The Small Detail That Makes a Big Difference in Finding Your Way Home

In today’s world, proper address identification has never been more important. Some people get their daily Amazon packages, dinners via DoorDash, or even the weekly grocery delivery from Instacart.

One person you may not expect to have to find your house is Emergency Medical Services. When an emergency happens, seconds matter. Please take a moment to verify your address meets the code below from the 2021 International Residential Code to help these people be more efficient and accurate.

IRC code R319.1 Address Identification-Buildings shall be provided with approved address identification. The address identification shall be legible and placed in a visible position from the street or road fronting the property. Address identification characters shall contrast with their background.

Address numbers shall be Arabic numbers or alphabetical letters. Numbers shall not be spelled out. Each character shall be not less than 4 inches (102 mm) in height with a stroke width of not less than 0.5 inches. Where access is by means of a private road and the building address cannot be viewed from the public, a monument, pole or other sign or means shall be used to identify the structure. Address identification shall be maintained.