House Numbers

RCNY tit. 45, ch. 3, subch. A

in effect

45 RCNY § 3-01 House Number Specifications.

§ 3-01 House Number Specifications. (a) Power of the Borough President. The Borough President is empowered to establish and enforce rules and regulations relating to the size, form, visibility and location of house numbers. (b) Specifications. All house numbers shall be at least 5 inches in height and may be metal, metal foil, glass, plastic, wood or paint in composition; where such house numbers are displayed in paint, such numbers shall bear an even and uniform 5/8" stroke. (c) Location. All house numbers shall be located at either of the following locations: (1) On the front wall of the building, within two (2) feet of the knob side of the door and not less than four (4) feet from the bottom thereof nor at a height greater than the height of the door; or (2) On the front wall of the building above the door, at the center line of the opening and within two (2) feet of the height of the door. All transoms shall be considered part of the building wall for purposes of these Rules and Regulations; or (3) Where an entrance door is recessed in excess of three (3) feet from the building line, the house numbers shall be placed on the front wall of the building nearest the front entrance in accordance with either subdivision (b) or paragraph (2) above; and (4) Such other locations on the front of the building as may be approved by the Office of the Borough President. (5) The term "front" shall mean the side of the building which faces the street on which numbers have been assigned. (d) Responsibility for display and illumination. All owners, agents, lessees or other persons in charge of buildings to which house numbers have been assigned by the Office of the Borough President shall be responsible for the conspicuous display of such numbers, so that they may at all times be plainly legible from the sidewalk in front of such buildings. Proper illumination for house numbers shall be provided for all buildings to be constructed, modernized or renovated. (e) Penalties for violations. Failure to comply with these Rules and Regulations and the Administrative Code applicable thereto, shall subject the owner, lessee, agent or other person in charge of any building to the penalties provided for in the Administrative Code.

45 RCNY § 3-02 Directional Sign – Display of House Numbers.

§ 3-02 Directional Sign – Display of House Numbers. These Rules and Regulations shall apply in addition to the "House Numbers" regulations in all cases where the Borough President of Manhattan determines that house numbers may not be clearly visible from the street upon which the address is assigned. Note: This situation usually arises with respect to buildings which are set back from the street, where the entrances are rotated out of a parallel plane to the building line or in cases where buildings do not front on City street. (a) Sign facing city streets. A directional sign shall be installed in the proximity of the building line, facing the street upon which the address is assigned. The sign shall display all the assigned house numbers, in addition to the name of the street, and shall include arrows or other approved symbols to direct pedestrians toward the building entrance. (b) Additional signs. (1) Based on Distance of Building Entrance to Street. One additional directional sign shall be posted for each two hundred feet of distance between the building entrance and the street upon which the address is given. (2) Based on Changes of Direction between Building Entrance and Street. One additional directional sign shall be posed at each change in direction to be travelled between the building entrance and the street upon which the address is assigned. (c) Posting of address on door. The complete address, which shall include the house number and the name of the street upon which the address is assigned, shall be placed upon the entrance door in conformance with the "house numbers" regulations.

45 RCNY § 3-03 Interior Directional Signs.

§ 3-03 Interior Directional Signs. (a) These Rules and Regulations shall apply, in all cases where the Borough President of Manhattan determines that house numbers may not clearly direct the public to their designated location within the building(s) assigned. Note: This situation usually arises with respect to developments where two or more buildings have a common entrance; or in cases where specific building towers or sections of a building require separate house number designations. (b) Interior directional sign(s) to be posted within lobby. An interior directional sign shall be installed within the immediate lobby area of the main entrance, which clearly directs the public to the appropriate tower(s) or section(s) of the building. The sign shall display all the assigned house numbers, in addition to the name of the street, and shall include arrows or other symbols as approved by the Manhattan Borough President's Office. (c) Additional interior directional sign required. (1) One additional interior directional sign shall be posted for each 100 feet of distance between the lobby and the appropriate tower or section of the building to which the address is assigned. (2) One additional interior directional sign shall be posted at each change in direction to be travelled between the lobby and appropriate tower or section of the building to which the address is assigned. (d) Address to be posted at base of each tower. The complete address, which shall include the house number and the name of the street upon which the address is assigned, shall be placed within the entry area of the assigned portion of the building, or at the base of the appropriate tower.

Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCrules/0-0-0-82987Fetched: 10/24/2026