§ 11.5-55. Roadway naming system.

Polk County shall establish and govern a roadway naming system in accordance with the following procedures:

(a)

All roadways named by the recording of plats containing such names or by the assignment of such names by other authorized means prior to the effective date of this article, including roadways within mobile home and RV parks and multiple building complexes, may retain their names and shall be included on the address numbering maps by the enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office.

(b)

Roadway naming criteria. The following criteria shall be followed when naming a roadway:

1.

Duplicate names shall not be allowed within an addressing district. Use of a different roadway type does not change the fact that the name is a duplication. The exception to this policy will be using the same name but different roadway types within the boundaries of a platted subdivision.

2.

Roadway names shall contain no more than twenty (20) characters.

3.

No punctuation or special characters shall be used in roadway names.

4.

Roadway names shall not consist of more than three (3) words, not to include roadway type.

5.

The roadway name shall not contain any word that is a type of direction.

6.

Sound alike names shall not be used.

7.

Directional indicators shall not be used on circle roadways.

8.

Roadway abbreviations and designation definitions shall meet the criteria outlined in section 11.5-61 of this article.

9.

Names that are deemed offensive by the addressing office shall not be used.

10.

Roads may be named or renamed by the enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office, property owners on the roadway to be named, or by the board of county commissioners.

(c)

As names are assigned to existing unnamed roadways and assigned to new roadways through the platting of subdivisions or other authorized means, such roadway names and new roadways shall be reviewed by the enhanced 9-1-1 office for conflict with the naming criteria in this article and included on the address numbering maps.

(d)

The enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office may rename any roadway in unincorporated Polk County, in accordance with the Polk County Subdivision Regulations and this article, if it determines that such renaming is necessary to avoid confusion, or to facilitate a timely response by emergency services. The changing of a directional or roadway type is not considered a renaming.

(e)

If the enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office initiates the naming or renaming process, all property owners who access their property by way of the roadway will be polled to determine a pool of possible roadway names.

(f)

If a private roadway or private driveway naming or renaming is initiated by a property owner, the property owner shall be responsible for all costs associated with adding or changing the roadway markers.

(g)

The enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office will petition all property owners who access their property by way of the roadway regarding the naming or renaming of the roadway, regardless of who initiates the naming or renaming process.

1.

A roadway naming or renaming initiated by the enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office will require fifty (50) per cent plus one acceptance by the responding property owners who access their property by way of the roadway.

2.

A roadway naming or renaming initiated by a property owner will require seventy-five (75) per cent acceptance by the responding property owners who access their property by way of the roadway before the enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office will proceed with the naming process.

3.

If none of the property owners respond to the petition, the enhanced 9-1-1 addressing office may re-petition the owners, terminate the naming process, or set a public hearing to name or rename the roadway.

(h)

Consent agenda.

1.

If seventy-five (75) per cent of the responding property owners who access their property by way of the roadway vote to accept the new name or rename initiated by a citizen, a resolution naming or renaming the roadway will be presented to the board of county commissioners for adoption by the board.

2.

If fifty (50) per cent plus one of the responding property owners vote to accept the new name during an E9-1-1 addressing office initiated naming or renaming, a resolution naming the roadway will be presented to the board of county commissioners for adoption by the board.

(i)

Public hearings. When a roadway naming or renaming is initiated by the E9-1-1 addressing office, a public hearing will be scheduled if less than fifty (50) per cent plus one of the responding property owners who access their property by way of the roadway vote to accept the new name. The most popular of two (2) petitioned road names will be the name brought before the board in the public hearing.

(Ord. No. 04-89, § 5, 12-15-04)