[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009]
This chapter establishes a uniform method for naming streets and assigning property addresses within the City of Pittsburgh and shall apply to:
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 14-2015, § 1, eff. 4-9-2015; Ord. No. 2-2018, § 14, eff. 2-15-2018; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 1, eff. 9-22-2021]
The following definitions shall apply to this chapter:
(b) BUILDING
means any combination of materials constructed, placed or erected permanently on the ground or attached to something having a permanent location on the ground, for the shelter, support or enclosure of persons, animals or property, or supporting any use, occupancy or function.
(c) STREET
means any public right-of-way in the City of Pittsburgh including but not limited to any public alley, avenue, boulevard, circle, court, drive, extension, freeway, highway, lane, place, road, street or way.
(d) DEPARTMENT
means the Department of Innovation and Performance.
(e) COMMITTEE
means the City of Pittsburgh Addressing Review Committee, which shall include the Chair of the Committee: a member of the City's GIS Division; the appointed designee (or proxy) by the Director from each of the following City Departments: Public Safety, the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Public Works, Mobility and Infrastructure, City Planning, Innovation and Performance, Permits, Licenses and Inspection and the following County Departments: Emergency Services Operation Center, and Administrative Services. The United States Postal Service as a non-voting advisory member.
(f) ROOT STREET NAME
means all parts of a street name except the suffix and, where applicable, the predirectional and/or postdirectional.
(g) NEW STREET NAME
means a new name for an existing street or a new name for a newly created street.
(h) UN-NAMED STREET
means an existing street for which there is no official name or ordinance naming said street.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 2, eff. 9-22-2021]
An application to request an address, or a change of a property address shall be submitted one (1) of three (3) ways: 1) digitally through City's website and/or other designated electronic system; 2) emailed to the Committee or 3) paper copies mailed or delivered together with all applicable fees to the Department by:
(a)
The Department and the Committee; or
(b)
Only a property owner (or owner's representative) owning property and needing an address; or
(c)
Any public, quasi-public, federal, state or local agency that provides law enforcement, fire protection and/or emergency response services to the public; or
(d)
The Mayor and/or member of Council.
The below list of attached documents must be submitted with the application:
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 3, eff. 9-22-2021]
An application to name a street shall be submitted digitally through City's electronic system to the Department attached with the following information:
(a)
Name of the applicant(s);
(b)
Surrounding street name(s);
(c)
Proposed street name;
(d)
Location of the street and legible map;
(e)
Written consent from a majority of the people owning property or living on the street stating they agree with the proposed street name for an un-named street.
(f)
The Committee may choose to change a street name for an existing street on its own application when a street name does not meet the standards of NENA or this Chapter.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 4, eff. 9-22-2021]
A proposed street name shall comply with the following standards:
(a)
Street names will at a minimum contain a root street name followed by one (1) suffix that indicates the road type. The root street name will contain no numbering, no road types, no compass directions, and no derivatives of road types or compass directions that could be confused with the suffix or directional.
(b)
Root street names will have spellings and pronunciations that are unique within the City of Pittsburgh and shall not have a pronunciation and/or spelling similar to an existing street name (Example: Rodger, Roger).
(c)
Contiguous streets and any new sections of streets that would be extensions of an existing street will be named so that they bear the same root street names and suffixes throughout their lengths. Streets which bear directional in neighboring jurisdictions will be assigned directional in a manner that provides for consistent schemes of directional along the full lengths of these streets. The Committee will consult with the addressing staffs of all neighboring local governments in order to coordinate the assignment of directional to multi-jurisdictional streets.
(d)
Historical street names shall not be changed unless the Committee finds that the best public safety interests of the public outweigh the historical value of retaining the street name.
(e)
This section shall also apply to the naming of private streets and ways.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009]
The Department shall receive applications and the Committee shall review for compliance with this ordinance and NENA naming standards.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009]
In implementing and administering a uniform property addressing system, the Department and Committee shall maintain uniformity with the NENA addressing standards and consider uniformity with existing addresses in the area of the subject property. The Committee shall be responsible for the promulgation of administrative rules and procedures associated with meeting the standards of NENA and this ordinance.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 420.08, which pertained to addressing application and derived from Ord. 20-2009, eff. 10-31-2009, was repealed by Ord. 27-2021, eff. 9-22-2021.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 6, eff. 9-22-2021]
(a)
The Department shall receive property address applications and shall verify the property addressing application is complete and that all applicable fees have been paid or waived;
(b)
The Department shall verify the property location;
(c)
The Committee shall review the application and approve an address that is in accordance with the NENA guidelines and this ordinance.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 14-2015, § 2, eff. 4-9-2015; Ord. No. 50-2015, § 1, eff. 12-9-2015; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 7, eff. 9-22-2021]
(a)
Street Name: Upon the recommendations of the Committee with respect to proposed new street names, the Department shall transmit such recommendation(s), in writing, to City Council and the City Clerk. No other recommendations of the Committee with regard to other matters referred to in Chapter 420 shall be submitted to Council for voting. Council shall approve said recommendation(s) with an affirmative vote of a simple majority of its members. Should Council wish to reject the Committee's recommendations regarding proposed new street names, it shall require the negative vote of six (6) members of Council. Should Council fail to act on the Committee's recommendations within forty-five (45) calendar days while council is in session, that failure to act shall be deemed an approval of said recommendation(s). Upon approval of the Committee's recommendation(s), the Department shall notify the applicant, in writing, of the assigned name and except in the case of new construction, shall allow up to ninety (90) business days before the effective date of the street name and/or a change of un-named streets.
(b)
Address Request: Upon Committee's approval of the Department's recommendation(s), the Department shall notify the applicant, in writing, of the address assignment to the property and shall allow up to ninety (90) business days before the effective date of the new address or new change of an address.
(c)
E911 Address Request Causing a Change of Address: The Department shall review the request and forward a recommendation to Public Safety. Upon Public Safety's approval, the Committee will determine appropriate address(es) in accordance with the NENA guidelines and this ordinance, Chapter 420 and then proceed with the notification process of the change of address. The Department shall notify the following staff members of the City's Mayor: Chief of Staff and Chief of Operating Officer; the following staff members of the City's Public Safety: Director, Business Administrator and Safety Technology Manager and the Director of Innovation and Performance of the proposed change(s).
(d)
The Department shall notify the applicant, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), appropriate County Offices and the regional Post Office of the address assigned to the property. Within seven (7) days of enactment, the Director of the Department of Public Safety, Chief of the Bureau of Police, Chief of the Bureau of Fire and the Chief of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services shall notify all relevant employees within their respective bureaus and departments of the new or changed street names. The Department shall have no responsibility to notify any other third party of the new or changed property address.
(e)
The property owner has the sole responsibility to notify all utilities, banks, tenants, creditors and other persons and entities of the property owner's new or changed property address.
(f)
The owner of a property to which a number has been assigned will affix the number to the structure or on the property in such a way that it is visible from the street. All non-valid address numbers shall be removed.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009]
The CAD Geofile maintained by the City/County 911 Center in conjunction with the Committee is hereby adopted as the official street file for the City of Pittsburgh.
[Ord. No. 20-2009, § 1, eff. 10-31-2009; Ord. No. 27-2021, § 8, eff. 9-22-2021]
The Department will make sure to notify the City's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, or other designated City department responsible for street signage, of any changes, determinations or decisions made pursuant to this chapter. The designated City Department shall ensure that signage is visible at every street intersection in accordance with City of Pittsburgh Code Chapter 421. Where new signage is needed due to normal wear, a street name change, a lack of existing signage or a decision to replace existing signage that is inadequate or inaccurate, the City of Pittsburgh shall provide new signage and the Department shall ensure that:
(a)
All components of the street names, including directional and street types, are visible on the signs.
(b)
The street name is displayed identically on all signage along the course of a given street.
(c)
The street name displayed on the signage along the course of a given street is an accurate representation of the actual street name.