In order to ensure sequential address numbering now and in the future, it is extremely important that the Engineer’s Office be able to accurately identify the exact location for the address assignment per the address numbering process. This benefits emergency services, delivery services, etc. in locating a person.

The Fairfield County Engineer's Office is responsible for assigning all rural address numbers in Fairfield County.  This includes those for all townships, unincorporated villages, and the incorporated villages of Millersport, Rushville, Stoutsville and Thurston.  We also assign address numbers on a few roads in Lithopolis and Lancaster.

Before completing for a new number, the property must have an approved deed, and the structure location being addressed is to be staked out.  It is best that tall stakes are used so that they can be seen from the road.  Along with a copy of the deed, the following information is to be submitted by the applicant:  tax mailing address, phone number, and a brief description of the property location.  The number is then determined by actual field measurements. We make every effort to respond to the customer within ten (10) working days.

OTHER IMPORTANT POINT

If the deed is not in the name of the applicant or the lot is not staked, we may not issue the number.

The county is divided by central baselines, one that runs north and south dissecting the county and the same for a central east and west baseline, thus dividing the county in four quarters.  The four quarters, or quadrants, are designated as NW (northwest), NE (northeast), SW (southwest) and SE (southeast).  Since some roads are in more than one quadrant, those initials are used after the road name in the address designating the quadrant that section of road is located.  These must be used to avoid delivery confusion.

For major subdivisions, rural numbers are not made until the approved plat has been recorded in the Recorder's Office.

Typically, the number is issued to the house and not the driveway. In some cases, if the house is obscured, the number is issued to the driveway. We will generally not issue numbers to a vacant lot.

When the field work is completed, we will mail a completed form to the land owner or person who requested the new number, unless they request to be notified for pick-up.

If you have any questions, please contact our Roadway Services Technician at 740-652-2391 or jamie.james@fairfieldcountyohio.gov.

HISTORY OF ADDRESSING IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY

In the early 1960s, it was evident that the “rural route” addressing system that was being utilized throughout Fairfield County was inadequate due to the growth of residences expanding from the cities and villages into the rural areas. An effort began to establish permanent names for all of the County’s roads, as well as numbering all rural dwellings.


In the spring of 1964, Ed Johnson, tri-county organization director for the Ohio Farm Bureau, spear-headed efforts for the proposed house numbering and road naming project. This project had been proposed three years earlier by the Farm Bureau, but was delayed due to financing and the additional research that was being performed by the Fairfield County Engineer’s Office. With the funding now available and the research completed, the County Commissioners were ready to move forward with the project.


Some advantages of such a system are to:

  • Help eliminate the confusion and speed up the response of all types of emergency services such as fire protection, law enforcement, ambulance and doctor calls which were still being made to resident’s homes.
  • Assist U.S. postal deliveries.
  • Expedite services by commercial businesses such as delivery, and electric, phone and gas services, etc.
  • Provide a system of correct addressing for future growth of the county.
  • Eliminate the confusion of roads being known by different names and to prevent businesses from creating their own road names.

Farm Bureau members met with the Township Trustees, as well as residents, to come up with permanent names for the roads, which in some cases were known by as many as six different names. Many were officially named after prominent residence or land owners that lived along the roads. On November 16, 1964, the County Commissioner’s voted to approve a list of road names for the public roads that were being maintained by the State of Ohio, County and the Township Trustees.


The Engineer’s Office promoted using the house numbering system predominately being adopted in most counties throughout the state at that time. The county was divided by central baselines that run north and south dissecting the county and the same for a central east and west baseline, thus dividing the county in four quarters. The four quarters, or quadrants, were designated as NW (northwest), NE (northeast), SW (southwest) and SE (southeast). Since some roads are in more than one quadrant, those initials are used after the road name in the address designating the quadrant that section of road is located.


Additional gridlines were added for each mile starting at the intersecting baselines in each direction toward the edge of the map. Then 1000 numbers were allocated for each mile of road starting at the baseline, thence running toward the outer edge of the county. The address numbers are allocated according to the proportionate distance through each mile of road and the assignment point of the address, thus reserving numbers for future growth. Adjustments are made for roads that do not run exactly north and south or east and west in direction. The address number is based on the drive or the structure location and then by adding the official road name, the quadrant the dwelling is in and the town’s name and zip code.


In 1966, the Fairfield County Engineer’s Office began issuing and documenting official addresses throughout the county. It was a struggle for the first few years to get residents to use their newly created addresses. Letters from the United States Postal Service to stop delivery to residents not using the system were utilized.


The addressing process has been modified through the years due to the introduction of large-scale subdivisions, condominiums, apartments, etc. The cities and some villages of the county perform their own addressing within their corporation limits.