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Civic Addressing and Street Naming

In an emergency – we can’t help you if we can’t find you! Know your Civic Address!

In an emergency you need to be able to relay to the 911 operator the civic address of your location. A civic address is comprised of three parts: a civic number, a full street name and the municipality.

Civic Address SignFor example, 1410 Church Street West, Norfolk County consists of:

  • A civic number – 1410
  • A full street name – Church Street West
  • A municipality – Norfolk County

Civic Address = 911 Number = Fire Number

Ensure Your Civic Number is Clearly Visible

  • It is your responsibility to ensure that you are able to see your civic number sign from the road while travelling in either direction.
  • In urban and hamlet areas the property owner is responsible for posting the civic number.
  • In rural areas a standard green reflective sign is required. It is the owners responsibility to maintain this sign.
  • Remove obstructions – trim back bushes, trees and weeds.

Civic Addressing Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Civic Address?

A civic address is a combination of a building number (which sometimes includes a unit number, suite number etc.) a street name (which can include a prefix direction, name, suffix and type) and the lowest legally recognized jurisdiction. A couple of examples are:

  • 45 Maple Street, Norfolk County
  • 17 West Church Street, Norfolk County
  • 120 Highway 6, Norfolk County

How can I obtain a civic address?

You can apply for a civic address by obtaining a Civic Address Request Form below. The form should be filled out and submitted, with payment of $126 (for addresses outside of urban areas), to Service Norfolk at the following address:
Norfolk County
50 Colborne St S
Simcoe, ON
N3Y 4H3

519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK or x4636 (info)

[email protected]

The civic address fee covers the cost of the sign creation, sign installation and the notification to over 25 civic addressing contacts including: Bell 911, Emergency Services, OPP, Canada Post, Hydro One, Union Gas, etc.

Cheques should be made payable to Norfolk County. Payment can also be made by credit card over the phone.
Once the application and payment have been received, your new address will be emailed to you within a week. Signage may take up to an additional two weeks to be installed. If you have any questions, please contact Norfolk GIS Services. [email protected]

How can I check my correct address?

Use our Community Web Mapping application at the link below to search for your address (use the full street name with no abbreviations).

Community Web Map

If your address does not come up, then zoom to your property on the map to see the correct number and street name. The green numbers on the map are the address numbers. If you still have a problem with the address contact Norfolk GIS norfolkgis@norfolkcounty.ca for clarification.

What is the difference between a Civic Address and a 911 number?

In Norfolk County your civic address is what you must provide to the 911 dispatch person in case of emergency. In essence they are one in the same thing; however this is not necessarily the case in other jurisdictions.

Why don’t I use my Community name in my Civic Address?

This is a rather difficult concept to explain, but it has to do with how an area is defined legally. If we take a community such as Delhi we can easily describe where it is located but its boundary is not a legally defined line. For example where does Delhi stop and Windham Township start? The only current legal boundary within Norfolk County is the Norfolk County boundary.

What is my Postal Code?

Norfolk County does not assign or manage Postal Codes. To find out what the proper Postal Code is for a given property, you should contact your local Post Office.

What is my Rural Route?

Norfolk County does not assign or manage Rural Routes. To find out what the proper Rural Route is for a given property, you should contact your local Post Office.

Everyone refers to my road by one name, but the sign at the end of the road has a different name on it. Which one should I use?

Throughout history many roads have been known by several names, for example McDowell Road East which runs from the hamlet of Hillcrest to Forestry Farm Road has been called “West Street”, “Regional Road 1”, “The Ninth” etc. and although many people may know this road by one or more of these names, in an emergency if you dial 911 the only name that the dispatcher will recognize is its official name (the name posted on the signs located at intersections) McDowell Road East. It is for this reason that we encourage people to use only the official road name.

Why does someone else has the same number as me?

Many people might have the same number as you. Your civic address is made up of your number and your street name. All addresses within Norfolk County are unique.

Why are there two streets in the County with the same name?

Yes, there are street names within Norfolk County which are the same. For example we have three Elizabeth Streets. Each have a different address range which makes each address unique and acceptable to Bell 911.

Elizabeth Street – (Renton – address range 2000 – 2011)
Elizabeth Street – (Delhi – address range 15 – 61)
Elizabeth Street – (Walsh – address range 200-228)

During the County street renaming project in 2005 and 2006 many property owners opted to keep their street name and change the address range in order to make each address unique.

Google does not have my address correct.

Unfortunately Google does have many addressing errors, which cause home owners and delivery companies much frustration. If your address is not shown correctly on Google, there is a link at the bottom right hand corner of Google Maps which says “Send feedback”. Send them the correct information and it will be fixed on their mapping. Unfortunately sometimes we find you might need to send it few times before it is actually fixed. If you are correcting an address be sure you are confident that you are using the correct address, otherwise you are contributing to the problem.

Do I need a Civic Address?

If you own a property which contains a dwelling(s), or has a phone line, you must have a Civic Address. If you own a property which contains a building in which people spend time (e.g. working in a barn)  you should have a Civic Address. If you have a vacant piece of land a civic address is optional.

How, when and where do I apply for a Civic Address?

You can apply for a new civic address here. If a green sign is required in order to issue you an address (generally anywhere outside of an urban area) you will have to call Norfolk County Customer Service after applying to make payment before the address is issued (519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK). If you would like to apply for a new Civic Address because you are planning to build on a vacant parcel of land, this is dealt with as part of the building permit process. The building inspector can provide you with a copy of a Civic Address Request Form or it can be downloaded below. On the form there are several areas that need to be filled out with information, and a sketch showing the lot layout of the property for which the Civic Address is being requested.  A sample sketch will be included with the form.

Is there any way to change my Civic Address?

If there is a problem with your address and you would like to inquire about changing it, please contact Norfolk County staff by e-mail at norfolkgis@norfolkcounty.ca or by phone at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK ext. 1827 to discuss possible options.

Do I need a green Civic Address sign?

As a general rule, rural properties require a green sign and post and urban properties do not, although hamlet areas can be difficult to be sure as some have signs and some do not. Looking around at neighbouring properties would provide a good indication, but it may require contacting county staff to be positive.

How much does a Civic Address cost?

If a green sign and post are required there is a fee of $126.00 to cover the cost of manufacturing and installing the sign. If no sign is required there is no fee.

My green Civic Address sign is damaged or missing what do I do?

If your civic address sign has been damaged or is missing you should contact County Customer Service at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK x 0 to arrange for a replacement.

I’m a Developer and would like to know how I go about picking street names for my proposed subdivision?

During the planning process, sometime after draft plan approval and before servicing agreement is signed, you will be required to select street names from a pre-approved list of street names.  This road name registry is a compiled list of potential street names which have local historical significance.  Included in the list are names of veterans, prominent local individuals from the past, local rare and endangered species and other features of local historical significance. Final street names including any prefixes and suffixes will be approved by the Civic Addressing Coordinator and must follow standards as set out by the Civic Addressing By-Law 2018-37.

What is the process to change a street name?

Once a completed Request For Street Name Change Application has been submitted to the Civic Addressing Coordinator, along with a petition showing support from at least 80% of the property owners fronting along the subject street, Planning Staff will initiate a report to council on behalf of the person requesting the change.  Planning Staff are required to make comments within the report which may or may not support the proposed street name change.  It is recommended that the person requesting the change of street name be present at the Council meeting when the report is brought forward.  All costs associated with the renaming will be the responsibility of the applicant.  For more information on changing a street name please contact norfolkgis@norfolkcounty.ca or call 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK ext. 1827.

Related Documents

For more information about Civic Addressing or Street Naming within Norfolk County please contact norfolkgis@norfolkcounty.ca or call 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK ext. 1827.