The purpose of this chapter shall be to require
the clear display of house numbers from public streets for all properties
that contain principal buildings within the Town of Somers in order
to assist the general public or the authorities in identifying any
property in case of an emergency, as well as for the welfare of the
general public in conducting its normal affairs.
This chapter shall apply to all properties within
the Town of Somers that contain a principal building thereon, whether
or not said building is occupied. Such premises shall bear and display
at least one (1) set of house numbers, which shall be assigned by
the Assessor. Buildings facing two (2) or more public roadways shall
be required to display auxiliary numbers, if necessary, to pass the
visibility test (as hereinafter set forth) when viewed from those
points in the center line of the public roadway opposite those points
where regularly used pedestrian or vehicular passageways enter the
public roadway.
In order to comply with this chapter, house
numbers shall be Arabic design, shall have a minimum height of three
(3) inches and shall be mounted in a secure fashion to the building's
front wall or to a porch or other fixed appurtenance in front of the
building in the general vicinity of the main entryway or main path
of travel which leads to the main entrance from a public street, or
otherwise separately mounted in an approved manner upon the face of
a wall or upon a post in the front yard of the premises. Auxiliary
numbers shall be mounted at a height between four (4) feet and ten
(10) feet above the adjacent grade or exterior landing directly beneath,
but never higher than fifteen (15) feet above the adjoining grade.
They shall be sufficiently legible as to contrasting background, arrangement,
spacing, size and uniformity of integers so that the numbers may be
read with ease during the daylight hours by a person possessing at
least 20/40 vision as he views the numbers from the center line of
the facing street and at an elevation of five (5) feet above the finished
surface thereof. The numbers shall be so placed that trees, shrubs
or other obstructions do not block the line of the sight from the
center of the street to any appreciable degree.
Existing numbers used on premises which essentially
comply with numbers officially assigned by the Assessor, at least
to the extent that such number or numbers are in logical sequence
with the number or numbers assigned to properties on either side which
are located on the same side of the street, shall be considered as
bearing the correct number or numbers for the purposes of this chapter.
Existing installations which essentially meet the requirements and/or
spirit of these regulations, including numbers presently on or attached
to a mailbox, may be granted approval by the Assessor without further
alteration. The Assessor shall notify a property owner of any change
in house number.
[Added 5-13-2021 by L.L. No. 2-2021]
All multi-occupancy structures featuring multiple doors or windows
on a common exterior wall shall display each unit's identifying designation
(e.g., 355A, 355B, 2A, 2B) on the rear of said structure near each
door as follows:
A. The manner
in which they are displayed shall be universally applied to all the
units in the development community (exceptions whereas new construction
practices or designs allow for improved visibility by utilizing an
alternative location).
B. All numbers
should be at least four inches in height or the current standard in
the New York State Fire Code, whichever is greater, and be located
at least four feet above the ground at grade and approximately six
feet above door sills on subsequent floors.
C. The colors
of said numbers should be in sharp contrast to the color of their
background.
D. When practical,
the numbers should be placed near a light so that they may be readily
seen at night. If the numbers are not illuminated, they should be
reflective.
[Added 5-13-2021 by L.L. No. 2-2021]
All multi-occupancy residential or commercial structures featuring
common exterior walls and multiple utility meters, regulators or other
hookups/connections shall have each connection/meter labeled in such
a manner as to allow for the quick and easy identification as to which
unit it is servicing or connected to.
Any person, firm or corporation violating any
provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be guilty of an
offense and shall be liable for a fine not to exceed $100 for each
offense.
The final authority for determining and assigning
the number or numbers to be used upon any particular property shall
be the Assessor of the Town of Somers. The Building Inspector shall
be responsible for enforcing the provisions of this chapter.