GENERAL PROVISIONS

Jacksonville Ordinance Code tit. XXI, ch. 745, pt. 1

in effect

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.101 Applicability.

Sec. 745.101. - Applicability. (a) Applicability. All addressing and street naming functions shall be centralized in the Public Works Department of the City of Jacksonville, including but not limited to, naming new streets, renaming and existing streets, assigning addresses to new plats, and assigning addresses for new residential and commercial construction. All applicants applying to name a new street, rename an existing street, or receive a residential or commercial address shall comply with this Chapter 745 and the City of Jacksonville's Addressing and Street Naming Policy ("Policy"), as may be amended from time to time, and on file with the Office of Legislative Services and the Public Works Department. To ensure consistency and uniformity, the performance of addressing or street naming functions by any other entity within the City of Jacksonville is strictly prohibited. The City retains the authority to assign addresses and street names and change addresses and street names to protect the public health, safety, and welfare and to ensure compliance with the Policy. (b) Definitions. The following terms, phrases, words, and their derivations, as listed in alphabetical order herein, shall have the meaning contained below, when referenced within this Chapter or the Addressing and Street Naming Policy unless otherwise referenced within specific Sections. Access shall mean the legal path, driveway, or roadway used by a property owner or tenant to drive from a roadway to the property or building. Access to a property may be provided by an easement from a roadway to the property, or by directly fronting onto an existing roadway. Address Numbers shall mean the Western Arabic/European symbol for the numbers which are the ten digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) along with the system by which a sequence such as "307" is read as the number. Approved Private Road shall mean a privately owned and maintained roadway that meets the same construction and design standards of a public road as established in the Subdivision Code or shall mean any privately owned and maintained thoroughfare that has been designated as an "Approved Private Road" by the Director of Public Works. Front shall mean to have primary access, for a building or other principal use, from an abutting public or private street. Nonconforming Street Address shall mean any primary street address numbers which are assigned in a manner that hinders the ability to promptly locate a property or structure based on its assigned primary street address number, including but not limited to, overlapping primary address numbers and outdated primary address numbers due to redevelopment. Owner shall mean any and all persons, firms, entities, trusts, partnerships, corporations, associations, or other organizations owning the fee title to, or having an interest in, any building or property which is subject to the provisions of the Section. Primary address number shall mean the number assigned to a particular structure or property. The number may range from one to five digits depending on the parcel/structure/occupancy's location. Public Maintained Road shall mean any publicly maintained thoroughfare located on a formal, dedicated public right-of-way. Public right-of-way shall mean any formal, dedicated right-of-way that is established for the purpose of allowing vehicular access and passage. Public Unmaintained Road shall mean a privately maintained road, lying within a dedicated public right-of-way. Root street name shall mean all parts of a street name except the street type, and where applicable, the pre-street direction and /or post-street direction. Components of the root street name, including compass directions and road types that are part of the root are never abbreviated. Numeric root names are an exception; they are always presented as numeric abbreviations except when they must be spelled out to be distinguished from nearby streets with duplicate names. Site address shall mean all elements necessary to identify a location with the City; a site address consists of a primary address number, a street name, and in some cases, secondary address units. Street shall mean a right-of-way for vehicular traffic which serves two (2) or more principal structures or crosses multiple parcel boundaries. Street direction shall mean any of the eight basic compass directions, abbreviated as follows: N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, or SW. If a pre-street direction is used, it is the first element of the street name. If a post-street direction is used, it is the last element of the street name. Compass directions that occur in any but the first or last positions in a street name are actually components of the root street name. Street name shall mean the full name of a street, which includes the following elements: a root street name, a street type, and in some cases, one or two street directions. Street type shall mean a road type presented as a standard abbreviation following the root street name. If a post-street direction is used, the street type directly precedes the post-street direction; otherwise, the street type is the last element of the street name. Road types that occur in any other position are actually components of the root street name. Unnamed Shared Accessway shall mean any unapproved private road, public unmaintained road, unopened public right-of-way or any recorded easement that has been established for the purpose of providing vehicular access or passage that functions as the primary access route to more than one dwelling or commercial building. Unapproved Private Road shall mean any privately owned and maintained road that fails to meet the construction and design standards of a public road as established in the Subdivision Code and/or has not received (or maintained) a designation of "Approved Private Road" from the Director of Public Works. Unopened public right-of-way shall mean any formal, dedicated public right-of-way that is established for the purpose of allowing vehicular access or passage, but that the City has no record or evidence of use or construction. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2009-202-E, § 1; Ord. 2019-843-E, § 4; Ord. 2023-270-E, § 3; Ord. 2025-30-E, § 23)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.102 Reserved.

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.103 Proper Display of address numbers.

Sec. 745.103. - Proper Display of address numbers. All record owners and occupants of buildings, structures, commercial business and residential properties in the City of Jacksonville shall properly display an assigned address number(s). It shall be the duty of the record owners and occupants of each building, structure, commercial business and residential property except sheds and accessory buildings, to properly display the assigned address number of the property in the following manner: (a) The owner or occupant of any residence, building, structure or place of business shall properly display an assigned address number so that such number is clearly visible and legible, both day and night, from the public or private access road from which the building address has been assigned. The address numbers shall be placed at the precise location of the building that faces the travel way. (b) Address Numbers shall be a minimum of four inches in height for single family residential uses, and a minimum of six inches in height for commercial, industrial and multifamily uses. Address numbers shall be plainly visible in contrasting color with the immediate background of the structure on which the numerals are affixed. (c) Address numbers for single family residences, commercial, industrial or multi family uses that are designed as a single building on an individual lot, the property owner or occupant shall display their address either on the building as described under subsection (a) or on a separate structure in front of the building such as a mailbox, post, wall, fence or sign that is located within ten feet of the drive, walk or other access to the premises. Address numbers posted for commercial or industrial properties may also be incorporated into a ground sign advertising the property as identified in subsection (f). Commercial or industrial buildings occupied by more than one business unit shall display unit numbers within ten feet of each separate unit entrance. (d) In locations where the view of a residence, commercial building, accessory dwelling unit, or industrial building is obstructed by vegetation, another structure, or any other obstruction, and the distance of the building or structure prevents close observation of the required address, then the address numbers shall be posted within ten feet of the drive, walk or other access to the premises. In addition, the address number shall be placed a minimum height of 36 inches, a maximum height of 60 inches and be visible from the street. (e) In locations in which multiple single family residences and/or places of business share a common single private unnamed roadway, the owner shall display address numbers at the vehicular access point to the unnamed roadway and on each individual structure. In addition, the address numbers located at the access point to the unnamed roadway shall be placed a minimum height of 36 inches, and a maximum height of 60 inches. (f) Properties which are developed as multifamily, office, commercial or industrial complexes may incorporate the address for the complex on a common ground sign advertising the complex or may locate the address numbers at the vehicular access point to the complex. If the complex fronts on more than one roadway and addresses within the complex have been assigned from different roadways then the address numbers shall be posted at the main vehicular access point to the complex from each of the different roadways. The square footage of address numbers incorporated into ground signs pursuant to this subsection shall not be counted toward the maximum allowable square footage of ground signs set forth in Section 656.1303, so long as the combined square footage of such numbers does not exceed an amount equal to five percent of the square footage of the sign face. In addition, the address number of each building shall be displayed as described in subsection (a) of this Section. When a building is occupied by more than one business or family dwelling unit, the numbers for each unit shall be displayed within ten feet of each separate front entrance. (g) Landlords of all multiple-family dwelling units and all property which is developed as an office, commercial or industrial complex with separate units shall post a schematic diagram at the entrance to the premises that identifies the location and building number of all individual units within the complex. Such sign does not limit the total maximum allowable square footage for signage. (h) If residential, commercial, industrial or multi-family dwelling property is found in violation of the provisions of these Section, a Code Enforcement Officer shall provide notice to the property owner that the property is in violation of the provisions of this Section, and Chapter 609, Ordinance Code, a first violation of this Section, after a written warning, shall be a Class C offense. Repeat violations shall be considered a Class D offense. (i) Exceptions. Condominiums and townhomes which contain an individual street address assignment are exempted from the six inch minimum height requirement as set forth in subsection (b) of this Section. However, such condominiums and townhomes shall comply with the four inch minimum height requirement. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2006-309-E, § 2; Ord. 2009-202-E, § 1; Ord. 2023-270-E, § 3)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.104 Naming of new streets; maintenance of numbering system.

Sec. 745.104. - Naming of new streets; maintenance of numbering system. All new street names shall comply with the Policy. The Public Works Department shall examine the name proposed by an owner to all new streets. If the proposed street name conflicts with the name of an existing street pursuant to the Policy, or conflicts with any other provision of the Policy, then the owner shall change the proposed name of the street as directed by the Public Works Department. If a new street connects, or nearly connects to an existing street, the new street name accepted by the City shall have the same name as the existing street. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2003-620-E, § 2; Ord. 2006-309-E, § 2; Ord. 2025-30-E, § 23)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.105 Public street name changes.

Sec. 745.105. - Public street name changes. (a) Public streets name changes shall be made by ordinance, pursuant to the procedures in this Section and in accordance with the Policy. (b) A proposed street name change may be initiated by the City or through a street renaming application filed with the Public Works Department. A street renaming at the request of a citizen or citizens group requires agreement from at least 75 percent of the owners of property whose property has an address assigned to the street name that is proposed to be changed. (c) The Public Works Department shall send two written notifications to affected property owners, which shall request the affected property owners to indicate their written consent or objection to the proposed street name change. If the affected property owners fail to respond within 60 days of the City's first written notification, then such non-response shall be deemed as acceptance of the proposed street name change, and the City's written notification shall include language that a non-response is deemed acceptance. (d) Upon completion of administrative review of each City-initiated, citizen or owner-initiated applications by both the 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee and the Historic Preservation Commission, the Public Works Department shall forward the application to the City Council for its consideration. (e) The Historic Preservation Commission shall review all City-initiated, citizen or owner-initiated applications for renaming of City streets and provide a report and recommendation to the Public Works Department for attachment to the 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee's report, both of which shall be provided to the Chair of the appropriate City Council committee of reference for attachment to any proposed legislation or any legislation before the City Council for approval. The Historic Preservation Commission's report and recommendation shall address the following criteria: (1) The origin of the street name; (2) Any historical significance of the existing street name; (3) Whether there are any historical structures or landmarks on the subject street; (4) Whether the existing street name is part of a common theme of street names throughout the community where such street is located; (5) The age of the street name; and (6) Whether the street name is a duplicate street name. (f) The Public Works Department is authorized and directed to establish: (1) An application for street name changes. (2) A procedure for administrative review of City initiated and citizen or owner initiated applications, including review by all impacted governmental entities, including but not limited to, the 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee and the Historic Preservation Commission. (3) Application submittal requirements. (4) The standards for placement, dimensions and type of signage for honorary street designations, with input from the Traffic Engineering Division or such subsequent agency as may perform such duties in the future. (g) A proposed street name shall not exceed 30 characters in length, including directional and street type information, and shall not include special characters, hyphenation or abbreviations, and shall otherwise be in compliance with the guidelines set forth in the Policy. (h) All street name changes shall be for the entire length of the street and not for a short segment of the street. The entire length shall be deemed as the contiguous length of the roadway. (i) Re-naming Street Names In Honor of Prominent Individuals. Streets may only be renamed after a person if: (1) The person has achieved prominence as a result of his or her significant, positive contribution to the United States of America, Florida and/or the local community; (2) The person has been deceased for at least five years; (3) The person has resided in the community within five miles of the street name change for at least ten years; (4) Waiver of any provision of this Section shall require a vote of two-thirds of all Council Members; (5) At least 75 percent of the property owners whose address is assigned to the designated honorary street agree to the renaming of the designated street. (6) The Public Works Department shall send two written notifications to affected property owners, which shall request the affected property owners to indicate their written consent or objection to the proposed street name change. If the affected property owners fail to respond within 60 days of the City's first written notification, then such non-response shall be deemed as acceptance of the proposed street name change, and the City's written notification shall include language that a non-response is deemed acceptance. (j) Honorary Street Name Designations. An honorary street name policy is hereby developed and stated that allows streets to have an honorary designation as follows: (1) The designation shall be established by City Council ordinance. (2) Streets carrying an honorary designation are not officially renamed but carry a second honorary name. (3) In lieu of renaming a street, the Council may consider any application submitted pursuant to this Section as an application for designation of an honorary street name, authorizing an honorary street designation and the appropriate memorial marker to be placed along a street or segment thereof, in order to honor a deceased person. (4) The Council may amend any ordinance introduced pursuant to this Section as necessary to approve a memorial marker to honor a deceased person. (5) Such honorary designation shall not require an administrative review by the 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee or the Historic Preservation Commission as the proposed honorary name does not change the original name of the street, but shall otherwise comply with all other parts of this Chapter and the Policy, including the notice and public hearing requirements, except that, a short segment of a street may carry an honorary designation. (6) Honorary street designation signs shall not be affixed or attached to the official street name sign or pole but shall be placed in prominent locations along the right-of-way of the street or segment thereof carrying such honorary designation. (7) The effect of such designations shall only be construed to require the Traffic Engineering Division to place two honorary street designation signs at the proposed location subject to approval by the Traffic Engineering Division or such subsequent agency as may perform such duties in the future. (8) At least 75 percent of the property owners whose address is assigned to the designated street must agree to the honorary designation of the street. (9) Honorary Street Name Designations for Fallen Law Enforcement Officers and Fire & Rescue Officers. a. Fallen Law Enforcement Officer or Fire and Rescue personnel shall mean a Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer, Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Officer, Duval County School Resource Officer, Jacksonville Beach Police Officer, Neptune Beach Police Officer, Atlantic Beach Police Officer or Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Officer who died while in the line of duty. b. The honorary street name designation that is authorized for fallen law enforcement officers or fallen fire and rescue officers shall depict the appropriate badge and/or emblem color assigned to a particular law enforcement agency or fire and rescue agency, and shall be personalized to the honored individual to generally read as follows: Police Officer (or Fire & Rescue Officer) John Doe End of Watch Month, date and year of death (10) The Public Works Department shall send two written notifications to affected property owners, which shall request the affected property owners to indicate their written consent or objection to the proposed honorary street designation. If the affected property owners fail to respond within 60 days of the City's first written notification, then such non-response shall be deemed as acceptance of the proposed honorary street designation, and the City's written notifications shall include language that a non-response is deemed acceptance. (k) Fee Required. (1) No request by any entity other than a government agency for the renaming of a street or honorary designation of a street or portion thereof shall be accepted or considered by the City until a nonrefundable application fee to cover the costs of processing such application as provided in either Section 123.102(c)(2)(viii) or 123.102(c)(2)(ix), as appropriate, has been paid to the Tax Collector. (2) Where a City Council member wishes to initiate a street renaming or honorary street designation on behalf of a private citizen or group of citizens, the funds to cover the cost of such street renaming or honorary designation shall be paid by the citizen or citizens' group making the request. (l) Public Hearings Required for all street name changes and honorary street designations. (1) Before final consideration of an ordinance changing a street name, the City shall hold two public hearings on the proposal after at least ten days written notice of both hearings, addressed to each owner whose property is assigned to the designated street, which notice shall be provided by the Public Works Department. One public hearing shall be before the Council and one public hearing shall be before the appropriate Committee of reference and shall be held after the Council public hearing. (2) In addition to the notice required by subsection (1), at least ten days prior to the Council public hearing the Public Works Department shall post signs advertising both public hearings at each intersection of the street being renamed or designated, and in the event the distance between the intersections exceeds approximately one-half mile, at the midpoint between such intersections along the street proposed to be renamed. For streets being renamed in accordance with Part 2, Subpart B (Duplicate Street Names) of this Chapter, posting of signs advertising the Council public hearings shall be waived since an advertised public hearing is required prior to initiation of Council action as set forth in Section 745.231. (Ord. 2016-730-E, §§ 1, 2; Ord. 2020-615-E, § 1; Ord. 2025-30-E, § 23)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.106 Registry of names for private streets and Unnamed Shared Accessways.

Sec. 745.106. - Registry of names for private streets and Unnamed Shared Accessways. (a) The Public Works Department shall establish and maintain, in conjunction with the files of public street names, a registry of names of private streets and Unnamed Shared Accessways in the City. No person shall designate, by posted sign or otherwise, a name for an unnamed private street or change the designation of a named private street without first registering the name in the registry established by the Public Works Department. (b) No private street or Unnamed Shared Accessway shall be designated by a name which is the same as, or similar to the existing name of a public or private street or inconsistent with the Policy. The Public Works Department shall refuse to register a private street name which violates this subsection. In addition to other criteria in the Policy, a proposed street name is deemed to be the same or similar to an existing street name if the proposed street name has the same name as an existing street, even if their suffix designations are different, or if the proposed street name sounds similar to the name of an existing street, even if their spellings are different. (c) Existing private streets or Unnamed Shared Accessways may be named in accordance with the requirements and procedures set forth in the Addressing and Street Naming Policy for the naming of Unnamed Shared Accessways. These streets are named in order to ensure a timely and efficient provision of emergency response and governmental resources in locations where properties do not, directly, front on an existing named roadway. (d) Any decision by the City to name a private street or an Unnamed Shared Accessway as set forth in subsection (c) above shall include a requirement for the placement of a street name sign in order to identify the location of the unnamed accessway. The City's Traffic Engineering Division is responsible for placement and maintenance of the street signs when they are located in the public right-of-way adjacent to the private right-of-way. (e) It shall be a class D offense for a person to designate, by posted sign or otherwise, a name for a private street or Unnamed Shared Accessway which violates this Section. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2003-620-E, § 2; Ord. 2006-309-E, § 2; Ord. 2009-202-E, § 1; Ord. 2023-270-E, § 3; Ord. 2025-30-E, § 23)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.107 Street name signs and numbers.

Sec. 745.107. - Street name signs and numbers. (a) All new street and road signs shall display street names, block numbers, and direction. (b) The Director of Public Works shall place street name signs at the intersections of City streets. These signs are to be placed at diagonal corners of arterial and collector street intersections and on one corner of other street intersections. As new signs are placed or old signs replaced, they shall designate the number or the range of lot numbers in the adjacent block on the street designated. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2003-620-E, § 2; Ord. 2006-309-E, § 2; Ord. 2023-270-E, § 3)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.108 Geographic information system centralization.

Sec. 745.108. - Geographic information system centralization. Information in the geographic information system ("GIS") is an enterprise-wide resource. To safeguard this resource and to ensure all interfaces, additions, and desired capabilities adhere to certain standards, all maintained GIS data shall be stored centrally. Hardware and software relating to the central repository shall be supported by the GIS Section in the Information Technology Division ("ITD"). Additionally, security and network architecture for the central repository shall be developed and supported by ITD. Maintenance of data layers shall be the responsibility of agencies and departments contributing to and using the centralized data bank. Each department shall ensure the creation and continual update of relevant data layers. All data layers shall be compiled in accordance with the latest industry standards. The central repository of information shall ensure that all data layers are in synch on the City's enterprise-wide GIS platform. Except where data is exempt from public records law, all City departments, independent authorities, and constitutional officers shall have access to data within the enterprise-wide GIS. This Section shall apply to the general government and all independent agencies and authorities. Departments or agencies operating existing GIS, or GIS related applications shall comply with the most recent technology standards to ensure compatibility with the standards applied by the GIS Section of ITD. Acquisition of new noncomplying GIS systems, or incompatible GIS related systems, including hardware, software, or both, is prohibited. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2003-620-E, § 2; Ord. 2011-732-E)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 745.109 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee.

Sec. 745.109. - 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee. (a) The 911 Emergency Addressing Advisory Committee ("Committee") is hereby created to review and revise standards and policies to implement the objectives of this Chapter and advise the appropriate Council committee of its decisions. The Committee shall be composed of one representative each from the Public Works Department, the 911 Coordinators Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Communications, JEA, the Building Inspection Division, the Municipal Code and Compliance Division, the Property Appraiser's Office, Information Technology Division, and the United States Postal Service. Members shall serve until their respective entity appoints another representative to serve on the Committee. (b) The Committee shall be organized as follows: (1) The Public Works Department representative shall serve as the Chairman of the Committee. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Committee and cause records and the minutes of the Committee to be kept. (2) The Committee shall meet on call by the Chairman, or at the discretion of the Chairman, in consideration of the request of a member. A quorum shall consist of a majority of members. (3) The Committee shall adopt, amend, and rescind rules for the conduct of its business and to implement the provisions of this Section. (c) The City of Jacksonville Addressing and Street Naming Policy ("Policy") is hereby adopted as the official document containing the present and existing standards and policies used by the Public Works Department and Committee to implement this Chapter. The Policy shall remain in effect unless revised pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section. (d) The Committee is established for the following purposes: (1) To review and revise from time to time the City of Jacksonville Addressing and Street Naming Policy. (2) To provide a forum to hear requested revisions to the Policy to keep it in a current status. (3) To vote approval or disapproval of the requested revisions. (4) To advise the appropriate Council committee of approved revisions. (5) To identify, prioritize, and direct the appropriate City entity to remedy additional deficiencies in addressing and street naming and recommend amendments to Part 2, as necessary. (6) To support a community outreach program, which, at a minimum, informs and educates citizens regarding: (A) What an address is and does. (B) How to get an address. (C) How an address relates to 9-1-1 emergency services. (D) The City's process to eliminate duplicate street names and correct address numbering. (e) In implementing its purposes under this Section, the Committee shall have the following duties and procedures: (1) Review and approve or revise by Committee vote the document titled the City addressing and street naming Policy. (2) Entertain requested revisions to the Policy by Committee members. A member may request revisions as a representative of his/her entity or on behalf of the general public. (3) Hear requested revisions at the appropriate meetings and at the direction of the Chairman and vote for approval or denial of the requested revisions. (4) Advise the appropriate Council committee through the Chairman, of the vote on the requested revisions in writing, and provide copies to each Council Committee Member. The approval of a requested revision shall not become effective until after the Chairman has advised the appropriate Council Committee. (5) Receive and consider appeals of administrative decisions by City Staff regarding Nonconforming street address numbers. (6) Review all City initiated and property owner initiated applications for renaming of City streets and provide a report to the Council for attachment to any legislation before the City Council for approval of same. (7) Identify duplicate street names and rename such duplicate streets in accordance with Part 2 of this Chapter and the Policy. (Ord. 2002-992-E, § 2; Ord. 2003-620-E, § 2; Ord. 2006-309-E, § 2; Ord. 2009-202-E, § 1; Ord. 2011-732-E; Ord. 2019-843-E, § 4; Ord. 2025-30-E, § 23)

Source: City of Jacksonville, Ordinance Code and Charter and Related Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXXIPUWOUT_CH745ADSTNARE_PT1GEPRFetched: 10/27/2026