How Do You Convert a Rural Route Address Into a 911 Address?
As of 2015, one way of converting a rural route address into a 911 address is using the Distance Based Addressing system. A rural home or property must have a driveway, or an area designated as a driveway, for the conversion system to be effective. Start at the intersection closest to the property and, using the Distance Measurement Indicator, measure the distance to the center of the driveway that is receiving the converted address. The address is the resulting number.
When converting rural route addresses using the Distance Based Addressing system, it is possible to establish an address every 10.56 feet. The system allows for about 1,000 addresses per mile, to accommodate future growth. Even-numbered addresses are always on the east or north side of the street, and odd-numbered addresses are always on the west or south side. Jurisdictions that use the system make only minor deviations when they assign addresses on the right or left side of a road.
The federal government has required the U.S Postal Service to use 911 addresses, giving homes permanent addresses consisting of street and house numbers. The key to creating an address is a driveway, the only part of a rural route property that intersects the road. Using an existing driveway or permanently designating an area as a driveway creates a point of reference for building an address.
