Lemoore Municipal Code Ch. 3 Street Naming and House Numbering

This chapter establishes regulations for and the process of naming streets within the city of Lemoore. It also establishes the process for assigning house numbers to individual homes and other buildings. By adopting these standards and policies, the city establishes uniform practices for the naming of streets in order to avoid potential conflicting names or misunderstandings and to promote the public welfare and general convenience of the community. (Ord. 2012-01, 4-17-2012)

Street names within a proposed subdivision shall comply with the following standards:

A. General Naming Standards:

1. Street names shall be such that they do not duplicate or confuse with any other street names in Lemoore and its vicinity (e.g., the sphere of influence, Lemoore Naval Air Station). Examples of such duplication are "Washington Street" and "Washington Avenue".

2. Street names that sound very similar shall be avoided. This is to limit diction problems when people are reporting under stress. Examples of such confusing names are "Beach" and "Peach", or "Pinewood" and "Pinwood".

3. A street that is proposed to be extended without any significant change in direction, either now or in the future, shall have the same name as the existing street.

4. A new street that is aligned to an existing street but otherwise is not intended to be connected to the existing street, either now or in the future, will have a different name. This is to make it convenient for strangers to town to locate addresses and prevent unnecessary delay in response time in emergency situations.

5. The street name will not change if a street changes direction by curving gradually over a sufficient distance.

6. The streets shall not be named after people's first names and shall have not more than two (2) words. Exceptions may be granted in a case where the street name is to honor a person of national, state, or local importance (e.g., Martin Luther King Avenue, George Washington Street).

7. Except for county avenues, the street names shall not be numerals.

8. When an existing street name consists of a fractional number (e.g., 181/2 Avenue, 183/4 Avenue, and 191/2 Avenue), those may be changed to new names upon annexation.

9. The combined number of letters in a street name (excluding the suffix) shall not exceed fifteen (15).

B. Suffixes:

1. Street suffixes in any subdivision or development may be:

a. The same for all streets;

b. The same for all streets except cul-de-sac streets;

c. North-south streets as "avenue" and east-west streets as "streets";

d. Curvilinear streets as "drive" or "trail"; or

e. Short streets (less than 500 feet) as "way".

2. The name of cul-de-sac streets shall be different from the main street from which it originates. The suffix of cul-de-sac streets shall be as follows:

a. "Court" if it is generally east of the street it originates from;

b. "Circle" if it is generally west of the street it originates from;

c. "Lane" if it is generally north of the street it originates from;

d. "Place" if it is generally south of the street it originates from.

3. Where a cul-de-sac street crosses another street, the portion of the cul-de-sac street on either side of the other street will have the same name except for the suffix.

C. Street Name Theme: Street names in an area or subdivision shall be from one single theme except for any existing street to be extended into the area or subdivision. Themes on which the streets are named may include, but are not limited to, trees, flowers, fruits, birds, presidents, and states.

D. Approval Of Street Names: Prior to recording street names, the public works, police, fire, and planning departments shall review the names for potential conflicts and direct changes of the subdivider as appropriate. The planning commission is hereby charged with the responsibility to process all instances wherein street names on the same alignment are different and to recommend one name for said street to the city council or the board of supervisors of the county of Kings if the said streets are in the county and metropolitan area. (Ord. 2012-01, 4-17-2012)

There is hereby established a uniform system for numbering buildings fronting on all streets, avenues, and public ways in the city and the metropolitan area surrounding the city as hereinafter provided, and all houses and other buildings shall be numbered in accordance with the provisions of this section.

A. General Building And Space Numbering Standards:

1. City Core Area: All buildings fronting on all streets, avenues and public ways in the "city core area", which is bounded by Lemoore Avenue, Bush Street, Martin Street, and Cinnamon Drive, shall be made to conform to the provisions of this subsection and in accordance with the building and space numbering map on file in the office of the city clerk which is hereby made a part of this section.

Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and insofar as it shall be possible to do so, each unit of building number shall represent a frontage or space of twelve and one-half feet (121/2'), and each unit of block tier number shall successively be increased by one hundred (100) for each successive tier. For the purpose of this subsection, the term "tier" or "block tier" as used in this subsection shall mean all blocks between two (2) parallel adjacent streets in any direction, all blocks in said tier having the same number.

For the purpose of this subsection, the base or reference point from which block tier numbers shall be consecutively assigned is hereby designated as the intersection of Lemoore Avenue with Bush Street.

In numbering spaces and buildings, the number shall increase in the direction of increased tiers and proceeding along a street in this direction, the odd numbers shall be on the south and west side, as the case may be, and the even numbers shall be on the north and east side, as the case may be.

2. All Other Areas Of The City And The Metropolitan Building Number Area: All buildings fronting on all streets, avenues, and public ways in the city, except for the buildings fronting on all streets, avenues, and public ways as described in subsection A1 of this section and all streets, avenues, and public ways in the metropolitan building number area, as hereinafter described, shall be numbered in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.

a. Metropolitan Building Numbering Area Described: The metropolitan building numbering area is that area bounded as follows: 17th Avenue on the east; Iona Avenue on the south to the right-of-way of Highway 198 and along said freeway to Highway No. 41; Highway No. 41 on the west to a point three hundred thirty feet (330') north of Hanford-Armona Road; thence easterly parallel to the Hanford-Armona Road to 183/4th Avenue (Liberty Drive); thence northerly along 183/4th Avenue to a point 330 feet north of the center section line; thence easterly parallel to Glendale Avenue to 17th Avenue, the East Boundary Road.

b. Baselines: Lemoore Avenue is hereby designated as the north- south base line and Bush Street is hereby designated as the east- west baseline.

c. Building Numbers: Building numbers shall be assigned beginning at the Lemoore Avenue baseline at one hundred (100) numbers per three hundred thirty feet (330') (1/16 of a mile) east and west of the line, and building numbers shall be assigned beginning at the Bush Street baseline at one hundred (100) numbers per three hundred thirty feet (330') north and south of the Bush Street baseline.

d. Frontage: There shall be assigned approximately six and six- tenths feet (6.6') of frontage per number adjusted to conform with the actual distance in any section within the area subject to the provisions of this section, including the metropolitan building numbering area.

e. Odd And Even Numbers: Even numbers shall be assigned on the north and east sides of streets; odd numbers shall be assigned on the south and west sides of streets.

f. Street Orientation: Streets oriented north of the Bush Street baseline shall have a prefix "north", and streets oriented south of the Bush Street baseline shall have a prefix "south". Streets oriented east of the Lemoore Avenue baseline shall have a prefix "east", and streets oriented west of the Lemoore Avenue baseline shall have a prefix of "west". The prefix shall only be required when the street is in both directional areas.

g. Diagonal Streets: The numbering of diagonal streets shall be progressive in the same direction at the same rate of one hundred (100) numbers per three hundred thirty feet (330'), with an adjustment being made in the frontage per number depending on the degree of the diagonal.

h. Curved Streets: Curved streets shall be assigned the numbers assigned from the grid system at that point and progress according to the alignment of the streets. Such curved streets and the assignment of numbers therefor shall receive special consideration in the integration of the system into this chapter as and when they shall hereafter occur.

i. Official House Numbering Map Adopted: That certain map entitled "Detailed house numbering system for the Lemoore Area, bounded by, but not including 21st Avenue (Marsh Drive), 161/2 Avenue (Jackson Avenue), 171/2th Avenue, and a line measured three hundred thirty feet (330') north of the Glendale Avenue alignment" is hereby established as the official building numbering map for all of the streets, avenues, and public ways in the city, save and except those streets within the city core area as covered by subsection A1 of this section.

3. Numbering Of Additional Dwelling Units Or Structures Fronting An Alley:

a. When additional dwelling units are approved on the same yard, the addresses shall be the same as the primary structure with a letter suffix added to the address (e.g., A, B, C).

b. When numbering structures that front an alley, their address shall incorporate the nearest facing street and use an "X", "Y", or "Z" suffix after the address number.

4. Numbers For Multi-Family Residential Properties: Tenant units within multi-family residential properties (e.g., apartments, condominiums) shall be assigned unit numbers. The numbering shall be lowest to highest right to left or left to right as determined by direction of numbering at the street. Numbers shall start at one hundred (100) for units on the first floor, two hundred (200) for second floor, and so on for each additional floor. Unit numbers shall not repeat within the same complex so as to distinguish units in different buildings.

B. Issuance Of House Numbers: The planning department, building inspector, or other official designated by the city council, shall be authorized to issue building numbers in the city and metropolitan area as hereinabove described. Numbers assigned shall be recorded and plotted on the house numbering system map which is hereby adopted, and he shall maintain an index file method of keeping proper records to avoid duplication of numbers or error in assignment.

C. Specifications For Numbers:

1. Building numbers shall be not less than three inches (3") high, shall be legible, of durable material, and be placed so same can be seen from the street.

2. All owners or persons in charge of buildings shall cause the proper numbers to be so placed upon the same in accordance herewith or on some conspicuous place visible from the street in the front thereof in conformity with the numbers assigned by the building inspector in accordance with the provisions of this section.

D. Notification Of New, Changed, Or Corrected Addresses: The following departments, agencies, and service providers shall be notified, in writing, of new addresses, or changed or corrected addresses, upon approval or issuance by the city:

• 1. AT&T;
• 2. Central dispatch;
• 3. Comcast;
• 4. Kings County assessor's office;
• 5. Lemoore building department;
• 6. Lemoore police department;
• 7. Lemoore fire department;
• 8. Lemoore water and refuse;
• 9. Southern California Gas Co. (the gas company);
• 10. The property owner(s) of record; and
• 11. The U.S. postmaster. (Ord. 2012-01, 4-17-2012)