Members of the Floyd County Board of Supervisors directed county staff to review and draft proposed changes to the county’s addressing ordinance and to bring back suggested language for board consideration later in January.

Supervisors said residents and farmers have raised concerns that current addressing rules, adopted in 2017, require a permanent structure or foundation to assign a physical address to a parcel. Multiple supervisors described situations where landowners who keep a trailer or temporary dwelling while building a home or who retain farmland without an existing dwelling lack a valid postal/residential address, which can affect driver’s‑license renewal, voter registration and emergency response. One supervisor said the current rule can effectively deny voting rights to people who lack a permanent address.

The board asked staff to work with the county attorney (Steve) to draft ordinance language that would allow addresses to be assigned to parcels in a way that preserves 911 and emergency‑response requirements while addressing residents’ concerns. Supervisors requested provisions to specify the size and reflective properties of permanent marker signs at driveway entrances so markers are visible to first responders.

Separately, supervisors asked staff to prepare reviews and potential updates of several other local policies and ordinances, including: a false‑alarm ordinance that could add fines for repeated false alarms on monitored systems; the county’s festival ordinance; and the county’s property‑tax due dates (the board discussed moving a deadline to better align with school budgeting). The board asked staff to bring draft language or options back for review as soon as possible — supervisors mentioned aiming for the next day meeting on Jan. 14 or, if that is not feasible, by the end of January.

County staff confirmed they would consult comparable Virginia jurisdictions that have both addressing rules and false‑alarm ordinances and would provide examples and authority language for the board to consider. Supervisors said the goal is to preserve safety and 911 effectiveness while reducing unintended consequences for residents and farmers.