Rural Addressing FAQ

What is the purpose of a rural address?

A rural address will consist of a distance-based road number, road name, locality and postcode, as well as georeferencing with latitude and longitude. The new addresses will only identify the property location and not who lives there, therefore not impacting on the privacy of the residents.

A valid physical address is required for all properties, residences, occupied structures and or businesses in McKinley County, for emergency service personnel to quickly and efficiently locate you in the event of an emergency. The McKinley County GIS aims to provide all occupied rural properties with a nationally recognized address that will assist Emergency Services and other service providers in locating a property.

Why is my address being changed?

Officially assigned E-911 physical addresses in the rural areas of McKinley County are determined by a distance-based system using miles as the unit of measure. All lots, occupied buildings and residences are assigned an address number according to the distance from the start of the named road to the entrance point of each driveway. For example: An address of 23 would indicate that a driveway entrance is approximately 0.23 miles from the beginning of the road.

Common reasons why addresses may change:

1) The driveway entrance has relocated to a different location on the same road, or in the case of a corner lot, the driveway entrance is on another road.

2) Even numbers are on one side of the road and odd numbers are on the opposite. The address may be changed if the address number is out of sequence and/or if it is not on the correct side (an odd number on an even side, or an even number on an odd side).

3) Public safety and timely emergency response is the primary objective for E-911 physical addressing assignments. An address may be changed to correct any circumstance that may cause confusion in locating an E911 physical address in the event of an emergency.

Why would a road name change?

If the McKinley County GISC discovers a duplicate road name, or the threshold of four or more lots, occupied buildings or residences is met or exceeded, a new road name will be required. Property owners may petition for new road names by submitting a Road Name Change Form from McKinley County GISC. However, McKinley County is the final authority for all road naming.