Floyd County adopts new addressing policy to allow addresses for undeveloped lots and multiple addresses per parcel

Floyd County supervisors on May 20 adopted an amendment to the county’s addressing ordinance that allows a property without a structure to receive a street address if the owner shows legal ownership, and permits more than one address on a single parcel when multiple structures have separate occupancy permits. The board set the ordinance to take effect May 1 to give staff time to prepare procedures.

The change responds to repeated testimony during a public hearing from residents who said they already live in permanent, permitted tiny homes, yurts or other non‑traditional dwellings but lack a 911 street address needed for emergency response, driver’s licenses and other services. “It is a permanent fixture home…my underground sewer system and pipes are built into the permanent foundation,” said Laura Hare, Resident, Indian Valley District, describing a 44‑by‑12 foot tiny home she said is on footers and has a certificate of occupancy.

County staff presented two draft ordinance options to the board: both would let a legal lot receive an address without requiring the traditional building‑permit/phone‑line prerequisites; one version retains the building official as the issuing authority, and…