AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF JEROMESVILLE REGULATING THE PLACEMENT AND SIZE OF STREET ADDRESS NUMBERS

Adopted in Regular Session (6-0) 20 April 2021

WHEREAS, to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the Village of Jeromesville by requiring the uniform placement, size and display of street address numbers for all buildings within the Village so that each building or building unit, as applicable, can be readily and clearly identified and located by vehicles responding to emergencies and so as to reduce uncertainty as to the address of each building or building unit for other general purposes; and

WHEREAS, to prevent visual blight within the Village by limiting address numbers to a size no larger than required to clearly identify and locate buildings, and to prevent the unregulated use of address numbers for commercial purposes or for other purposes not related to protection of the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the Village. 

Now, therefore, be it ORDAINED by the Council of the Village of Jeromesville that—

(1) Definitions: For purposes of this Ordinance, the following terms are defined as follows: 

(A) “Address number” shall mean the number assigned by the Village of Jeromesville to a building or building unit in the Village for purposes of identifying the address of the building or building unit. As used in this Ordinance, an “address number” does not include a number placed on or near a building for commercial or advertising purposes, such as a number included in the name of a business, even if that number and the address number are the same (e.g., the “504 Club” located at 504 Main Street). Address numbers may be displayed by either Arabic numerals or script. 

(B) "Premise" shall mean any lot or parcel of land owned by any person, firm or corporation, public or private, improved with building, whether occupied or unoccupied. 

(C) “Roadway” includes public and private streets, roads, avenues, boulevards, parkways and other public or private roadways and rights-of-way, as applicable to the property in question. 

(2) Every premise shall display the distinctive address number assigned to that premises by the Village of Jeromesville. The individual digits shall be no less than four (4) inches in height (three (3) inches if of a reflective material) for residential buildings and no less than four (4) inches in height (three (3) inches if of a reflective material) and no more than twenty-four (24) inches in height for non-residential buildings. Numbers must be in either Arabic numerals or script for either building. The address number shall be displayed in one of the following fashions: 

(A) If the number is displayed on a house, the number shall be placed upon the front of the house in such a position as to be plainly visible to all traffic coming to the premises from either direction. 

(B) If a house is more than 50 feet from the improved portion of the roadway or is not clearly visible from the roadway, the number shall be displayed on a sign adjacent to the roadway on which the property fronts. Such a sign shall be attached to a fence or post at a height that assures that the number will not be obscured by winter snows or snow plowing. 

(C) Multi-family residential buildings shall have a building address sign on or at the front of the building that identifies the addresses of all dwelling units located within the building.

(D) A principal building used primarily for business or other non-residential purposes shall have its address number displayed on the front of the building (either on the front entrance of the building or as close to the front door as is practicable), or on a sign directly in front of the building in a manner readily visible and clearly ascertainable from the abutting roadway.

(3) Violation: Failure to display an address number within (60) days after the adoption of this Ordinance, or in the case of new construction, prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, shall be considered a violation of this Ordinance and shall be subject to penalties hereinafter provided. 

(4) Penalties: Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of this Ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor subject to a fine of twenty-five dollars ($25). Violators will receive a certified letter informing them of the first citation with thirty (30) days to rectify. Each and every day after the first 30 days have been exhausted during which such violation continues shall be considered as a separate and distinct violation hereof and may be charged and prosecuted as such. The above specified penalties may be imposed for each such violation.