While issuing addresses is not the most exciting thing we do, it is one of the most important. Without an orderly address system, it is very hard for your home or business to be located quickly during an emergency.
Your address number should be posted at your driveway, visible from both directions of travel. Just because the mail carrier comes from one direction does not mean the emergency units will travel the same way.
Your address number should also be clearly posted on your home so it can be seen at night. Remember, in an emergency there is no time to waste, make your home easy to locate!
Each home and business in Shelby County should have an address. When you move in, the address does not change. If the person you buy or rent from does not know the address, please submit an address verification form or call our business office at 439-6911. We may determine the address over the phone if you know your new neighbors' names and addresses, and the correct road name.
If you are moving into a new structure or location, a new address number must be assigned. Please complete and submit the address request form and provide as much information as possible. We answer all requests for new addresses by the end of the second business day.
Some new addresses may require us to drive to your new location to measure the address along the road. We will email you a form to post where the structure/drive will be so we can assign the address. In this situation it may take up to 5-10 working days to measure and assign the address.
In most of Shelby County, we use a measured system to determine your address number. There are 1,000 numbers in each mile, or one address each 5.28 feet. (A mile is 5,280 feet) This system is very easy to use for emergency responders, mail and delivery services.
Examples of Addresses - If the distance to your home from the starting point of the road is X, then your address = Y
A Distance of = Address #
52 Feet 10
100 Feet 18
528 Feet (1/10 mile) 100
1/2 Mile 500
1 Mile 1000
5 Miles 5000
You can see that an address number can easily be "decoded" by anyone looking for a specific address.
Even numbers are on the right and odd numbers are on the left if you are traveling in the same direction the numbers are assigned.
When the fire department hears an address of 5750 they know it is 5-3/4 miles from the starting point, on the right, to this address.
Shelby 9-1-1 has been designated as the street naming authority for Shelby County. We also coordinate street naming with the municipalities to avoid duplicate names. New roads are normally named by the residents or by the developer of a subdivision. We check that the proposed name is not already in use in Shelby County or neighboring counties and then approve or deny the request.
To select a generic street name requires 70% agreement. These same percentages are used if residents desire to change a road name. We do require a signed petition. We will email you a road naming petition form. There is a signage costs associated with naming a road. An estimate of this cost will be given once the request has been received.
When there are three (3) or more structures with addresses on a road or driveway, we assign a name and issue address numbers using the new road name. This is done to reduce confusion when responding to emergencies, and it also helps other people find you.
We sometimes name drives that do not have three structures when there are several land-owners along the road. This provides for addresses as the property owners develop their land.
Assigning a name to a private drive does not mean the city or county will start maintaining the road or that the mail carrier will deliver mail to the houses. It is still a private road, it just has an official name.
No, we do not give out names and addresses to the general public. This information is shared with public safety agencies, but only for use in their official duties.
We do furnish address lists to other government agencies such as voter registrars, planning, tax assessor who need correct address information.
We don't share phone numbers even with these agencies as many phone numbers are unlisted or unpublished.
