Addressing

Background

In the 1960s, Allegany County took on the monumental task of completing a county-wide addressing system. The main objective was to improve fire and rescue services across the county. This effort involved locating, verifying, inventorying, and mapping all roads and streets. Occupied structures were identified, geo-referenced, and assigned a unique five-digit number based on their location within the county’s address grid and their orientation to the street they faced. A suffix was also added to indicate their position within the grid’s quadrants.

The project required collaboration with numerous organizations, including:

• The United States Postal Service
• Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation
• Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration
• MDOT - State Highway Administration
• Allegany County Tax and Utilities Office
• Allegany County E911 Service/Emergency Management
• Allegany County Roads Division
• Allegany County Board of Election Supervisors
• Municipalities, local volunteer fire/ambulance/rescue services
• Allegheny Power, Verizon, Columbia Gas
• Local water and sewer utility providers
• Civic organizations, and private parcel and mail carriers

By the late 1990s, most of the county-wide system was completed. Since then, county staff have diligently maintained the records, correcting errors, updating maps, and revising databases. However, until now, no comprehensive written policy had been established. To ensure public understanding and preserve this work for future reference, these policies are now formally documented.