HomeMy WebLinkAboutAddressing Handout New and Existing 2019Page 1 of 2
CITY OF PALM DESERT
Building & Safety Department
73-510 Fred Waring, Palm Desert, CA (760) 776-6420
GUIDELINES FOR NEW ADDRESSES AND
CHANGE TO EXISTING ADDRESSES
PURPOSE: The City of Palm Desert Building and Safety Department is responsible for creating and assigning
addresses for all new addressable structures or units. These requirements were established in order to provide
property owners, the general public and the City with a convenient, accurate and systematic means of:
1. Identifying and locating a property.
2. Assist in the proper delivery of mail, packages, utilities and other services.
3. Provide means for expedient emergency response by medical, law enforcement, rescue, and any other
emergency services.
How to Request New Addresses:
PROCEDURE:
1. The owner or their representative will submit a tentative tract map laying out the proposed street names to
the Planning Department for approval of street names. The Planning Department will then forward the
street name requests to the Fire Marshal for approval. Any street over a 90° turn cannot have the same
name.
Once the street names have been approved by the Planning Department and Fire Marshal, the owner or
their representative will submit the tentative tract map with approved street names to the Building and
Safety Department prior to plan review.
2. The tract will be assigned new addresses by the designated Building and Safety Department staff.
3. If there is one parcel with more than one building, an address will be assigned to each Building. If there
are suites/units in each building, they will be assigned suite/unit numbers consisting of three numerical
digits.
4. The owner or their representative will be notified once the addressing is completed so that plans may be
submitted for plan review. An official address letter will be given to the owner/representative with assigned
addresses.
New Addressable Structures or Units:
Addressable Structures or Units are generally, the habitable or occupied structure(s) on a lot, parcel or tract, but
may also include other structures as determined necessary by the Building and Safety Department staff.
Site Address is the property identification comprised of an address number, a directional, a street name, a street
suffix, and a unit number if applicable. The site address will include the name of the public or private access street
with which the driveway intersects. If the structure is located on a corner lot consisting of two (2) driveways, and has
access from two different streets the address will be based on the main entrance.
Building and Safety Department Addressing Policy Guidelines:
A. Numbering Plan:
The Coachella Valley is sectioned off into one (1) square mile areas, as established by the County of Riverside.
Numeric addresses are determined using the address grid and should be assigned in numeric sequence as
follows:
• West to East streets use 72300 to 78500 address numbers, with even numbers fronting on the north
side of the street, and odd numbers fronting on the south side of the street.
• North to South streets use 32000 to 51600 address numbers, with even numbers fronting on the east
side of the street, and odd numbers fronting on the west side of the street.
Page 2 of 2
• Any street over a 45° turn will be considered a new street and will be addressed accordingly.
• When two or more buildings, addressed off of the same street, are located one building behind the
other, addresses will be kept in sequence within each building and the building closest to the street
should have the lower address number.
B. Assigning Addresses:
Addresses shall be provided as outlined below.
• Detached Single Family Residential shall be assigned one address based on the driveway access.
Only one address will be assigned to corner lots based on the orientation of driveway access.
• Duplexes, Tri-Plexes, and Four-Plexes shall be assigned one address per building with a sub
numbering of #1 and #2, etc.
• Apartments, Condominiums, and Townhouses shall be assigned one address per building with sub-
numbering in sequential order within the building. The sub-numbering shall begin with 100 for first floor
units, 200 for second floor units and 300 for third floor units, etc.
• Commercial Office, Professional, and Industrial Buildings (Multi-Tenant Buildings) shall be
assigned one address per building with sub numbering in sequential order within the building. The sub
numbering shall begin with 100 for first floor units, 200 for second floor units and 300 for third floor units,
etc.
• Fractional numbers (i.e. 73510 ½ Example Street) will be used in common areas for traffic signals,
street light pedestals, irrigation pedestals, utility meters, cell towers, accessory structures and similar
structures.
C. Premises Identification Palm Desert Ordinance No. 1351:
Address numerals shall comply with Palm Desert Ordinance No. 1351. You may request a copy of the
Ordinance at the Building and Safety Department.
HOW TO CHANGE AN EXISTING ADDRESS:
1. Change of Existing Addresses:
An existing site address that causes confusion or hinders the efficient operation of the post office for
delivery service, fire response agency, emergency medical service, law enforcement agencies, or other
emergency agencies serving the City of Palm Desert can be considered for a change. This includes but is
not limited to address numbers or ranges that are out of sequence. Requests for changes in existing
addressing must be requested in writing by the property owner.
A. A request for an existing site address change must be requested in writing and submitted to the Building
and Safety Department.
B. Once the written request is received, the Building and Safety Department designated staff person will
research the Department’s address books to verify if the concern is probable to change the address. The
staff member will determine what numbers are available to create a new address using the City’s odd/even
numbering system.
C. Once the Building and Safety Department reviews and grants approval, a site address notification letter will
be sent to the following agencies and affected property owner(s):
Coachella Valley Water District
Desert Sands Unified School District
Postmaster
Property Owners / Job File
Registrar of Voters
Riverside County Recorder / Assessor
Riverside County Fire Department
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Southern California Gas
Southern California Edison Spectrum Frontier
3/13/17