In an effort to improve emergency response times and make property identification clearer across the county, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday, April 17, to approve a number of important updates to the rules that govern how streets and addresses are named and assigned.

These changes, which take effect 30 days after the vote, were recommended by the Guilford County Planning Board and they’re meant to simplify address formatting, improve consistency, and help first responders and delivery drivers find homes and businesses more efficiently.

The approved updates amend Appendix 1 of the county’s Unified Development Ordinance – specifically the section covering street name and address assignment standards.

Here’s what residents and property owners need to know about the changes:

  • Clearer Rules for Accessory Dwellings. If you have a smaller home or apartment behind your main house – often called an “accessory dwelling unit” – and your property doesn’t have space for a separate address, the county will now assign it a secondary address based on the main house’s number.

For example, if your house is 1621 Smith Street, the accessory dwelling might be addressed as 1621-A Smith Street. This new system helps differentiate between two units at the same location and should clear up any confusion.

  • Standardized Numbering for Apartments and Duplexes. Addresses for multi-family homes (like apartment buildings) and two-family homes (duplexes) will now follow a numerical system based on floors rather than letters.

For instance, a unit on the first floor of 1621 Smith Street will now be addressed as 1621-101, and a unit on the second floor will be 1621-201.

This change replaces older formats such as “1621-A” or “1621-2A,” which can be unclear or inconsistent. The goal is to make it easier for EMS responders, postal workers and others to identify the correct unit at a glance.

  • Changes in Who Approves Internal Drive Addresses. In several situations — such as in apartment complexes, mobile home parks, commercial areas, schools or parks — addresses for internal roads and buildings have previously required approval from the county’s Technical Review Committee (TRC). Under the new rules, this process will be streamlined. The TRC will still provide comments, but it no longer has final say over the addresses for internal drives.

This is meant to speed up the numbering and naming process and also to reduce bureaucratic delays.

  • Updated Addressing for Commercial and Industrial Spaces. Tenant spaces in commercial buildings – such as offices or retail units will now follow the new numbering format based on floors.

Instead of older formats like “Suite A” or “Unit 2B,” addresses will look like 1621-101 for a ground-floor unit, and 1621-201 for a second-floor unit.

This will make it easier for emergency responders as well as for delivery drivers, especially in larger buildings.

  • New Reasons for Reassigning Addresses

In certain cases, Guilford County may now step in and reassign an existing address. Two new reasons have been added to the list of situations where this could happen: (1) If the current address doesn’t meet today’s addressing standards, and (2) If the address conflicts with rules issued by the United States Postal Service or another government agency.

This means that if your address is confusing, outdated or is in conflict with postal or public safety standards, Guilford County might assign a new one to help prevent mix-ups.

  • Naming Private Roads and Addressing the Structures on Them

One of the biggest changes involves private roads — those are roads that aren’t maintained by the county or the state.  They’re found especially in rural or semi-rural areas.

Under the new rules, if a private road serves three or more homes, businesses, or other active uses, and the road is at least 200 feet long, then it must be officially named – and the structures on it must receive proper addresses.

This is meant to ensure that all properties on longer private roads are clearly identifiable. It’s something that’s especially important for emergency vehicles like ambulances or fire trucks, which might otherwise have difficulty finding the right property on an unnamed street or a road that lacks consistent numbering.

During the commissioners’ April 17 meeting, county planning staff emphasized that these updates aren’t just more bureaucracy. They maintain that consistent, clear addressing helps:

  • Emergency Medical Services respond faster
  • Police and fire services locate properties without delay
  • Mail and package delivery services reach the right home or business
  • Guilford County maintain accurate records for planning and development.

Importantly, these rules don’t apply retroactively: If your address is already in place and doesn’t pose one of the particular problems listed above, you don’t need to worry. The new standards apply only going forward, when assigning addresses to new structures and subdivisions — or, in rare cases – when a change is absolutely necessary for public safety or postal compliance.

The changes go into effect 30 days after the April 17 meeting, meaning they’ll be in place by mid-May.

Guilford County planning staff will start using the new standards immediately for reviewing and assigning addresses for new development.

The updates are in alignment with Guilford County’s Comprehensive Plan –  a plan that’s meant to create better coordination between departments and the county’s external partners, and also to help deliver better customer service to the public.

The Guilford County Planning Board unanimously recommended the changes back in March.

If you need more information or wish to review the full text of the amendment, you can contact the Guilford County Planning Department or visit the county’s website.

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