Road Addressing Naming

• Council is responsible for issuing all official property addresses under the Local Government Act 1993
• All new addresses are based on Australian Standard ASNZS 4819 and must meet the NSW Addressing Policy and User Manual created by Spatial Services and the Geographical Names Board
• Address numbering shall be unambiguous and applied in a logical manner for the importance of clearly identifying properties for deliveries and Emergency Services

• Rural addressing is a distance-based numbering system
• Address numbers are based on the distance of the access point from the roads datum
• The distance is measured in metres and then divided by 10 and then rounded to the nearest odd or even number
• Odd numbers are on the left-hand side of the road
• Even numbers are on the right-hand side of the road
• Rural addressing for narrow frontages:
  • Alpha suffixes shall start at A, be assigned incrementally and shall not extend beyond E

Even if you rely on a post office box for mail delivery, it is important that your address is displayed and is visible from the road. This applies whether you own or occupy a property.

Guidelines for displaying your rural address number

• Use large numbers - Numbers should be easy to see from the road, whether you are walking, riding or in a vehicle.
• Be visible in the dark - Numbers on a letterbox, post, fence or other structure should be reflective or on a contrasting background.
• Be visible in both directions - Numbers should be visible from both directions. Avoid placing numbers on a gate, if the gate is left open, it may not be visible.
• Post twice or more along a shared driveway - If the shared driveway or access point leads to more than one property, post all numbers after the start of the driveway and then on each property.
• Uncover the numbers - Several times per year, trim bushes, vines, flowers and weeds, so all numbers are clearly visible.
• Use the correct rural address number - Do not use lot numbers or any other number that have not been assigned by Council. (See below for how to check what your rural address number is)
• Display the number for the road it is assigned to - If you are located on a corner property, display your number to the road that it is assigned to, not the other road.

These rural address numbers can be purchased from Council. Please call Council on T 02 6578 7290 to organise payment and confirm that we have your numbers in stock. The cost of the numbers can be found in our Fees and Charges document.  

The area marked with the red circle on your rates notice is where you will find your rural address number.

If any of the following applies to you, please contact Council’s Land Asset Management Team on T 02 6578 7290 to help sort your problem.

• If you don’t have a rural address number and you have a dwelling or structure built on your property.
• The number is different to what you have displayed at the front of your property. 

• Protection in case of an emergency - Protect your family, employees, customers, visitors and your premises. If you need emergency services, they will be able to locate you faster. A visitor, child or injured person may be unable to give clear directions. New emergency personnel may also be unfamiliar with your area. Every second counts.
• Identification for utility services - Phone, electricity, water and other companies rely on an address to begin a new service or to respond to a maintenance issue.
• Identification for delivery services - Mail, parcel and other deliveries require an address. Having that address clearly displayed will ensure prompt delivery and ensure that your deliveries do make it to you and not elsewhere or returned to the sender.
• Easier to locate Customer or visitors can easily find you.

Not displaying or using an incorrect address is an offence. 

Under the provision of the Local Government Act 1993, Section 124(8), a Council may order an owner or occupier of the land, “To Identify the premises with such numbers or other identification in such a manner as specified in the order”

Failure to comply with the order is considered an offence under Section 628 of the Act. Offences for this order attract a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units for an individual or 100 penalty units for a corporation.

• Road names to all regional, local and private roads located within the Singleton Local Government Area is subject to the Roads Act 1993 and the Roads Regulation 2008.
• Consultation with National Parks and State Forest for naming of their roads is also undertaken.
• The naming of a road does not change the ownership, rights, obligation or maintenance of the road.
• Road naming authorities must adhere to the procedures outlined in the NSW Address Policy and User Manual.
• All road naming proposals must be notified, supported and gazette by the NSW Geographical Names Board.
• Uniqueness is the most essential quality when proposing a new road name and duplication of similar or like sounding names should be avoided as these names create confusion and delay emergency response times e.g., Smith/Smythe Road.
• Acceptable Road Names are names of early settlers, war servicemen and women and other persons who have contributed to the heritage of an area, local history themes, flora, fauna are usually most suitable for applying to roads. Aboriginal names are also supported and shall be in a local language chosen in consultation with the Local Aboriginal Land Council.
• The names of people who are still alive shall not be used because community attitudes and opinions can change over time.

• Emergency + App - The Emergency+ app is a free app developed by Australia’s emergency services and their Government and industry partners.The app uses GPS functionality built into smart phones to help a Triple Zero (000) caller provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency services
  
  
• What Three Words - The world is divided into 3 metre squares and each square has a unique combination of three words. When you speak to emergency services, you just quote the 3 words that are displayed on the app and they will know the exact location for you . It is also a good idea to already know what the 3 words are for your house, sheds or entrances.

• Road Naming + Addressing Fact Sheet
• Geographical Names Board Road Naming 
• NSW Address Policy & User Manual 
• NSW Point 
• Spatial Services User manual 
• Geographical Name Board (GNB) Guidelines
• Road Naming Application Form
• Why we address flyer
• Pre-approved names for street and road naming