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Adams County, WI
 
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (4) Index
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Adams County 4-20-1960;[1] amended in its entirety 1-19-2021 by Ord. No. 7-2021. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch. 166.
Highways — See Ch. 227.
Land division — See Ch. 382.
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter was also amended 2-18-1997 by Ord. No. 03-1997; 5-19-1998 by Ord. No. 04-1998; 7-20-1999 by Ord. No. 25-1999; and 12-19-2006 by Ord. No. 59-2006.
A. 
Authority. Section 59.54(4) and (4m), Wis. Stats., authorize a county to establish and regulate a building numbering system in towns for the purpose of providing emergency services.
B. 
Definitions. For purposes of this chapter only, the words listed below have the meaning as set forth:
BUILDING NUMBER IDENTIFICATION (BNI)
An address or other emergency identification number.
BUSINESS DAY
Any day that the Adams County Courthouse offices are open for business.
MUNICIPALITY
A town.
ROAD
All public and private roads, streets, alleys, boulevards, culs-de-sac, highways and other thoroughfares.
A. 
The property owner shall make a building number identification request by providing the following information to the Adams County Treasurer's Office:
(1) 
The type of service that necessitates the BNI.
(2) 
The name, current mailing address and telephone number of the property owner.
(3) 
A brief description of the property or the computer number of the parcel.
(4) 
The location of the driveway.
(5) 
The existing BNI for the property, if for a replacement sign.
B. 
The Adams County Treasurer's Office may, upon receipt of an appropriate building number identification request, issue a BNI.
C. 
The municipality shall place the BNI as set forth pursuant to the standards maintained by the Adams County Treasurer's Office, which include the following requirements:
(1) 
All signs shall be eight inches high by 16 inches long with white letters and numbers on a red background. All signs shall be highly visible and reflective.
(2) 
All signs shall have the name of the town on the top line, the house number on the middle line and the street name on the bottom line.
(3) 
All signs shall be placed in the most visible placement possible, as close as possible to the front lot line and to the left of the driveway when facing the building from the road.
(4) 
All signs shall have a minimum height of four feet to the top of the sign.
(5) 
All signs shall be double-face signs and shall be placed such that the signs are perpendicular to the road.
D. 
The municipality shall have the authority to purchase, install and charge for signs.
E. 
The municipality shall maintain, modify, and replace its building number identification system in accordance with the policies established by the Adams County Treasurer's Office and the established County grid system.
F. 
The municipality shall use required signs to replace old signs as needed.
G. 
All changes in numbers and street names shall take place as directed by the Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee. Any proposed changes shall be discussed with the municipality prior to County action. The Adams County Treasurer's Office shall notify in writing:
(1) 
The designated municipal officials of all changes; and
(2) 
The Adams County Sheriff's Office for input of the data into the 911 system.
H. 
The property owner shall notify all utilities of assigned BNI.
A. 
The assignment of street names shall strictly adhere to the terms and regulations of this chapter. The Treasurer's Office shall notify the municipality if any proposed name violates the Adams County grid naming policy within 30 business days. All road name change proposals and/or deviations from the terms of this chapter shall be placed before the Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee for approval or denial (see § 317-9).
(1) 
Subdivision roads shall be named following the grid system whenever practical. If circumstances are such that one or more roads do not fall on the grid or the roads are laid out such that they do not effectively fit the grid, the developer may petition the Planning and Zoning Committee to accept alternative road name(s) for roads not falling on the grid. In such case, the subdivision and alternative road name(s) shall have a thematic association. In all cases, the name of the main entry road(s) into subdivisions shall fit within the alphanumeric grid system, including the suffix.
(2) 
If an existing road is relocated, the road name shall be changed to fit the grid if necessary.
B. 
The Adams County Treasurer's Office shall, upon approval of any new road or name change to an existing road, notify the following:
(1) 
The Adams County Sheriff's Office for input of the data into the 911 system; and
(2) 
The municipality(ies) in which the affected road(s) lies.
C. 
If a municipality or the County receives approval to change the name of a designated road on a recorded plat, said entity shall properly record a certified copy of the resolution authorizing said change in the Adams County Register of Deeds office.
D. 
All municipalities shall have financial responsibility for maintenance and installation of all road signs, public and private, within the municipality except for signs along state highways and County trunk highways.
E. 
Municipalities may bill all affected parcels through special assessments for each sign for public or private roads.
(1) 
Signs designating "private" roads do not confer public roadway status.
(2) 
Street name signs for public and private roads are deemed herein a public necessity for the provision of emergency services.
A. 
All north and south roads shall be numbered starting with 1st Avenue on the east County line and proceeding westward in the following manner:
Section line:
Avenue (AVE)
1/2 mile:
Drive (DR)
1/16 mile:
Bluff (BLF)
9/16 mile:
Grove (GRV)
1/8 mile:
Boulevard (BLVD)
5/8 mile:
Junction (JCT)
3/16 mile:
Chase (CHS)
11/16 mile:
Knolls (KNLS)
1/4 mile:
Court (CT)
3/4 mile:
Lane (LN)
5/16 mile:
Creek (CRK)
13/16 mile:
Meadows (MDWS)
3/8 mile:
Crossing (XING)
7/8 mile:
Pass (PASS)
7/16 mile:
Dam (DM)
15/16 mile:
Ridge (RDG)
(1) 
If any portion of the road right-of-way falls on a grid line, the road shall be considered to be on the grid.
B. 
All east and west roads shall be named alphabetically starting with Adams Avenue on the north County line and proceeding southward in the following manner:
Section line:
Avenue (AVE)
1/2 mile:
Drive (DR)
1/16 mile:
Bluff (BLF)
9/16 mile:
Grove (GRV)
1/8 mile:
Boulevard (BLVD)
5/8 mile:
Junction (JCT)
3/16 mile:
Chase (CHS)
11/16 mile:
Knolls (KNLS)
1/4 mile:
Court (CT)
3/4 mile:
Lane (LN)
5/16 mile:
Creek (CRK)
13/16 mile:
Meadows (MDWS)
3/8 mile:
Crossing (XING)
7/8 mile:
Pass (PASS)
7/16 mile:
Dam (DM)
15/16 mile:
Ridge (RDG)
(1) 
If any portion of the road right-of-way falls on a grid line, the road shall be considered to be on the grid.
(2) 
Township 20 North shall have the names of Adams, Alpine, Aniwa, Apache, Archer and Aspen.
(3) 
Township 19 North shall have the names of Badger, Beaver (Bea), Bighorn, Blackhawk, Browndeer and Buttercup.
(4) 
Township 18 North shall have the names of Chicago, Cottonville, Cree, Cumberland, Cypress and Czech.
(5) 
Township 17 North shall have the names of Dakota, Deerborn, Dixie, Dover, Duck Creek and Dyke (Dyk).
(6) 
Township 16 North shall have the names of Eagle, Edgewood, Elk, Ember and Evergreen.
(7) 
Township 15 North shall have the names of Fawn, Fern, Fish, Fox, Freedom and Fur.
(8) 
Township 14 North shall have the names of Gale, Gem, Gillette, Glen, Golden and Gulch.
C. 
Directional changes (such as curves) in roads may result in a name change of a portion of the road to conform to the grid system.
D. 
Addresses shall be assigned at intervals of 52.8 feet. If such intervals cannot be maintained due to road curvature, hilly terrain, or over/undersized sections, a letter or letters shall be added to maintain the number grid.
E. 
If property is divided such that a parcel(s) requires a new BNI, an existing address may be changed to correspond correctly with the address grid.
F. 
If two or more properties or households share a driveway, the first unit shall be assigned a number only, the succeeding units shall be assigned the same number along with a letter.
G. 
If the location of any driveway changes, the address number shall be changed if necessary to fit the grid.
H. 
Condominiums shall be addressed such that each building is assigned a number and each unit is assigned the same number and a letter.
A. 
All roads in recorded plats shall conform to the Adams County grid system.
B. 
All preliminary plats shall be submitted to the Adams County Treasurer's Office for approval of road names.
C. 
All plats shall have road names approved by the Treasurer's Office prior to recording.
A. 
All private roads accessing public roads shall maintain the Adams County grid system.
B. 
Private roads that do not access public roads and not utilizing the Adams County grid name system shall have names beginning with the proper letter of the alphabet designated for the Township surrounding said property, subject to the approval of the Adams County Treasurer's Office.
C. 
No name shall be used that is a duplicate of an existing road other than a designated grid name.
D. 
A designated grid name may be used if it conforms to the Adams County grid.
E. 
All BNI shall conform to the Adams County grid system.
F. 
The Adams County Treasurer's Office shall assign the building numbers on all private roads.
A. 
Sign integrity. No person shall destroy, deface, alter, change, remove, or interfere with the visibility of any sign placed pursuant to this chapter.
B. 
Sign replacement. No person or municipality shall replace any sign that is under the jurisdiction of this chapter until approved by the Adams County Treasurer's Office. If a BNI is inconsistent with the grid system, it shall be corrected upon replacement.
Any municipality or person in violation of this chapter shall forfeit to Adams County, upon conviction thereof, an amount neither less than $100 nor more than $250 per violation. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense. The Planning and Zoning Department, and certified inspectors therein, shall have the authority to issue citations. The program shall be supervised by the Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee.
Any person aggrieved by any action taken under this chapter by the Adams County Treasurer or employees of such office may file with that office a request for review of such action. Requests for review must be filed within 30 calendar days of the challenged action. The Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee will consider all such requests and will issue its decision approving, reversing, or modifying the challenged action within 60 days of the date the request for review was filed.
A. 
All existing street signs, BNI signs and structural materials not in conformance with this chapter shall be considered legal nonconforming. All replacement signs, materials and locational requirements shall be in conformance with § 317-3F of this chapter.
B. 
All existing street names and BNI addresses not in conformance with this chapter shall be considered legal nonconforming. All changes of street names and BNI addresses shall follow the procedure in § 317-2G. See also § 317-9, Review and appeal.
A. 
Any request for exception to or deviation from this chapter shall require approval of the Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee. All requests must be submitted in writing to the Treasurer's Office.
B. 
In any case where a road is situated such that this chapter does not define the road name, the Treasurer's Office and the Planning and Zoning Department shall submit their recommendations to the Planning and Zoning Committee. The Planning and Zoning Committee shall assign the road name.