Municipal Addressing

The Municipal Addressing and Street Naming By-law No. 25-095(PDF, 231.57 KB), establishes a framework for the assignment, use and display of municipal addresses. This by-law ensures consistency and accuracy in addressing, which supports emergency response, service delivery and navigation.

Key Objectives:

• Improve public safety by enhancing address visibility for emergency services.
• Promote consistency across new developments and established communities.
• Implement a clear enforcement process to ensure compliance with the by-law.

What the By-law Regulates:

• Address Assignment: The City is the sole authority responsible for assigning and approving municipal addresses, including numbers and unit designations. Addresses are assigned based on access and visibility from public rights-of-way or named private roads.
• Display Requirements: Property owners must clearly affix municipal addresses and/or unit numbers in a visible location from the street or laneway that the building / unit is addressed upon for residential land uses, or visible from the street or laneway that is used for access to the site for all other land uses.
• Multi-Unit Developments: Developers and owners of properties containing multiple units (e.g., apartment buildings, townhouses, commercial complexes) must follow the requirements for address signage, including the use of Multiple Unit Identification (MUI) signs.
• Address Changes: Property owners may make a request to the City for an address change. Additionally, the City reserves the right to modify or rescind addresses if needed to resolve conflicts or ensure clarity for emergency response.

Enforcement & Compliance:

• Failure to comply with requirements such as obtaining a municipal address/unit number for a new build, display or signage requirements may result in City action, including fines.

Integration with Planning & Development:

• Address assignment is typically required prior to application of building permit, site plan approvals, and for certain Planning Act applications such as residential developments of 10 units or less and internal/external Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs).
• Private roads that are proposed to be named must be approved by Council through a separate street naming by-law.

The City's Municipal Addressing Policy outlines the procedures for assigning and managing Municipal Address Numbers and Municipal Address Unit Numbers for all properties within the city, overseen by the Planning and Economic Development Department. These address assignments are the official addresses, overriding any numbers issued by outside agencies or other city departments.

Addressing Policies & Guidelines(PDF, 139.98 KB)

The policy sets general guidelines for address allocation: the King Street and James Street intersection is the directional starting point for numbering on arterial and collector roads, with numbers ascending outward. Addresses on the right-hand side receive even numbers, while the left-hand side receives odd numbers. Numbers increment every 6 metres of frontage, maintaining established patterns in existing areas. Special provisions apply to cul-de-sacs, corner lots, and architectural fronts of buildings. Notably, the city does not skip or avoid numbers (e.g., 13, 666) nor assign “rounded-off” numbers (e.g., 1000). If renumbering nearby buildings is not feasible, alphanumeric suffixes (e.g., 5A, 5B) may be used. Vacant lands are generally not assigned addresses until a building permit is filed or a certificate of consent is issued.

Municipal Address Unit Numbers apply to multi-unit residential, mixed-use, commercial, industrial, institutional, and additional dwelling units (ADUs). These numbers are assigned sequentially according to the building’s internal layout, often incorporating floor indicators (e.g., 101, 102, 103 for first floor, 201 202, 203 for second floor).

The policy also addresses new developments, establishing rules for single detached dwellings (increments of 4), semi-detached dwellings and townhomes (increments of 2), quadruplex townhomes (consecutive numbering by driveway frontage), and private road developments (one main address, with developers responsible for proposing consecutive internal unit numbering, for review and approval by the City). Detached additional dwelling units (ADUs) receive the suffix ‘R’, unless they face another street, in which case they may be assigned a separate address. Commercial, industrial, institutional, and parkland properties receive one address per site unless multiple buildings necessitate separate ones.

Special provisions exist for the rural area. Properties may receive multiple addresses for second dwellings or large accessory buildings. The Farm 911 – Emergency Access Point (EAP) program allows for multiple EAP numbers on a property when multiple access points exist, improving emergency identification.  The Policy dictates procedures and placement for Farm 911 EAP signs (red and white for rural land).

Lastly, the policy describes procedures for address changes or additional addresses via a Change/Additional Address Request Form, subject to fees. 

The updated policy was approved by Council in May 2025.

The Farm 911 – Emergency Access Point (EAP) Policy establishes and governs the EAP program, which provides EAP numbers for agricultural and rural lands in the City of Hamilton. The goal is to enhance emergency services’ ability to locate properties via existing access points that do not already have civic addresses, particularly for vacant land or for secondary access points far from the main entrance.

Farm 911 Emergency Access Point (EAP) Policy(PDF, 121.97 KB)

The policy defines eligibility criteria: properties must either (i) be vacant and lack a civic address or (ii) have secondary access points far enough from the primary entrance to justify additional identification. Each access point may receive one EAP number, with multiple EAPs allowed for properties with several qualifying access points. The program is voluntary and cannot substitute for a required civic address.

Complete Farm 911 - EAP number Request Form(PDF, 41.17 KB)

To obtain an EAP number, the property owner (or an authorized agent with written consent) submits a Farm 911 – Emergency Access Point Application Form to the Legislative Approvals / Staging of Development Section (Growth Management Division). Applications are free and must include a map, sketch, or site plan showing:

• the access point(s) requiring an EAP number,
• any other access points and their distances,
• property boundaries, and
• other details as requested by staff.

The Legislative Approvals Section reviews applications for completeness and determines the EAP number.

Once approved, the applicant is notified and instructed to contact Transportation Operations to fabricate and install the sign. Signs are red, double-sided, and feature white reflective numbering to distinguish them from standard green and white property identification signs. Property owners may install signs themselves following city instructions, or the city may handle installation on its own schedule.

• EAP numbers cannot be used as mailing addresses and do not authorize property development.
• Future development requires a Change/Additional Address Request and purchase of a green-and-white 911 sign.
• Owners are responsible for maintaining the sign’s visibility and contacting Transportation Operations for replacements if signs are damaged (a replacement fee may apply).
• The program applies only to agricultural/rural lands outside designated Rural Settlement Areas as per the Rural Hamilton Official Plan.
• Issuance of an EAP number does not imply municipal approval of the access point’s construction, location, or condition, nor does it guarantee it is safe for emergency vehicles. Emergency services will make “best efforts” to respond if access is limited.

To ensure clear identification of individual units within multi-unit developments, a Multiple Unit Identification (MUI) Sign is required for Block Townhouse Developments and for commercial, industrial, and institutional properties with multiple units, and/or properties containing 3 or more buildings, or properties containing two buildings where at least one building is not visible from the street it is addressed upon.

Multiple Unit Identification Sign Specifications(PDF, 148.94 KB)

Notwithstanding the above, MUI signs may be used in any other developments or situations where such a sign would be beneficial to aid in locating multiple buildings or features in the name of public safety.

The MUI Sign Specifications contain requirements related to the elements to be included on the sign face, as well as size, construction, location, permits, and timing requirements.