Santa Barbara County Municipal Code § 35-508 Address numbers—Procedure, standards and display

This article provides a road naming and address numbering plan for the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County. These regulations are adopted to protect and promote the public health, safety and welfare of those who live and work in the county by:

(a) Improving the response time for fire, police, and ambulance vehicles;

(b) Expediting postal and business delivery services; and,

(c) Reducing confusion when locating businesses and residences.

(a) The regulations of this article are effective throughout the unincorporated area of the County of Santa Barbara and the address numbering system will be implemented through the adoption of specific areawide systems by resolution of the board of supervisors after recommendation by the planning commission.

(b) The address numbering areawide systems are applicable to:

(1) All roads and structures located within the boundaries of adopted areawide address numbering systems (see section 35-508.2, paragraph (g), for exceptions relating to accessory structures); and

(2) All roads shown on subdivision maps approved for recording regardless of their location within or outside the boundaries of adopted areawide address numbering systems.

For the purpose of this article, certain terms and words are herewith defined as follows:

Road. A vehicle thoroughfare that provides the principal means of access to abutting property.

Road, Continuous. Two or more road segments within sight of one another at an intersection whose centerlines are offset by less than one hundred feet or whose interior angle of intersection is greater than one hundred ten degrees.

Road, Private. A road providing the principal means of access to five or more residential structures, business entities, or parcels, which is not a public road.

Road, Public. All existing federal, state, and county public roads and all such public roads acquired in the future that have been accepted into a public maintenance system.

Road, Segment. A linear section of road being added to the address numbering system or a section which stands as a separate or noncontinuous road.

The boundaries of each areawide system shall be established by resolution of the board of supervisors after recommendation by the planning commission. These established boundaries shall be identified on the county-wide official address numbering plan base map prepared by the county resource management department.

(a) All areawide address numbering maps adopted pursuant to this article are available for public inspection at the county resource management department.

(b) The county-wide official address numbering plan base map shall delineate the boundaries of areawide address numbering systems.

(c) Each adopted areawide address numbering system shall include a set of maps which identifies base lines, grid index lines, and the address numbers assigned to particular structures and vacant parcels.

The county resource management department shall maintain a road name index to identify the existing names of all roads. The index shall also indicate whether the road is public or private.

The adoption and implementation of this article shall not affect the legal description of any property.

The adoption and implementation of this article shall not affect or supersede county standard details relative to road standards, as adopted by resolution of the board of supervisors, and shall not limit the authority of the county director of public works relative to activities within public road rights-of-way.

A road name shall be required for all public and private roads and for any other roads when deemed necessary by the county resource management department.

Private roads located entirely within a contiguous ownership of more than 200 acres shall be exempt from the road names requirement of section 35-507.1 unless the property owner files a written request for road naming with the county resource management department.

(a) Who May Initiate Naming. Naming or renaming of a public or private road may be initiated by the owner of abutting property, the board of supervisors, planning commission, county resource management department, or another public agency or county department.

(b) Application and Petition Required. The initiating property owner or agency shall file a completed "Road Name Application" and "Road Name Petition" with the county resource management department.

(1) When a naming or renaming is initiated by a property owner, the petition shall be completed with signatures of the property owners or tenants representing at least two-thirds of the dwellings or businesses located along the road segment to be named or renamed.

(2) When a naming or renaming is initiated by a public agency and the affected road segment is a continuation of a previously named road, the petition shall be completed with the signature of a representative from the initiating agency.

(3) When a naming or renaming is initiated by a public agency and the affected road segment is not a continuation of a previously named road, the petition shall be completed with signatures of the property owners or tenants representing two-thirds of the dwellings or businesses located along the unnamed portion of the road or other verification of support deemed appropriate by the planning commission.

(c) Public Hearing Procedure.

(1) Scheduling of Hearing. Upon receipt of the completed application and petition, the county resource management department shall schedule a public hearing before the planning commission.

(2) Notice of the Hearing. At least ten days before the public hearing, notice of the hearing shall be posted by the county resource management department in a minimum of three public places along the affected road. Notice of the public hearing shall be sent to all property owners or tenants of parcels abutting the affected road.

(3) Action of Planning Commission. At the public hearing, the planning commission shall hear and consider all name proposals and objections. If upon conclusion of the public hearing the planning commission finds that one or more names satisfy the requirements of this article, the planning commission shall name or rename the affected road and shall make all findings necessary to support that action.

(4) Recording Action. Upon the naming or renaming of the road, the planning commission, shall enter in its minutes the officially designated name of the road. Thereafter, the road shall be known by the designated name.

(d) Appeal. The decision of the planning commission may be appealed in writing by any person, agencies, or association to the board of supervisors within ten days of the action.

(e) Notification After Change. After adoption of the road name, the county resource management department shall notify all the appropriate public agencies and the property owners and tenants of the dwellings and businesses along the affected road of the road name change.

This section applies to a road which is located completely within or along the proposed subdivision. Roads created by a proposed subdivision which continue an existing road with a designated name shall bear the name of the existing road.

Unnamed existing roads contained within a proposed subdivision shall be named pursuant to section 35-507.3 (see section 35-507.5, paragraph (c) on continuity).

(a) Application. The naming of roads created by a proposed subdivision shall be initiated by the property owner or his agent. After approval of a tentative map, the owner or the agent shall obtain, complete, and file a road name application with the county resource management department for review and approval.

(b) Review and Approval. Proposed road names shall be approved by the county resource management department upon verification of compliance with section 35-507.5 (Road name selection). The approved names shall be shown on the final map submitted for approval and recordation.

(c) Appeal. The decision of the county resource management department may be appealed in writing by the owner or agent to the board of supervisors within ten days of mailing notification of the decision.

(a) Objectives. Proposed road names should be pleasant sounding; easy to read (so that the public, and children in particular, can readily pronounce the name in an emergency); and add to pride of home and community.

(b) Criteria. Road names shall meet the following standards:

(1) Road names shall not be duplicated within the area served by the same United States Post Office or police or fire department. No name should duplicate another road name used elsewhere in the county. Similar sounding names are considered duplicates regardless of spelling.

(2) Road shall not be named after surnames of living persons.

(3) Roads may be named after family surnames prominent in Santa Barbara County history, even if family members still reside in the area.

(4) Road names shall have less than twenty-four letters, including punctuation, spacing and road classification (e.g., lane, way, street).

(5) Road names shall be easy to pronounce and spell.

(6) Road names shall be grammatically correct whether in English or a foreign language.

(7) Road names shall include an appropriate road classification (e.g., street, lane, way, etc.).

(c) Continuity.

(1) A continuous road, or one proposed to be continuous, shall have the same name throughout its length.

(2) If an otherwise continuous road is interrupted by a drainage channel, freeway, railroad, etc., with no planned connection, the segments shall have different names.

(3) Where roads intersect at an interior angle of one hundred ten degrees or less, each segment shall be given a different name if doing so will reduce confusion when locating an address.

(d) Extra Words. Unnecessary words are to be avoided. Words that may be used are:

(1) "East," "West," "North," and "South" indicating direction from a numbering base line; and

(2) "Street," "Road," "Place," "Way," "Lane," etc., indicating road classification in English.

(a) Objectives.

(1) Road name signs should be clearly visible to passing motorists.

(2) The letters and numbers used should contrast with the background color and should be large enough to be legible from a vehicle on the roadway.

(b) Signs for Private Roads. The property owners shall install and maintain permanent road name signs for all private roads.

(1) All road name signs shall be installed per the prevailing county standard requirements.

(2) All road name signs for private roads shall adhere to the requirements of paragraph (c), below, with the exception that the background color shall be dark blue.

(3) Private owner(s) responsible for private road maintenance are responsible for providing and maintaining road name signs.

(4) Prior to the acceptance of a private road into the county maintained road system, private owner(s) shall replace existing road name signs and install all required road name signs per county standards, requirements and paragraph (c) below.

(5) The board of supervisors may, at its option, allow an association of owners to design, specify, install, replace and remove road name signs of a standard not in compliance with paragraph 3, below. Maintenance shall be the responsibility of the association.

(c) Signs for Public Roads. Agencies responsible for road maintenance are responsible for providing road name signs for all roads within their jurisdiction. Road name signs for public roads shall meet the requirements for county standard street name signs as approved by the director of public works. The department of public works is responsible for providing road name signs for all county roads in conformance with the standards of this paragraph.

(d) Signs for Existing Roads Affected by Subdivision. The property owner shall install road name signs at unsigned intersections to provide identification for the subdivision as determined by the subdivision review process:

(1) Road name signs shall be required for all roads created by the subdivision.

(2) Road name signs may be required for existing roads providing access to the subdivision.

(3) Road name signs shall meet the requirements for county standard street name signs as approved by the director of public works.

A nonrefundable fee is required to process a road name application submitted by a private party. This fee shall be established by the board of supervisors fee resolution.

(a) Assignment of Number. The county resource management department shall determine and assign all address numbers and shall issue such numbers to property owners and occupants. A record of all assigned numbers shall be maintained by the department and shall be available for public inspection during business hours.

(b) Notification of Change. If an address number is changed, the owner and tenant in charge of a house or building to which a number has been assigned will be notified in writing by the department at least ten days prior to the effective date.

Address numbers shall be determined according to the incremental distance between system grid lines and the following section standards when applicable:

(a) Multiple Units. Separate internal units within residential and business complexes may be identified by a suffix (apartment, suite, space, unit, etc.) determined by the resource management department in consultation with the property owner, emergency service agencies and the United States Postal Service.

(b) Corner Lots. Corner lots will be addressed from the road upon which the principal entrance faces; except when the principal entrance is not visible from that road or is inaccessible for fire access from that road, then the parcel shall be addressed from the road intersected by the driveway.

(c) Parcels Less Than One Acre. The address shall be assigned at the center point of the parcel frontage.

(d) Parcels Greater Than One Acre. The address shall be assigned where the driveway intersects the parcel frontage.

(e) Unnamed Roads Serving Less than Five Residences or Parcels. The address number shall be assigned corresponding to the numbering on the road where the unnamed road originated.

(f) Vacant Lots. May be assigned an address number at the center point of the parcel frontage. This pre-assigned address may be changed at the time a building permit is issued in order to comply with paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of this section.

(g) Accessory Structures. Will not be issued an address number unless the property owner can demonstrate special circumstances requiring a separate number.

(a) New Construction. The property owner shall display the assigned address number before requesting a final building inspection. The address number shall be displayed in compliance with paragraphs (d), (e), and (f) of this section.

(b) Existing Structures. Within thirty days after receiving written notification of an address change, the owner or tenant shall display the number in compliance with paragraphs (d), (e), and (f) of this section and shall remove any obsolete number.

(c) Ranching and Agricultural Operations Over Two Hundred Acres. The owner or tenant of new or existing structures shall display the address number in compliance with paragraphs (d) and (f) of this section.

(d) Size of Numbers. All address numbers shall be a minimum height of three inches, reflective, and a color contrasting to the background color.

(e) Number Location. Address numbers shall be placed at front doors, on mailboxes, on private lamp posts, near garage doors, at driveway entrances, or other places of similar proximity, so that the number is visible from the public right-of-way. See Plate A, illustrating correct display, which is incorporated herein by this reference.

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(f) Number Location for Obscured Structures. Where residences or businesses are not clearly visible from the road, address numbers shall be posted on a marker other than a mailbox. The address number shall be elevated at least three feet from the ground for clear visibility and easy directional identification. See Plate B, incorporated herein by this reference. This section also applies to the names of roads with private driveways or forks. The address numbers of the homes on the private driveway shall be posted on the named road and shall include a directional arrow to indicate location of the residence or business.

[Figure]

(g) Mailboxes. When the mailbox of a residence or business is located on the same road as the residence or business, only the number need be posted on the box. When the mailbox and building are located on separate roads, both the road name and address number are required to be placed on the mailbox. See Plate C, incorporated herein by this reference.

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(a) Issuing Agency. All road names and address numbers shall be issued by the county resource management department in compliance with this article.

(b) Road Name Signs. Road name signs along county maintained roads shall be installed by the county public works department or at its direction in compliance with section 35-507.

Amendments of this article may be initiated by the board of supervisors, the planning commission, the county resource management department, or a private party. All amendments shall be reviewed by the planning commission for their recommendation to the board of supervisors.

(a) County Fire Department. It is the duty of the county fire department to enforce this article and all of its provisions.

(b) County Building and Safety Division. The county building and safety division of the public works department is responsible for enforcing this article when it applies to new construction. The county building and safety division shall require the installation of address numbers in compliance with section 35-508.3 (Display of address numbers) for any construction completed after the adoption of the applicable areawide address numbering system.

Those who fail to meet the requirements of this article shall be issued a citation as provided in section 1-8 of this Code. Penalties for violation are established by section 1-7 of this Code.

(Ord. No. 3295, § 1)