Visalia Municipal Code Ch. 12.06 Street and Facility Names

A. The following criteria shall be followed when naming or renaming streets:

1. Street names must be pleasant sounding and correct in terms of spelling and grammar.

2. Street names must be easy to spell, read and pronounce so the public, especially children, can speak the name correctly in an emergency.

3. Street names shall not duplicate the spelling or phonetic sound of any existing street name within the city's 911 emergency response area.

4. Streets that are in reasonable alignment with an existing street, although not directly connected, must have the same name.

5. Streets may be named for the purpose of honoring, or calling attention to, deceased persons or geographical locations having special prominence and significance to the culture or history of the city.

6. For a street to be named after a person, that person must have been deceased for at least five years.

7. If a street is named after a person, it shall only be the persons surname.

8. Street names may not be numerical, alphabetical, frivolous, unconventionally spelled, or related to religion.

9. Names of streets in a north-south alignment shall be followed by the designation "STREET," and the names of streets in an east-west alignment shall be followed by the designation "AVENUE."

10. Cul-de-sac streets shall be followed by the designations of "COURT." Curvilinear streets shall be followed by the designation "DRIVE." Streets completing a loop may be followed by the designation "CIRCLE."

B. The following procedures shall be followed when naming new streets:

1. The property developer will have the responsibility of naming new streets and new subdivisions. These names will be submitted through the site plan review staff, and the subdivision maps identifying the new streets will be submitted through that process for final approval by the public works director.

2. The public works department will prepare a staff report after circulating the proposed street name to the city police, fire and engineering departments. When appropriate, the public works department may also circulate the proposed street name to the Tulare County planning department and optional interested groups and organizations.

3. The public works director, or designee, will approve or reject the proposed street name.

4. Any appeal must be made to the city council by an authorized representative of the initiating party within thirty (30) days of the public works director's decision.

5. The city council will approve or reject the appeal within thirty (30) days of the date the appeal was filed.

C. The following procedures shall be followed when renaming streets:

1. The city council, planning commission, property owner, group or individual may initiate the renaming of a street.

2. To initiate the renaming process, a petition signed by property owners or tenants representing at least two-thirds of the parcels, dwelling units, or businesses located along the affected street must be submitted to the public works director.

3. A non-refundable application fee, established by the city council, will be charged to the property owner, group or individual at the time the petition is submitted.

4. The public works department will prepare a staff report after circulating the proposed street name to the city police, fire and engineering departments and receiving their input. When appropriate, the public works director may also circulate the proposed street name to the Tulare County planning department, Tulare County public works and optional interested groups and organizations for their input.

5. A public hearing will be scheduled before the planning commission within thirty (30) days of receipt of the petition.

6. Written notice of time and place of the public hearing shall be given ten (10) days in advance to all property owners and tenants abutting the affected street.

7. The planning commission will approve or reject the proposed street name within thirty (30) days of the public hearing.

8. The decision of the planning commission may be appealed to the city council within ten days of the planning commission's decision.

(Ord. 2024-07 § 3 (part), 2024: Ord. 9607 § 3 (part), 1996: prior code § 7100)

A. The final selection of names for all city-owned or city-controlled facilities, buildings and parks shall rest with the city council.

B. The city council shall not select a name for any city-owned or city-controlled facility, building or park without first obtaining a recommendation from the park and recreation commission, in the case of any park or recreation facility, or from the citizens advisory committee, in the case of any other city building or facility.

C. Before making a recommendation to the city council regarding the naming of any city-owned or city-controlled facility, building or park, the park and recreation commission or the citizens advisory committee, as the case may be, shall solicit nominations from the public. Such solicitations may include, but are not limited to, requests for nominations through:

• 1. Notices or ads in newspapers;
• 2. City commissions and committees;
• 3. Residents of the surrounding neighborhood;
• 4. Local organizations;
• 5. User groups;
• 6. Appropriate web pages.

D. The city council shall establish, by resolution, a policy entitled "Guidelines For Selection of Names for City-Owned or City-Controlled Facilities, Buildings and Parks." Such policy shall, among other things, create guidelines for the selection of names based on proposed financial donations. Such policy shall be made available to the park and recreation commission and the citizens advisory committee and shall be followed by those bodies in the consideration and making of any recommendation to the city council regarding the selection of names for facilities, buildings or parks. Such policy may be amended from time to time by resolution of the city council.

E. In the event the city council selects a name for a facility, building or park pursuant to this section that has been proposed by a person or entity desiring to make a monetary contribution in support of the proposed name, such contribution shall be made payable to the parks and recreation foundation. Any such funds donated to the parks and recreation foundation pursuant to this section shall be used only on projects identified and approved by the city manager or his or her designee. The city manager or designee may require the parks and recreation foundation to comply with financial accounting or auditing standards in connection with monies received pursuant to this section.

(Ord. 2003-12 § 2, 2003; Ord. 9607 § 3 (part), 1996: prior code § 7110)