Addressing Policy
The Henry County 911 office assigns all new addresses in Paris/Henry County. Apply for a new address, please call the 911 office at (731) 642-0911 or to apply for a new address online, you can fill out a 911 address application found here – click here.
Addressing Rules:
• Addresses will only be assigned if the structure is marked.
• Structures on the right side of the street receive even numbers, odd on the left.
• A street address is assigned every 5.28 feet.
• Multiple structures on a lot receive a unique number for each structure.
• Block numbers will no longer be assigned and will be phased out.
• Addresses cannot be assigned until a road name has been established.|
• Allow three days for an address to be assigned.
Please understand that our purpose in developing these rules is to provide effective and efficient information to emergency responders. Our purpose was not to make it difficult to obtain road names and addresses. Accurate address information can mean precious seconds when life and property are at stake. Life and death emergencies are measured in seconds.
New road names must be submitted to the 911 office. Please allow up to four (4) weeks for name approval.
The 911 Director will review new road name requests.
New road names that are direct duplicates of existing road names will not be allowed under any circumstances.
Road Naming Rules:
• Be as creative as possible when thinking of road names.
• Family names or individuals’ names, especially living persons and politicians are not used.
• Sound-alike names (e.g. Bay View Dr., Bayview Dr. or Brainard Ln, Barnard Ln) will not be allowed.
• Same names with different suffix (e.g. Smith Rd, Smith Ln) are prohibited.
• Special characters in road names such as hyphens, apostrophes or dashes cannot be used.
• Avoid the use of standard suffixes or directional suffixes or prefixes as road/street names. (e.g. North blvd, Court St.)
• Common names: Tree names (Oak, Pine, Walnut, etc…) are poor choices. Names with “lake”, “river” or “beach” are common and therefore poor choices.
• Abbreviations of words or names and initials are prohibited.
• A single alphabetical character cannot be used.
• Duplicate street names are prohibited. A road that has the same name as another road but a different suffix of prefix is still considered to be a duplicate name.
• It is required that you submit no less than three (3) choices for the new road name. List the names in order of preference, number one being your top choice.
To review road names in Henry County go to the Master Street Address Guide. MSAG.
Please note:
All existing street names and addresses were taken into the 911 system but will continue to be looked at for errors and corrected. Corrections to addresses and streets will continue to be made where duplicate street names occur or when problems are brought to our attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our addressing scheme is based upon distance, every 5.28 ft is a potential address, each 1,000 numbers equal a mile. We normally start at the beginning of the road (the intersection closest to the center of the country), and using a distance measurement indicator (DMI), measure the distance to the center of the structure for which we are assigning an address. The resulting number is the 911 address. We deviate only to designate addresses on the left or right side of the road. Odd addresses are always on the left, and evens on the right.
For example: If you live at 1505 County Home Rd., you live slightly over one and one half miles on the left side.
The method of addressing is invaluable for our emergency responders. As soon as the dispatcher gives them the address, they know exactly how far down the road the house actually is and on which side of the road. The exception to this is that the City of Paris was addressed in a block system. We are currently working on converting the roads in the city to the 5.28 ft scheme.
When assigning numbers, the middle of the structure will determine the number. Structures should always be numbered according to the road they face, not where the driveway enters the road or where the mailbox is. An exception to this is when the house cannot be seen from the road, and then the driveway will be numbered and addressed on the road from which it departs. We also GPS (Global Positioning system) the house which gives us longitude and latitude coordinates. This helps us to pinpoint a caller if they happen to be using a cell phone.
We make every effort to get addresses assigned within a few days; however delays can occur due to out of town meetings and conferences. In the event your address is part of a new subdivision or private road, the road has to be named before an address can be assigned. Please see Addressing Rules and Regulations.
Yes, but check with your local post office concerning where to locate your mailbox.
Make certain when you turn on your telephone service that you give them the correct address. When you dial 911 the information that is in their database is what we see at the 911 dispatch center. You will also need to provide the address to the board of public utilities, tax assessor, property assessor, election office, post office etc…
The commercial GPS market is enormous and not designed for public safety. The designated road points most of the time are not in the same locations as the designated beginning points used in public safety and 911. Our accuracy is more important than those in the commercial market because public safety has to be as accurate as possible to save lives, not to have a package delivered or to find a restaurant.
Contact the 911 office and we will assist you in verifying your new address.