[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of
the City of Northampton as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Ch. 19, Art. III, of the 1977
Code; amended in its entirety 12-4-2014]
A.
Every owner, occupant or person having control of
any principal building on property which has been assigned a number
by the Department of Public Works shall, at their own expense, cause
said building to be numbered with numeric figures at least three inches
in height, in contrasting color to the background and conspicuously
placed facing the road according to the directions of the Director
of Public Works or his/her designee and/or any public safety officer
as follows:
(1)
The Director of Public Works or his/her designee and/or
any public safety officer shall use the following guidelines on any
building situated more than 80 feet from the road layout: Each person
shall place numbers in a conspicuous location not more than three
feet from the edge of the driveway and not more than 10 feet from
the road layout. Numbers shall be placed on a freestanding pole or
post between four and six feet in height, above ground level, and
shall face the road.
(2)
Buildings less than 80 feet from the road layout with a view obstructed by vegetation or other materials preventing visibility from the road will follow the guidelines in Subsection A.
(3)
In the case of common or shared drives, property owners will adequately display all building numbers on a freestanding post, as described in Subsection A above, which can be easily viewed in all seasons, at the entrance to the drive, and such owners shall provide additional marking, as previously stated, which shall be posted at appropriate junctions in the drive to facilitate immediate response by emergency service personnel.
B.
Every owner, occupant or person having control of
any apartment or group of apartments, condominiums, industrial and/or
commercial buildings shall cause each principal building to bear the
number assigned by the Department of Public Works on the front entrance
of each unit. In case a principal building is occupied by more than
one business or family dwelling unit, each separate unit shall bear
a separate number or letter (A, B, C, etc.).
C.
Every owner, occupant or person having control of any principal building on property in the City, which at the time of adoption of this article is in compliance with this § 149-1, shall not be required to increase the size of numbers on their dwelling; the burden of proof to show compliance shall be on the homeowner.
A.
Said numbers shall, in the business portions of the
City, cover a frontage of 10 feet more or less and, in the residence
portions of the City, a frontage of 25 feet more or less, at the discretion
of the Director of Public Works or his/her designee, and be measured
continuously from the end of the street, lane, alley or court.
B.
When lot driveway access is permitted by the Planning
Board, Zoning Board, or Zoning Board of Appeals at a location other
than the lot frontage, the Director of Public Works or his/her designee
may assign a house number at the street, lane, alley or court where
the driveway is located for safety reasons. When a building is built
close to the street line with the clear intention of providing a presence
on that street, the Director of Public Works or his/her designee may
assign house numbers for the street adjacent to the building and/or
may assign multiple numbers on multiple streets, regardless of the
location of the driveway or other buildings on the same property,
provided such street number will not slow emergency response.
C.
The odd numbers shall be on the right side of the
street going from the principal street from which it leads, and the
even numbers opposite the smaller odd numbers.
The Director of Public Works or his/her designee
shall assign a new number wherever he finds that the number in use
is incorrect, but he shall not have authority to renumber a street
unless so ordered by the Planning Board.
Any owner, occupant, or person having control of any dwelling house or other building who shall refuse or neglect to comply with the provisions of this article within then 10 days after a notice in writing is delivered to such owner, occupant, or person, of the number or numbers assigned said buildings by the Director of Public Works or his/her designee, shall for each and every offense, forfeit and pay a penalty as set forth in Chapter 40, Enforcement.
[Adopted 12-4-1986 (Ch. 19, Art. IV, of the 1977 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A single room with or without cooking facilities, and efficiency
or multiroom apartment or other dwelling space used as a domicile
by an individual, two or more unrelated individuals living together
or a family unit.
Any owner, occupant or person having control
of a two-family residential unit or a multidwelling residential unit
shall identify each separate residential unit by means of a number
or letter, or a combination of both number and letter. Such number
or letter shall be prominently displayed on or near the door of the
separate residential unit. Such number or letter shall not be placed
near the number that identifies the building itself.
[Amended 2-1-2007]
Any owner, occupant or person having control of a two-family residential unit or multidwelling unit who shall refuse or neglect to comply to the provisions of this article within 15 days after notice in writing is mailed to such owner, occupant, or person, shall for each and every offense, forfeit and pay a penalty as provided in Chapter 40, Enforcement, for each day which the separate residential unit is not identified in accordance with § 149-6. The penalty shall begin on the 16th day after the notice has been sent by the Board of Registrars of Voters/Annual City Census.
