Road Name and Address Changes

Larimer County is authorized and charged with assigning and changing road names and addresses as part of administering roads within Larimer County consistent with the:

Larimer County has initiated and is driving a project to identify duplicate, similar sounding, out-of-compliance street naming and unnamed private drives in Larimer County.  Affected areas will be worked on in phases, not all at once.

To make informed decisions regarding road naming and address changes, Larimer County is leveraging the experience and input of our partners:

  • Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority (LETA)
  • local Emergency Medical Services, Fire Protection Districts,
  • E911 Dispatchers, and
  • Municipalities.

I received a letter from Larimer County Addressing saying...

  • My road name needs to change OR
  • My private drive needs to be named

Now what?

  1. Each affected property owner will receive a letter requiring them to change their address.
    The letter will encourage neighbors to work together to identify a new name within 45 days of the date of the letter.
  2. Please refer to the Street Inventory lookup web page and the rules governing street naming to assist in this process.
  3. Street name questions and requests can be sent to the Larimer County Addressing team at larimeraddressing@larimer.gov

What happens once a new road name has been chosen and approved?

Affected property owners will receive a Site Address Change Notification letter from Larimer County Addressing.

Simultaneously, address notifications changes are sent to:

  1. LETA (Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority / E911).
    LETA will incorporate the new addresses into their CAD system for E911 dispatchers throughout Larimer County.
  2. Larimer County Assessors Office, which updates the property records.
  3. USPS (United States Postal Service) Denver Office. 
    USPS will process the address changes into their system, and residents will receive a confirmation letter from USPS once the change has been completed.
*IMPORTANT: Be sure to avoid potential medication delivery disruption during these changes. If you have medication delivered to your residence, contact your provider as soon as possible, notify them of your address change and make other arrangements to receive your medication until you are confident all address changes have taken effect.
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FAQs

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  1. Why is it necessary to change my road name?

    Any private access driveway that provides access to more than one residence must become a named private access drive. There are situations when a person is either in distress, such as suffering from a heart attack or stroke while trying to call 911.  

    When only the street name is provided to 911, and there are two or more streets with the same or similar name, emergency services are not sure where to go. 

    We are reducing this risk by following the road naming standards set forth by the Larimer County Road Naming and Site Addressing Resolution and the LETA Street Naming and Addressing Standards Agreement.

  2. Why is this a problem now when duplicated road names have existed for decades?

    Larimer County adopted regulations in 2006 to eliminate confusion with road names, however recently addressing was moved to IT GIS which has allowed us to leverage GIS tools and data analysis capabilities to review Larimer County road and address data throughout Larimer County.  

  3. What happens after a road name is identified as needing to be changed?
    1. A list of duplicated street names is presented to the Emergency Response teams and E911 dispatch team for the area affected. A collaborative work session prioritizes duplicate street names based on areas of concern.
    2. The streets identified as the highest risk are assessed based on the following criteria.
      1. Streets that have the least amount of addresses affected will get changed.
      2. If there is a tie in the number of addresses, the street named most recently will change.
      3. This only applies to streets in unincorporated Larimer County. Roads with duplicated names within a municipality within the same emergency service area will be discussed. Municipalities determine how and when to change street names within their jurisdiction. To date we have worked together to reduce any conflicting names.
    3. A letter is sent notifying the property owners of the required name change. Residents whose addresses will change will be allowed to pick their street name within 45 days. If a majority of residents can not agree upon a street name, the county will choose the name.
  4. How do I pick a new street name?

    The Street Inventory System (SIS) contains the names of all streets in Larimer County and its municipalities. The purpose of this system is to provide a central location for all names, prevent duplicate street names in the future, and allow only approved suffixes. In addition you will also find the street naming standards.

    New road names must not sound alike or contain similar words to current ones to eliminate confusion. For example, Tranquil is already a road in Estes Park. Therefore, Tranquility couldn't be used. The same is true for Hideaway vs. Hide-A-Way or Starview vs. Star View. A caller to 911 won't be able to make verbal distinctions between these names.

    Other examples would be overused common nouns or adjectives; the road names of Hidden Cove, Hidden Pines, Hidden Valley, Hidden Canyon, Hidden Rock, etc., are already in use, so Hidden can't be used anymore.

    Common nouns can also cause confusion, such as Bear, since Black Bear, Brown Bear, Sleeping Bear, Little Bear, Big Bear, Yogi Bear, etc., are all currently in use. A 911 caller could easily tell a dispatcher they are located on "Hidden Something" or "Bear Something" when they are confused or distressed. These can be incredibly confusing for children or vacationers.

  5. Who will be responsible for changing the street signs and when will the signs be changed?

    LARIMER COUNTY STANDARD ROAD NAME SIGNS are required at all road intersections on private and public roads.  Larimer County will replace county street signs, the timing will be dependent on the weather and if a pole needs to be placed as well as the schedule and availability of the teams that will be replacing the signs.

    HOA custom signs will need to be replaced by the HOA, 

  6. Will my house number change?

    Larimer County prefers NOT to change house numbers. However, there are instances where changing the house numbers will be required; some examples we have seen are:

    • The current street has all odd house numbers on both sides of the street.
    • The current street has all even numbers on both sides of the street.
    • The current street has odd and even house numbers on the same side of the street.
    • The current street has numbers that are not in sequential order.
  7. When do I start notifying others my new address?

    Once a new road name has been assigned, Larimer County Addressing will send an official notice of change of address to affected residents. We also notify the Denver Colorado USPS (United States Postal Service), Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority (LETA E-911), and the Larimer County Assessor’s Office.

    Once the Denver USPS processes the address change and notifies the affected local post office, residents should receive a second official notification from their local US Post Office that the address change has been updated in their system. Larimer County recommends waiting 30 days after residents receive the notification from their local post office before starting any change of address notifications to businesses, friends, and family, the same as if you had moved.

    • Per the USPS: Please do not submit a USPS change of address to the USPS for any addresses that have been changed as part of the Larimer County Rural Addressing Project.
    • USPS will keep the old address on file for one year.  Mail utilizing the old address will still be delivered for up to 1 year.
    • USPS Address Validator: https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm
  8. Who is responsible for all the steps after a road name is changed?

    Once a new road name has been assigned, Larimer County Addressing will send an official notice of change of address to affected residents. We also notify the Denver Colorado USPS (United States Postal Service), Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority (LETA E-911), and the Larimer County Assessor’s Office.

    Once the Denver USPS processes the address change and notifies the affected local post office, residents should receive a second official notification from their local US Post Office that the address change has been updated in their system. Larimer County recommends waiting 30 days after residents receive the notification from their local post office before starting any change of address notifications to businesses, friends, and family, the same as if you had moved.

    Notice!

    **It is strongly recommended that residents that receive medication by mail contact their Doctor to discuss alternative arrangements to receive that medication during this transition period.** 

  9. What is the process to for updating UPS, Fed EX, Google Maps, etc.?

    The information Larimer County has been provided is that once the Denver, Colorado USPS has updated the addresses, other businesses update their address databases from the USPS database. However, each company is on its own cycle for these updates, and the county cannot determine the timing of these updates.

    Notice!

    **It is strongly recommended that residents that receive medication by mail contact their Doctor to discuss alternative arrangements to receive that medication during this transition period.** 

  10. Who is accountable if the updates are not timely and result in a "black hole" address?

    If you have not been able to update your address anywhere 60 days from receiving the USPS Change of Address notification, please reach out to larimeraddressing@larimer.gov, and we will look into the issue.

  11. Who should I notify now that I have a new address?

    Government Agencies

    Financial Services

    • Banks
    • Credit Cards
    • Loans/Mortgages
    • Investment Firms
    • Accountant
    • Financial Planner

    Utilities

    • Electric
    • Water
    • Gas
    • Phone
    • Cable/TV
    • Internet

    Insurance

    • Health
    • Medicaid
    • Dental
    • Vision
    • Home
    • Auto
    • Personal Property
    • Life
    • Liability
    • Commercial Auto
    • Umbrella

    Memberships

    • Medication Delivery
    • NOCO911 Alerts
    • Employer
    • Schools
    • Childcare/ Adult care
    • Library
    • Clubs and Organizations
    • Religious Institutions
    • Subscription Boxes
    • Magazines
    • Catalogs

    Professional Services

    • Doctors
    • Dentists
    • Lawyer
    • Veterinarians
    • Groomers
    • Therapists
    • Home Health Aides

    Online Services

    • Retail Applications
    • Drive Share Applications
    • Streaming Services
    • Vacation Rental Sites
    • Calling/Phone Services
    • Payment Services (i.e., Venmo, PayPal)

    People

    • Family
    • Friends
    • Long Term Renters
    • Vacation Renters
    • Anyone you want to receive mail from
  12. Can I appeal changing my road name?

    Request to Deviate from the requirements of the Larimer County Road Naming and Addressing Resolution: Affected property owners may request to deviate from the requirements of this Resolution, except those pertaining to the Road Naming Hierarchy, Sequential Numbering, or Parity, which are not subject to deviation or appeal. All other appeals to deviate shall be submitted in writing to the County Addressing Coordinator using the appeals form, available at larimer.gov/addressing. The County Addressing Coordinator shall review the request with representatives from affected emergency response or public safety agencies. 

    The County Addressing Coordinator will issue a written decision granting or denying the requested deviation based on their determination of whether granting the deviation will maintain the intent and purpose of this Resolution and following consideration of input from affected emergency response and public safety agencies.

    If, after receiving the Request to Deviate response from the Addressing Coordinator, there is still a desire to appeal the decision and be heard by the Board of County Commissioners, here is how that works:

    Appealing the Request to Deviate the Decision of the Larimer County Addressing Coordinator: The decision of the County Addressing Coordinator will not be reversed or modified unless a preponderance of evidence supports that the decision was in error or inconsistent with the intent and purpose of the Resolution.

    Where the County Addressing Coordinator is charged with decision-making authority under this Resolution, a final decision made by the County Addressing Coordinator may be appealed by any affected property owner to the Board of County Commissioners. An appeal shall be submitted in writing to the County Addressing Coordinator, including all documentation and correspondence from the original request to deviate. It must be received within 30 calendar days of the date on which the decision being appealed was made.  Untimely or incomplete appeals shall not be accepted.

    Within 60 days of receiving a timely and complete written appeal, the County Addressing Coordinator shall schedule the appeal for a hearing with the Board of County Commissioners. At the appeal hearing, the County Commissioners will take relevant evidence from the person who filed the appeal, the County Addressing Coordinator, County Staff, other impacted property homeowners, and any interested party. 
     

    Once the appeal is received, the Addressing Coordinator will add the appeal request to the Agenda for the next Commissioners Admin Matters meeting, typically held on Tuesdays at 9 am. All documentation provided by the property owner/s or interested parties will be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners for review and a decision. Once the Board of County Commissioners have made a final decision regarding the appeal, a written response will be provided to all parties involved within one week or seven working days. 

  13. Why can't GPS coordinates from my cell phone be used to locate me in an emergency?

    Statements have been made that when a caller dials 9-1-1, we know their location by the location transmitted with their phone, and we can just send first responders based on the coordinates. 

    • This is not accurate and is a false statement.

    We receive the latitude / longitude of the handset that ranges in accuracy based on two factors: the wireless carrier’s network AND the age/type of handset used by the consumer.  Location accuracy ranges from 30 -500 meters, and when indoors, it can get worse.

    Once we receive the coordinates of a handset, we still need to, and ALWAYS confirm, the callers' location. This allows for a location verification. We do not ask the caller what are your coordinates; we ask what is the address of the emergency.  The address database we use to support 9-1-1 is the foundation of the 9-1-1 system. The coordinates get us close, but we do not dispatch coordinates; we map the coordinates to our 9-1-1 database to determine a DISPATCHABLE LOCATION.

    First responders do not drive on coordinates, they drive on streets with addresses. We need to be able to communicate a location to a first responder so they can navigate roads, streets, address ranges to find the person that needs help.

  14. What is the definition for Preponderance of the Evidence?

    Preponderance of the Evidence - To prove something by a preponderance of the evidence means to prove that it is more probably true than not. This standard is used in civil cases to determine whether a claim or defense has been sufficiently proven. It requires that the evidence in favor of a proposition outweighs the evidence against it, even if only slightly.

    REF - Definitions of Evidence (Colorado State Courts)