Walker County approves new numeric 911 address for private drive; denies renaming to avoid precedent

Walker County commissioners on May 19 considered a request from residents to name a private drive for 911 addressing but instead approved issuing a new numeric address for a portion of that driveway so the occupant who now accesses the property from a different branch will have a distinct 911 number.

County addressing staff presented three options: keep the existing stem address with alphanumeric suffixes for multiple structures; issue a new numeric address for the center driveway (with alpha suffixes for its structures); or formally name the private drive. Staff said the county already uses alphanumeric suffixes (A/B/C) on more than 3,000 addresses where multiple residences share a private drive.

Several commissioners opposed renaming the drive, saying it would create an expectation among many other property owners. Brandon, a county official, said he ‘‘can’t go along with renaming it,’’ noting the potential for hundreds or thousands of similar requests. The court instead moved to issue a separate numeric address for the middle driveway and readdress the houses that currently use the stem number so that emergency responders will have clearer location information. The motion to add a numeric address in the middle of the drive and readdress affected structures passed.

Discussion vs. decision: the court declined the naming option and approved readdressing that portion of the driveway with a new numeric address (and alphanumeric suffixes, as needed) to reduce confusion for 911 services. Staff noted this is a fairly common occurrence in rural addressing when access patterns change.

Next steps: county addressing staff will assign the new number and update records and signage as appropriate. Staff said there is space in the numbering scheme adjacent to the driveway to issue a new number without broader renumbering of other roads.