Title 11 ROADS, BRIDGES AND PUBLIC PLACES

Chapter 11.12 ROAD NAMING AND ADDRESSING GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES


11.12.050 Road naming.

A. Duplication of Road Names. No duplication of existing road names will be permitted--either exact spelling, phonetically or homonymic.
Examples:
1. Words. Only one will be allowed;
2. Phonetics. Words which sound the same or sound similar;
3. Homonyms. Words that are spelled alike but have a different meaning, such as "well," "well."
B. Every effort will be made to resolve all duplicated road names within the unincorporated and incorporated areas of Colleton County. Municipalities who may be unwilling to adjust or change duplicated road names will be asked to sign a letter assuming all responsibility and liability for any and all misdispatched calls for assistance. The letter includes misrouting, loss of life or property or any other problems associated from duplicated road names in their own or the other affected municipality with the duplicated road names, thus releasing Colleton County and its agencies from any responsibility or liability resulting from duplicated or similar sounding road names.
C. Road names should be kept as simple and logical as possible to foster clarity and efficiency. Use of frivolous or complicated words or unconventional spellings should be avoided. In all cases, names which might be perceived to be offensive, will not be permitted. Only one spelling of any particular name may be used (e.g., Lewis/Louis).
D. Use of a Person’s Name as a Road Name.
1. A person’s last name or family name will be allowed as a road name.
2. To eliminate confusion and insure an accurate 9-1-1 database, full proper names (given names) will not be permitted (e.g., John P. Doe Road), except in rare cases where the person’s name in question is deceased and has some historical value or was a community leader, activist, or contributed to the well-being or advancement of mankind.
3. In determining whether a road should be named in honor of a particular person, consideration should be given to that person’s character, public image, relationship and/or contribution to Colleton County, the state of South Carolina or the United States. It is desirable for there to be an association between the individual and the location of the road in question.
E. No initials or numbers will be permitted in or as road names, (e.g., J.P. Doe Road, 1st Street, D. D. Road). Existing numbered streets in the unincorporated areas of Colleton County will be changed to meet these guidelines.
F. 1. Use of descriptive terms such as "old," "new" or "the" will be prohibited.
For example:
a. Old Jacksonboro Road;
b. New Jacksonboro Road;
c. The Jacksonboro Road.
2. Descriptive terms such as "big" or "little" should be avoided. In cases where such a term is used, only one such street would be allowed.
For example:
a. Creek Road;
b. Big Creek Road;
c. Little Creek Road.
Only one would be allowed as a road name.
G. Approved road names shall consist of no more than eighteen (18) letters and/or spaces, excluding suffixes.
For example:

P
O
N
P
O
N
P
L
A
N
T
A
T
I
O
N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

H. Abbreviations will not be permitted as street names, except as approved suffixes. (See Section 11.12.090, approved abbreviations for street designations and road classifications.)
I. It is desirable to use names which have some association with Colleton County, specifically with the immediate location of the road, such as reference to historical events or persons.
J. Use of a system or theme is recommended for names of roads which are associated with one another, such as a subdivision.
K. The 9-1-1 department reserves the right to reject any and all names submitted and/or requested.
L. Historical names or long standing (well-known) names will have preference over other name requests or changes.
M. Highways and major thoroughfares will be named by the 9-1-1 department in cooperation with Colleton County council.
1. Roads connecting or passing through several municipalities will be named by the 9-1-1 department in cooperation with county council and the affected municipality.
2. It is preferable for road names to continue across political boundaries into or from adjacent counties. Colleton County council and the 9-1-1 department should cooperate with other jurisdictions to this end.
N. Roads which continue through an intersection at or near one hundred eighty (180) degrees should bear the same name. If the angle is significantly less, such as less than one hundred thirty-five (135) degrees, it may be appropriate to use different names.
1. A road running in a consistent direction should have one name throughout that distance. If it makes a sharp change in direction (excluding intersections) for a significant distance, it may be appropriate to have a different name for that section of the road. Where that section is clearly part of the larger roadway, it should bear the same name.
2. At a three-way intersection, the two roads which angle closest to one hundred eighty (180) degrees should bear the same name.
O. Broken Roads.
1. Roads that are broken by natural barriers, intervening land uses, etc. and are not likely to be connected in the future, shall be assigned different road names. In the event the roads are connected at some later date, the section containing the most number of addressed structures shall retain its road name. The name of the section with the lesser number of addressed structures shall be changed to match the larger portion and the addressing of structures on the smaller portion altered to meet the addressing sequence of the larger portion, as long as this does not affect the uniform numbering system of assigning address numbers running north, south, east, and west out of the city of Walterboro.
2. Existing roads that become broken by natural barriers, intervening land uses, or development, that cause the existing road to become two separate roads, and are not likely to be reconnected in the future, shall have the section with the lesser number of assigned addresses changed to a different name.
P. Existing Unnamed Roads.
1. The 9-1-1 department will assign the names and notify all affected property owners. Input from the public, specifically property owners, will be used a much as possible when available. Within fifteen (15) days after such notice, one or more property owners may request, in writing, another name. The 9-1-1 department shall develop the notification procedures.
Exception: No name change requests will be accepted for highways, major thoroughfares or communities. (See subsection M of this section.)
2. Default. If no response is received by the 9-1-1 department in the fifteen-day period, the road will be named. The name will become the official name for the road in question.
3. Petition. If an affected property owner or owners request a name change within the fifteen-day period, the 9-1-1 department will provide a petitioning process and will schedule a meeting with the landowner(s) for selection of an available name. Once an available name is chosen, the 9-1-1 department will provide a petition to the owner(s) to use to obtain signatures from fifty-one (51) percent or more of the affected landowners along the road in question. If a husband and wife or any two or more persons own the same tract of land, only one signature will be counted toward the majority of such petition. Persons owning multiple tracts of land on the same road may only sign the petition one time. Property owners may sign only one petition per road regardless of the number of parcels or size of the parcels. In the event a property owner signs more than one petition for the same road, his/her signature on both petitions shall become voided.
4. In the event the majority of the affected property owners are unable to reach a compromise, the 9-1-1 department shall assign an official name to the road in question.
Q. Existing Named Roads.
1. No Duplication. If there is no duplication, the road name will remain the same and the road will be addressed.
2. Duplication. If two or more roads have duplicate road names, regardless of road classification or suffix, the road with the largest number of existing addresses will retain the name. All of the other roads will be changed according to subsection P of this section. This includes duplications of words, phonetics and homonyms. (See examples in subsection A of this section.)
R. Multiple Named Through Roads. If sections of a continuous road have different names, the name of the section having the largest number of existing addresses will be used for the entire road, if no duplicate is found. If a duplicate exists, subsection Q of this section will apply.
S. New or Planned Roads.
1. New or planned roads will be named through the submission of a plan by the developer to the Colleton County 9-1-1 department. This plan shall show the proposed road names. Several alternate names should be submitted in the event a name is duplicated.
To prevent delays, developers are encouraged to contact the 9-1-1 department in reference to road names prior to drawing plans or submitting plans to the planning commission.
2. New road names must meet the requirements of this chapter and will not be allowed if they duplicate existing approved county or municipal road names within Colleton County. This includes duplications of words, phonetics or homonyms. (See examples in subsection A of this section.)
T. To insure an accurate and up to date 9-1-1 database, municipalities within Colleton County should inform the 9-1-1 department, in writing, within forty-eight (48) working hours of all road name approvals and/or changes. The 9-1-1 department will review all submissions for duplications and will notify the municipality within forty-eight (48) working hours of approval or discrepancies. If a duplicate name is submitted, the municipality will be asked to submit another name. Should the municipality be unwilling to submit a different name, the guidelines in subsection B of this section shall be followed.
U. The 9-1-1 department may submit in writing to Colleton County council or a municipality, a request to reject a road name that may cause confusion or does not sort properly within the 9-1-1 database. (Ord. 99-O-30 §§ 5.0--5.20, 1999)