Civic Addressing By-law

1. Definitions

1.1.  “County” means the Corporation of Haldimand County.

1.2.  “Civic Address” means the civic number, the unit number (if applicable), and the road name to a specific building or lot.

1.3.  “Civic Number” means the number (including the unit number if applicable), assigned by the County for identifying and locating the building or lot.

1.4.  “Lot” means a parcel of land which can be legally conveyed.

1.5.  “Owner” means the individuals having any right, title, interest, or equity in land or their agent.

1.6.  “Road” shall mean a public highway or public road or an open road allowance owned and maintained by the County or the Province of Ontario. A public or private road or private right-of-way shall be considered a street or road, notwithstanding ownership, for the purposes of this by-law.

1.7.  “Unit” means an independently used space within a building, such as an apartment building in a residential building or a convenience store located within a strip mall.

1.8.  “Urban area” means the urban area of Caledonia, Cayuga, Dunnville, Hagersville, Jarvis, and Townsend.

2. Civic Addressing

2.1. General Information

2.1.1.  This policy is in place to ensure that civic numbers are issued and recorded consistently across the County. The civic address number shall be visible and not obstructed by objects.

2.1.2.  The assigned civic address of a lot shall be found on Haldimand County GIS.

2.2. Civic Addressing

2.2.1.  Civic addresses shall be assigned by the Planning & Development Division to all properties within the municipality.

2.2.2.  No owner(s) of any lot may start construction of a building without obtaining the civic number or address from the County.

2.3. New Civic Address

2.3.1.  A new civic address shall be assigned or reassigned when new lots or properties have been created through a plan of subdivision.

2.3.2.  A new civic address may be assigned for vacant lots upon receipt of a completed application and application fees.

2.3.3.  Vacant agricultural parcels may receive a Farm 911 sign. A new civic address sign is required should the lands ever be developed. A Farm 911 sign is a yellow civic address sign intended to assist First Responders in locating individuals on vacant agricultural land who require emergency assistance in a timely manner. These signs do not constitute a civic address for mail delivery purposes and the information is only provided to Haldimand County GIS and Emergency Services staff.

2.3.4.  No person(s), or the owner, shall post a civic address sign that is different than the ones they are assigned.

2.3.5.  No persons, or the owner, shall be allowed to post or to remain posted any number that is in conflict with the most recent civic address that has been issued by the County.

2.3.6.  Existing civic addresses may be subject to reassignment to maintain consistency.

2.4. Assigning Civic Numbers

2.4.1.  The County shall be responsible for the assigning and reassigning of civic numbers.

2.4.2.  Odd and even numbers shall be assigned on different sides of a road in a consistent manner.

2.4.3.  Civic numbers for addresses on roads that run parallel or in a similar direction should increase in the same direction.

2.4.4.  Civic number may have a letter suffix if there is insufficient supply of numbers.

2.4.5.  New lots shall be assigned new civic number in a consistent flow and interval of the area immediately adjacent.

2.4.6.  Extensions of existing roads shall be numbered, by extending in numerical direction, and interval of the existing civic numbering, used on the existing portion of the road of the road to be extended.

2.4.7.  Any on-street housing units, such as row houses or link houses, will have a separate civic number assigned for each unit.

2.4.8.  Properties located on private roads shall be assigned with addresses off that private road.

2.4.9.  Corner lots shall be addressed based on the road on which the driveway is located.

2.4.10.  Except in the case of a secondary suite, the County is not obliged to assign additional civic numbers to a lot which has been previously assigned a number. Any request for an additional civic address must demonstrate that the additional address is required to improve delivery of Municipal and/or Emergency Services to the lot or building or that it is required by another agency or utility.

2.5. Reassigning Civic Address

2.5.1.  The County may change or reassign civic numbers to keep consistency and ensure sufficient supply of civic numbers are available for existing and future development. Additional reasons may include, but are not limited to, for ease of location for emergency services or to facilitate additional development. Affected landowners shall be notified in advance of any changes.

2.5.2.  The County shall not be responsible or liable for any costs or damages that may be incurred by a lot owner due to the reassignment of their civic number.

2.6. Deletion of Civic Numbers

2.6.1.  If the owner uses the assigned civic number for anything other than the use specified in the application they applied for, the County may revoke the associated civic number.

2.6.2.  If the owner fails to demonstrate that the existing civic address improves delivery of municipal and/or other emergency services to the lot or building or that it is needed for another agency or utility, the County may revoke the associated civic number.

2.6.3.  If the civic number is assigned to a building subject to demolition or change of permitted use, the County may revoke the civic number.

2.6.4.  The County shall not be held responsible or liable for any costs or damages due to the deletion of a civic address.

2.6.5.  The deletion of civic numbers may include, but is not limited to the above sub-sections under section 2.6, and shall be at the discretion of the Civic Addressing Coordinator.

2.7. Building Permit

2.7.1.  No building permit shall be issued without the presence of a civic address.

2.8. Civic Address Sign

2.8.1.  The owner of the lot to which a civic address has been assigned, unless otherwise notified, shall post the sign with civic number in a manner that is visible from both directions on a road.

2.8.2.  Every lot containing a building requires a posted and visible civic number, either temporary or permanent.

2.8.3.  Once a permanent number is posted the owner shall take full responsibility in maintaining the number sign in a visible condition. If the sign is no longer in a visible condition or requires relocation, the owner shall inform the County and request the respective assistance. The owner shall bear the cost of a new or replacement sign.

2.8.4.  If the civic address sign is stolen or damaged by accident, the owner must provide the police report number to the County to receive a replacement sign at no cost.

2.8.5.  If a civic address sign or number sign of a private road is no longer in a visible condition, missing or requires relocation, the owner of the private road shall repair or replace the sign immediately at the owner(s) expense.

2.8.6.  For lots or structures located outside an Urban Area, civic number signage is the responsibility of the lot owner. Numbers shall be affixed to the building or placed on the lot in such a manner as to be clearly legible from the street.

3. Road Naming

3.1. Road Naming

3.1.1.   All roads that are accessible by vehicles shall be named.

3.1.2.   Road names shall be issued by the County.

3.1.3.   Road names may be requested, and are subject to the County’s decision and approval.

3.1.4.   New road names shall be assigned when new roads are established.

3.1.5.   When two or more roads are merged into one for any reasons, it may bear one of the original names or be assigned a new name set out in section 3.1.9.

3.1.6.   Staff, through approval from council may, by written notice to affected owners, rename a road when a duplication of the name exists within the county or when renaming would provide a general improvement to Municipal and Emergency Services and is in the public's interest.

3.1.7.   If a road name is renamed by the County at the request of lot owner(s), the lot owner(s) shall pay the fee as well as the cost of administration and installation of new signage. A minimum of 80 percent of affected property owners must support the road name change in order for it to be approved.

3.1.8.   Renaming of road names is subject to the County’s approval in accordance with the Municipal Act, 2021.

3.1.9.   Upon naming or renaming of a road, the following criteria shall be met:

1. 1. 1. The name shall not exceed two words. Directional words (such as N,S,E,W) and suffixes do not count towards the limit.
      2. The name shall not be difficult to be pronounced by an average individual.
      3. Street names beginning with silent letters shall not be permitted.
      4. The use of symbols shall not be permitted.
      5. Duplicating, phonetically similar or easily confused with any existing or reserved road names within Haldimand County shall not be permitted.
      6. The use of apostrophes and hyphens shall not be permitted.
      7. The use of directional letters in front of names shall be avoided (N, S, E, W).
      8. Names that attempts to differentiate by use of different suffixes shall not be permitted (Main Street & Main Avenue).
      9. Roads named after living individuals shall not be permitted.
      10. Roads bearing commercial names shall not be permitted.
      11. Any proposed road name that contains a geographical reference shall be appropriate to the location (Lakeshore Road needs to be next to the lake).
      12. Where possible, a “theme” may be established in the naming of multiple streets that are within a subdivision (British Columbia Street, Alberta Street, Ontario Street & Nova Scotia Street).
      13. Names that are inappropriate (discriminatory, offensive, or derogatory) shall not be permitted.

3.1.10. The following list of road type suffixes is to be used as a guideline when approving and naming new street names:

1. 1. 1. Avenue - A roadway or thoroughfare that is continuous and not limited to a single subdivision.
      2. Boulevard - A street with a landscaped median, dividing the roadway.
      3. Circle - Permanently dead-end street or terminating in a cul-de-sac and containing a centre island.
      4. Court - Permanently dead-end street or terminating in a cul-de-sac.
      5. Drive - A curvilinear street.
      6. Lane - Minor street within a subdivision.
      7. Parkway - A thoroughfare designated as a collector or arterial, with a median reflecting the parkway character implied in the name.
      8. Place - Permanently dead-end street or terminating in a cul-de-sac, or short through street.
      9. Road - A designated thoroughfare.
      10. Street - The common or default suffix.
      11. Way - A curvilinear street.
      12. Crescent - A curvilinear street.

3.2. Road Renaming

3.2.1.  The renaming of a road should be avoided if possible.

3.2.2.  If the renaming of a road is deemed necessary, the new road name must meet the road naming approval set out in section 3.1.

3.2.3.  Haldimand County will notify all residents of a road in advance of the renaming of such road.

3.3. Posting Signs

3.3.1.  No road name signs shall be posted displaying any road name other than the official street names assigned to the road.

3.3.2.  Identification of provincially or municipally owned road is the responsibility of the respective jurisdiction.

3.3.3.  County-issued signs are not provided in urban areas. Lot owners in urban areas shall post their civic address in a manner of their choosing that is visible from the road.

3.3.4.  The owner of a private road shall be liable for the cost to apply and putting up civic address signs.

3.3.5.  The owner of a private road shall ensure that a road name sign displaying the assigned road name and civic numbers are displayed in a visible manner according to each of the criteria set out in section 3.3.6.

3.3.6.  The County shall be responsible for producing civic address signs, which will meet the following criteria:

1. 1. 1. The sign shall be aluminum.
      2. The civic number displayed shall be in numeral form and not in written form.
      3. Letters and numbers shall read horizontally.
      4. The street name must be in upper case letters.
      5. The sign post shall be located at the driveway entrance, placed on the lot line and placed at a distance not to exceed 1 metre from either side of the driveway, or as otherwise approved by the County. Where there is more than one driveway entrance, the owner(s) must consult with the County to ensure that the sign posts are located at the appropriate driveway entrance(s).
      6. Civic number signs shall be a minimum of 17.5 centimetres in height.
      7. The sign shall have a height-to-width ratio of 5:3.
      8. Where a lot is located more than 20 metres from the road entrance, or the lot is in any way obscured from the road, the lot owner(s) shall be responsible for putting up the civic address sign at the entrance of the road.
      9. Where a civic address sign is required to be displayed on the side of the road, the sign shall be displayed on both sides of the road 1.5 metres above grade.
      10. Civic address signs shall be set on a background of a contrasting color and be illuminated or located where they are visible at night. The signs shall generally be green, with yellow signs being permitted for vacant agricultural parcels only.
      11. Where more than one civic number sign is posted on a sign post at the entrance of the driveway, the signs shall be posted in the order that the structures are located on the driveway, or use a range sign to identify the properties located on the private driveway.
      12. Each lot shall display the assigned civic number in a visible manner.
      13. The owner of structures and properties located on the private road shall be responsible for putting up the assigned civic number sign(s) at the expenses of the owner.

3.4. Notification of Assigned Address

3.4.1.  Immediately following the assignment of a new or changed address number or road name for a lot, the County shall be responsible for providing notice to the lot owner and other agencies affected by the newly assigned address or change of address.

4.    Enforcement

4.1.  In the following instances, the Owner shall be provided written warning notice in accordance with the provisions of section 4.2, and the owner shall comply with the terms of the notice within 30 days from the delivery of the Notice.

4.1.1.  The posted civic number is not in accordance with the civic address issued for the lot;

4.1.2.  The sign displaying the assigned civic address or number is missing;

4.1.3.  The correct civic number is posted but not in a visible manner or does not meet the criteria set out in 2.8.5. or

4.1.4.  The civic sign of a private road is not posted, is not in accordance with the civic address issued for the lot, or does not meet the criteria set out in 3.3.4;

4.1.5.  A number sign that has not been maintained in a visible condition or has been removed or relocated without the authorization from the county;

4.2. Notice shall be deemed to be delivered in the following circumstance:

4.2.1.  The Notice is delivered by personal service to the Owner;

4.2.2.  Seven days after the date the Notice is sent by prepaid registered mail to the last known address of the Owner; or

4.2.3.  If the service cannot be effected by methods 4.2.1. or 4.2.2., by posting the Notice in a visible location upon the lot.

4.3. Offences and Penalties

4.3.1.  Any person who contravenes the provision of this by-law is guilty of an offence and upon conviction is subject to a fine as provided in Section 429 of the Municipal Act, and all such offences are designated as continuing offences.

4.3.2.  A person who is convicted of an offence under this by-law is liable, for each day or part of a day that the offence continues, to a fine as provided for in subsection 429(3), of the Municipal Act, 2001.

4.3.3.  No person shall fail to comply, or fail to allow compliance, with a notice issued pursuant to Section 4.1. of this by-law.

4.3.4.  When a person has been convicted of an offence under this by-law, the Superior Court of Justice, or any court of competent jurisdiction may, in additional to any penalty imposed on the person convicted, issue an order:

1. 1. 1. Prohibiting the continuation or repetition of the offence by the person convicted; and
      2. Requiring the person convicted to correct the contravention in the manner and within the period that the court considers appropriate.

5. Compensation

5.1  Compensation for costs incurred by the owner for any change of an address will not be granted.

6. Administration

6.1.  The County shall be responsible for the administration of this by-law.

6.2.  Any sections, clauses, or provisions of this by-law shall be deemed to be separate and independent and shall remain in full force and effect if any provisions of this by-law shall be declared invalid by any court.

6.3.  This by-law shall come in force and take effect immediately upon the passing and shall take precedence over any section of any other by-law that relates to civic addressing and/or street naming.

6.4.  This by-law may be cited as the “Civic Addressing By-law”.

7. Effective Date

7.1.  The effective date of this by-law shall be the date of final passage thereof.