[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Amelia County 10-14-1986; amended 4-24-1989; 10-13-1993. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide for a uniform, County-wide
system for assigning street address numbers to all dwellings, buildings,
and habitable structures in the County of Amelia and to provide for
street and road naming and signage to assist fire and rescue service
providers, law enforcement agencies, the United States Postal Service,
and other organizations in the timely and efficient provision of their
services to the residents and businesses of the County.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Pursuant to the authority contained in §§ 15.2-2024
and 15.2-2019 of the Code of Virginia 1950, as amended, there is hereby
established a uniform system for naming roads and numbering property
in the County of Amelia. All roads shall be named and all property
shall be numbered in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
The baselines for the numbering grid system are established
by a north-south axis that is aligned with the intersection of Route
623 and the Namozine Creek and an east-west axis that begins at the
southeastern corner of the County on the Dinwiddie County line and
extends westward to a point south of the intersection of the Prince
Edward, Nottoway, and Amelia Counties' lines. The County-wide highway
grid map, prepared at a scale of one inch equals 600 feet, provides
an overall profile of the numbering system which is based on 600 feet
for block lengths and 20 feet for frontage intervals.
In order to facilitate the numbering of property and the naming
of roads, an official plat book consisting of an official set of Real
Property Identification Maps shall be prepared showing the number
of each property and the name of each road. The official plat book
shall be kept on file in the office of the County Administrator.
For the purpose of clarifying and systematizing the present
road naming pattern in the County of Amelia, the following provisions
shall apply:
A.
Roads in the County of Amelia which have the same or similar names
as other existing roads in Powhatan, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Nottoway,
Cumberland or Prince Edward Counties should be changed in order to
be unique and avoid duplication; except for those roads that extend
from any of these jurisdictions into the County of Amelia.
B.
Numbered roads which do not indicate the block number shall be assigned
new names.
C.
Roads which have more than one name shall be assigned new names.
D.
Every subdivision plat submitted to the Subdivision Agent for approval
shall show the proposed names of the roads. All names shall be approved
by the County of Amelia Board of Supervisors before such new names
become official.
For the purpose of facilitating the location of roads by virtue
of their name and clarifying the use of certain thoroughfare designations,
the following provisions shall apply:
A.
Road type designations should be consistent with the roadway's functional
classification, expected traffic use, width of right-of-way and continuity.
In order to achieve some consistency of name usage, the following
definitional guidelines shall apply:
(1)
Highway or pike: to be used only with state or federal, multilane
roadway facilities with some local access;
(2)
Parkway: a special scenic route or park drive, usually with a center
median;
(3)
Drive, road or trail: winding or straight thoroughfares which continue
through and intersect with other rights-of-way;
(4)
Streets and avenues: thoroughfares which continue through to provide
access to other rights-of-way;
(5)
Loops: a short roadway that begins and ends on the same, generally
parallel, street;
(6)
Circle: a local roadway that begins and circles back to terminate
on the same road, forming a closed "loop";
(7)
Lane, path or way: a local road which provides access to one or more
internal streets, each ending in a cul-de-sac; and
(8)
Place, court, terrace: a permanent dead-end road or cul-de-sac, which
may share a common name with the access road.
B.
Road names adopted for subdivisions should be related to a development
theme or common neighborhood identity for the subdivision. This linkage
can be established in one of the following ways:
C.
Road naming of state-route-numbered roads should be done with consideration
given to any historical names for the road.
Upon the adoption of this chapter, the following provisions
shall apply:
A.
The County of Amelia Board of Supervisors shall provide and erect
a road name sign for all existing public road intersections. First
priority for road sign construction shall be state primary road intersections,
followed by primary/secondary road intersections and secondary/secondary
road intersections.
B.
Every subdivider shall comply with Chapter 314, Subdivision of Land, of the Code of Amelia County in providing road signs for every road intersection in any subdivision.
C.
The County of Amelia Board of Supervisors shall replace, as funds
become available, road signs needed because of road name changes.
D.
After the effective date of this chapter, it shall be the responsibility
of the developer(s) of any development and/or subdivision involving
any new streets and roads, whether such streets and roads are to be
dedicated to the public or are to remain private in nature and in
title, to consult the Subdivision Agent and the County of Amelia,
Virginia Master Street and Road Name Guide prior to proposing names
for such streets and roads. Proposed names for such streets and roads
shall be approved by the County of Amelia Board of Supervisors prior
to final approval of any development plan and/or subdivision plat.
In all cases, approved names for such streets and roads must be shown
on each development plan and/or subdivision plat prior to final plat
approval of same for recording the approved plat.
E.
After the effective date of this chapter, it shall be the responsibility
of the developer(s) of any development and/or subdivision involving
any new streets and roads, whether public or private, to ensure that
the street and road name signs are fabricated at their expense in
accordance with specifications to be provided by the Agent. Such street
and road name signs shall be installed at the expense of the developer(s)
of such development and/or subdivision. However, the County Administrator
or his/her designated agent shall act as purchasing agent and be responsible
for the ordering and erecting the signs to ensure uniformity and compatibility
with existing signage.
(1)
For streets and roads that are to be dedicated to the public, the
Subdivision Agent shall review the proposed location(s) of street
and road name signs in conjunction with the Virginia Department of
Transportation prior to final plat approval of any development and/or
subdivision.
(2)
For streets and roads that are to remain private in nature and in
title, the Agent will review the proposed location(s) of street and
road name signs to ensure that such street and road name signs are
proposed for placement upon private property and as such will not
restrict sight clearance along the public way.
(3)
Street and road name signs for any new streets and roads, whether
public or private, in any development and/or subdivision created after
the effective date of this chapter shall be installed at approved
locations prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for
the first structure constructed within such development and/or subdivision.
The County of Amelia Board of Supervisors may change, rename
or name an existing or newly established road at any time after the
adoption of this chapter.
A.
The County Administrator or his/her designated agent is hereby designated
as the agent responsible for the administration, implementation, and
enforcement of this chapter.
B.
The agent shall develop in coordination with the Resident Engineer's
Office of the Virginia Department of Transportation design guidelines
for the location, size and style of road signs to be erected in the
County of Amelia.
C.
The agent shall establish and assign street address numbers in accordance
with the guidelines set forth by the provisions of this chapter and
the County of Amelia, Virginia Master Street and Road Name Guide as
follows:
(1)
No permanent address shall be issued by the agent until a building
permit has been approved and issued by the Building Official for any
new or altered building. After a uniform property numbering system
has been established, it shall be the duty of the owner of every new
or altered building to obtain a property number and post it upon the
premises.
(2)
Henceforth, permanent addresses shall be assigned by the agent as
herein provided by this chapter to each lot or parcel shown on each
development and/or subdivision plat prior to final approval of same
and a copy of the numbered development and/or subdivision plat shall
be maintained by the agent.
In order to implement the road naming and property numbering
system for the County of Amelia, the new numbers and road names shall
become official as each portion of the County is incorporated into
the uniform system. The procedures shall be as follows:
A.
Plats showing the proposed property numbers and road names shall
be prepared by the office of the County Administrator.
B.
The plats shall be reviewed and approved by the County of Amelia
Board of Supervisors.
C.
A notice shall be mailed or delivered, by the agent of the County
Administrator, to the owner, or agent of the owner for each principal
building stating the new address of the building and when it shall
become effective. It shall be the responsibility of each owner, or
agent, to notify the occupant(s) of the building(s) of the new address.
It shall be the responsibility of the owner or occupant of each
building to notify the local post office, correspondents, publishers,
utilities, and all other interested parties of a change of address.
The County Administrator shall provide a master change of address
listing to necessary departments and to other government and emergency
agencies to facilitate the correction of public administrative records.
No certificate of occupancy for any new or altered building
shall be issued by the Building Official until an assigned property
number has been posted by the owner or agent as herein provided by
this chapter. The property owner, or agent, shall be responsible for
affixing the assigned property number and, if present, removing any
existing number. The cost and maintenance of property numbers shall
be the responsibility of the property owner or agent.
Property numbers shall ascend from zero to the west, along the
baseline that runs along the southern part of the County to a line
where Nottoway, Prince Edward, and Amelia Counties join. Numbers shall
ascend from zero to the north to the northern line of the County ending
at the Appomattox River.
Each principal building on a diagonal or curving road shall
be assigned a north-south or east-west number as conditions warrant.
Buildings on roads not extending through to the baseline shall
be assigned property numbers in the same manner as if such roads extended
through to the baseline.
Property numbers shall be affixed by the owner, or agent of,
on any building within 30 days after being notified by the County
Administrator or his/her designated agent. The cost of the numbers
shall be borne by the property owner or agent.
Property numbers shall be a minimum of three inches in height
and a maximum not to exceed six inches in height. The numbers shall
be made of a durable and clearly visible material. The numbers shall
be conspicuously placed on, above or at the side of the main entrance
door so that the number is plainly visible from the road. Whenever
a principal building is more than 50 feet from the road or when the
entrance is not visible from the road, the number shall be posted
at the driveway entrance or other suitable location that is easily
discernible from the road.
A grid system, as shown on County property numbering base maps,
is hereby established. The grid lines, as shown on the property numbering
maps, indicate the point at which block numbers will change in increments
of 100.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The maximum length of a block shall be 750 feet. Frontage intervals
shall be 20 feet for property number assignments.
Even numbers shall be assigned to the north and west sides of
all streets and odd numbers shall be assigned to the east and south
sides of all streets.
When a principal building has more than one entrance serving
separate occupants, a separate number shall be assigned to each entrance
of the principal building.
A multiple-family dwelling having only one main entrance shall
be assigned only one number, and separate apartments shall have a
letter suffix.
A.
Whenever the County Administrator or his/her designated agent has
reason to believe there has been a violation of any provision of this
chapter, he shall first give notice of such violation to the person
failing to comply and order said person to take corrective measures
within 30 days from the date of notification.
B.
If such person fails to comply with the duly issued order, the County
Administrator or his/her designated agent shall initiate necessary
actions to terminate the violation through criminal and/or civil measures.
C.
The penalty for conviction of a violation of this chapter shall be
a fine of up to $100 plus any court costs incurred. Subsequent to
the thirty-day period following notification of violation, each day
of violation shall constitute a separate violation.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
D.
Whether or not a person has been convicted in a court of law of a
violation of this chapter, any person who has not complied with the
provisions of this chapter and who has been mailed by first-class
a written notice of noncompliance from the County Administrator, or
his/her designated agent, to the last-known address of that person,
shall not be issued a County of Amelia motor vehicle decal until said
person presents to the Treasurer of the County of Amelia a letter
from the County Administrator or his/her designated agent verifying
that compliance has been made with this chapter.
