iowa, as amended, the E911 Services Board may provide for the purchase, installation and maintenance of any or all of the building number signs in the unincorporated area of Washington County, to be paid for either from funds of the E911 Services Board or fees collected from property owners.
  2. Unless otherwise indicated in this chapter or by future action of the E911 Services Board, it shall be the duty of the property owner to obtain, install, and maintain assigned building number signs at residences, businesses and buildings in the unincorporated area of Washington County.
  3. It shall be the duty of the property owner to remove any different number which might be mistaken for, or confused with, the number assigned to the property.

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31.08 VIOLATION AND PENALTY

In addition to any other penalty imposed for violation of this chapter, defendant shall be required to make restitution for the cost of any necessary installation, repair or replacement of the sign, pursuant to Section 331.302, Subsection 903.1(1)(a) and Section 910, Code of Iowa, as amended.  It shall be a violation of this chapter for any person to:

  1. Willfully and intentionally, without lawful authority, attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down, or remove a road sign or building number sign which has been installed pursuant to this chapter;
  2. Knowingly resist or obstruct anyone known by the person to be acting on behalf of the Board of Supervisors or the E911 Services Board to install, repair or maintain a road sign or building number sign pursuant to this chapter.
  3. Without lawful authority, unintentionally alter, damage, knock down or remove a road sign or building number sign which has been installed pursuant to this chapter and who fails to repair or replace the sign to its pre-existing condition or to pay for the cost of the repair or replacement of the sign.

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