Posting 911 Addresses

Fire, Police and Emergency Service Crews are on call to assist when you call 911. They rely on address information that automatically appears on their monitors. Even if you cannot respond on the phone, the 911 operator knows your address! Now, time is of the essence, emergency crews are responding to your call.

Will they find you in time?

Watauga County’s house numbering system is intended to provide automatic location for enhanced 911 services, and to provide a better system for the delivery of emergency services. Firefighters, law enforcement, and EMS, who respond to 911 calls, say visible house numbers can mean the difference between life and death. If you do not know your 911 street address you can contact the Watauga County Planning and Inspections Department at 828-265-8043.

Help protect your family members and property by making sure the address on your home is clearly visible from the street. For example, consider putting reflective numbers on your house. If you have a rural route address post reflective address numbers on a roadside post. The 911 system has saved lives and has cut emergency response times. Looking for house numbers is very difficult especially at night, and in the fog, snow or rain. It is important that house numbers are easily visible at all hours of the day; valuable time is wasted looking for the location of an emergency if the numbers are not clearly posted. If a house sets off of the road and there are snow-covered bushes, we can’t see it. It is essential for each and every one of us to take responsibility to see that our homes and businesses are marked with numbers that are clearly visible from the street. Vital minutes are being wasted trying to locate calls due to buildings not being marked at all, being marked with wrong numbers, or by markings that are not visible from the street.

Can your location be easily identified?

The best location

• Mailbox/Roadside post) Please put the number on both sides.
• House - Near the front door and within the radius of the porch light. Any location close to the door and above eye level is good.

Trees and bushes must not block the view from the road. It's better to have the number in both places – mailbox and house. If one number is obstructed, it allows the driver to see the others.

The best color

• House - The idea is to have a light and dark contrast with the background, which is usually the color of the house. This will make the number stand out so it can be viewed from the street. If your house has a dark color, you need a number in a light color. If your house has a light color, get a dark color number. For example, a black number is perfect on a white house. A white number will show clearly on a brick house. A lit number is even better for easy visibility at night. Brass or bronze numbers are hard to see on all colors and not recommended. Can you see the numbers in this picture?
  
  
• Mailbox/Roadside post -The idea is to have a light and dark contrast with the mailbox. Black numbers on white stickers are excellent. You can mount a sign with a strong contrast above or below the mailbox.
  
  
• Reflective numbers work great and are easy to locate night or day.
  
      

The best size

• Bigger is better - Please do not get anything smaller than four inches tall if the number is shown on a house or roadside post. On a mailbox, no less than three inches tall.
• Get bold type. Thick and wide is better.
• Mailbox - Show only your house number. We don't need your name.

Remember, We can’t help you if we can’t find you.