Elk Grove Municipal Code Ch. 12.26 Street Naming and Numbering System

A uniform system of naming and numbering streets within the City is hereby established in order to: continue an orderly system for street naming, to remove conflicts, duplications or uncertainty among street names, promote the public interest, safety, welfare, and convenience. The system will facilitate rapid location of properties for emergency services, law enforcement, postal delivery, and business delivery.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

The City Engineer or his/her designee shall allow for the naming, numbering, renaming and renumbering of streets within the City pursuant to the standards contained herein. For the purposes of this section, a street shall include a City street or a private street.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

Street names shall be assigned based on the lot/parcel frontage on the street. Frontage shall mean the general place of access to a building or structure that a person would use for normal ingress and egress. Any street name shall have a maximum of fourteen (14) characters, not including the roadway designator.

In order to maintain uniformity within the City, newly constructed streets that are extensions or in line with existing streets should, to the extent feasible, use the existing street’s name. The new street may add directional notation to the existing street’s name to differentiate.

When a name has not been assigned to a street, the City Engineer may assign names to any existing street that is shown on any recorded map, any existing street that is not shown on any recorded map, or any private street or any irrevocable offer of dedication shown on any map or in any deed.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

Street names shall not be used to identify driveways in commercial centers, office building parking lots, rural access easements, or entrances that have the appearance of a street.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

The City has established the veterans and public safety street naming program, which recognizes qualifying individuals who have served in the military or in public safety roles in the Elk Grove area. Individuals approved through this program will have their names placed on a list from which the City Engineer or their designee will pull the next available name when assigning a street name to a qualifying development project as provided in EGMC Section 12.26.040 (Street names in new subdivisions). Evaluation of eligibility under this program shall be as established by resolution of the City Council.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025; Ord. 19-2025 § 3, eff. 10-10-2025)

The following street names are prohibited:

A. Names already in use within the City unless an extension of the street.

B. Similar sounding street names.

C. Names involving profanity or vulgarity.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

The following suffixes shall be applied to all names approved pursuant to this chapter:

A. Except as hereinafter provided, the term “street” is used for streets which generally extend in a northerly and southerly direction, regardless of width.

B. Except as hereinafter provided, the term “avenue” is used for streets which generally extend in an easterly and westerly direction, regardless of width.

C. Except as hereinafter provided, the term “drive” is used for streets which are forty-six (46' 0") feet or greater in width, and are not designated as streets or avenues.

D. The term “way” is used for streets which are less than forty-six (46' 0") feet in width, and are not designated streets or avenues.

E. The term “road” is used for streets which are sixty (60' 0") feet or greater in width, and are situated in a rural area of the City. As identified in the City General Plan, “road” may also be applied to a private street less than sixty (60' 0") feet in width.

F. The terms “court” or “place” are used for streets which terminate in a cul-de-sac with no intermediate access.

G. The term “circle” is used for streets which begin and terminate in the same street, with no intermediate access.

H. The term “boulevard” is used for streets which are major traffic thoroughfares.

I. The term “lane” is used for a private street that is not maintained by the City.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

Prior to the approval of any final map or parcel map, the developer shall submit a list of names to the City Engineer or their designee for approval. The process of approval of the names shall be as follows:

A. The proposed names submitted by the developer are reviewed by the City Engineer or their designee. If any of the names are not approved, the City Engineer or their designee shall notify the developer and the developer will be required to submit new names for approval. Once all the street names have been approved, these names will be shown on the approved improvement plans and the final subdivision map or parcel map approved for recordation. Once the final subdivision map or parcel map has been filed with the Sacramento County Recorder, the names shown on the final map shall be the official street names.

B. All new subdivisions shall include at least one (1) name from the approved list of veterans/public safety street names described in EGMC Section 12.26.034. Where a subdivision involves the extension of a street that is already a veterans/public safety street name, that street name shall not count towards this requirement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following development projects shall be exempt from the veterans/public safety street name requirement, though they may participate upon the request of the developer:

1. Residential parcel maps.

2. Subdivisions with fewer than three (3) new streets.

3. Subdivisions involving the extension of an existing street where this chapter requires that street to carry forward the existing name and where there are fewer than three (3) new streets within the subdivision.

4. Subdivisions where the streets will be private.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025; Ord. 19-2025 § 3, eff. 10-10-2025)

The City Engineer has the right to change the name of any street within the City in accordance with EGMC Section 12.26.020.

A. The City Engineer may direct the name of a street to be changed as shown on a recorded subdivision map in conformance with Section 66469(g) of the California Government Code.

B. The City Engineer may change the name of any street upon his/her own accord based on any criteria stated in EGMC Section 12.26.010.

C. The City Engineer has discretion to change the name of any street upon submission of a petition submitted by all of the property owners that will be affected by the name change. The City Engineer shall designate the form of the petition. The petition shall be submitted to the City Engineer with three (3) proposed street names, a map showing the location of the street name at issue, and a fee as determined by resolution of the City Council. The proposed names will be reviewed in the same manner as a street name review for a subdivision map. If the street name requested to be changed ends at or near the City boundary line, petitioners must obtain a letter from the adjoining city and/or county indicating their position to the proposed name change. Upon concurrence that the name shall be changed the City Engineer will provide an order changing the street name to the County Board of Supervisors of the County of Sacramento.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

The Building Official or his/her designee shall assign numbers to properties abutting streets within the City. Those numbers will be based on the American River for a north-south grid and on sectionalized lands for an east-west grid that were established within the County prior to the incorporation of the City.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

The City has the right to change the number of any property abutting streets within the City pursuant to EGMC Section 12.26.020.

A. The Building Official may change the street number of a property when the Building Official or his/her designee finds that the change is necessary for any purpose stated in EGMC Section 12.26.010.

B. The Building Official has the discretion to change the street number of any property upon request from the owner(s) of the property.

The request for a number change shall be submitted to the Building Official or his/her designee in a format approved by the Building Official. If approved, the Building Official shall change the number of the street and direct staff to make all necessary changes to City records and send the owner a letter via postal service indicating the new street number.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

The City Engineer shall determine the size, color, and type of numbers placed upon properties abutting streets within the City as well as the numbering of multiple structures on the same property. The numbers shall be sufficient to enable persons searching for these numbers to be able to read them from the abutting street without entering the property.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

It shall be the responsibility of both owners and occupants of property abutting roads within the City to post numbers upon such property in accordance with standards designated by the City pursuant to EGMC Section 12.26.060.

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 36900 of the California Government Code, an owner or occupant of property abutting a street within the City who fails, within ten (10) days following mailing of written notice to do so, to post a number upon such property corresponding to the number designated by the City shall be guilty of an infraction which shall be enforced pursuant to the provisions of EGMC Chapter 1.04.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)

Any person dissatisfied with the decision of the City Engineer or Building Official, as applicable, may appeal the decision in accordance with the provisions of EGMC Chapter 1.11.

(Ord. 3-2015 § 3, eff. 2-27-2015; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 7-25-2025)