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Saint Mary's EMA urges residents to post legible house numbers under Ordinance 85
Summary
Greg DeBauer, Saint Mary's Emergency Management Coordinator, reminded residents about city Ordinance 85 (enacted Oct. 19, 1998) requiring visible address numbers, citing safety and response-time concerns and specifying size and placement requirements.
Greg DeBauer, Saint Mary's Emergency Management Coordinator, told the City Council on April 21 that local Ordinance 85 requires property owners and occupants to post and maintain visible address numbers and that compliance affects emergency response times.
DeBauer said the ordinance, enacted Oct. 19, 1998, requires address numbers to be at least 4 inches high and to contrast with their background so they are legible from the sidewalk, the road and the opposite side of the street, day or night. “It shall be the responsibility of each and every property owner, trustee, lessee, agent and occupant of each resident, apartment building, business or industry to purchase, post and maintain … address numbers as required under this policy at all times,” he read.
He said additional numbers should be posted at the intersection of long driveways with a public street when residences are set back from the road; those additional numbers must also be at least 4 inches high, visible day or night and placed on a post or structure at least 48 inches (4 feet) above the ground. DeBauer noted industrial or commercial structures in low-density areas should display numbers at least 10 inches high, and apartment building primary entrances should display numbers at least 6 inches high.
DeBauer urged residents to replace worn or weathered mailbox numbers and, when multiple homes share a driveway, to install a sign or post listing the house numbers at the driveway entrance. He declined to recommend ordinance changes and said the current language is adequate but needs reiteration and public awareness. “Every minute counts, every second counts when we're trying to find a residence,” DeBauer said.
Council members and staff discussed options for public outreach; the city manager agreed to post reminders, and a council member suggested posting ordinance excerpts and guidance on the city's Facebook page. Council members also described signage and curb-painting approaches used in other municipalities. No amendment to the ordinance was proposed at the meeting.
