In 2011, the Jefferson County GIS/Addressing Office began a county-wide Address Compliance Program. This program was designed to raise public awareness on the importance of having the proper addresses display on all structures in order to avoid delays in emergency response.

The safety of those in your home/business is our number one priority!

For details on how to properly display your address, please view the 
Jefferson County E9-1-1 Addressing Ordinance or visit our FAQ page.

For informational tools, please click the links below:
Flyer   Poster   Display Examples   Q & A

On August 16th, 2011, a press conference was held in the Charles Town Library. This meeting was designed to explain the purpose and the procedure behind the Address Compliance Program. To view this meeting, please click here.

Phase 2 (Complete)

All addressable structures within the five municipalities in Jefferson County, including residences, businesses, and public buildings were reviewed for their compliance with the Jefferson County E9-1-1 Addressing Ordinance. All work was done in coordination with authoritative figures from each municipality.

This review will entail a large amount of field work, as all addressable structures will need to be visited to ensure proper address display. Reviewers will include staff from the Jefferson County GIS/Addressing Office, as well as emergency services personnel.

Grading System:

All structures were graded using the following system:

Compliant – Address display follows all requirements.
Non-Compliant – Address display does not follow any requirements, address is not displayed, or address is incorrect.

Notifications:

Owners of structures deemed Non-Compliant were notified by mail. Please note: Fines may be incurred for lack of compliance, but our main objective is to make it easier for emergency personnel to find people in their time of need, not to fine people. There will be a reasonable amount of time for owners to correct their display. (Note: This notification schedule may be different in each municipality. Please contact our office for details.)

Notification times were as follows:

Reminder – This was the first notification. The owner had 30 days from the mailing date to correct their address display.
Warning – This was the second notification. The owner had 30 days from the mailing date to correct their address display.
Violation – This was the third and final notification. The owner had 30 days from the mailing date to correct their address display.
Criminal Complaint – If, after all the rectification periods had passed, the owner had still not corrected their display, they were considered in violation of the law. A criminal complaint was filed in the Jefferson County Magistrate Court and the property owner was summoned to court. A fine of up to $500 per day may have been issued.

Phase 2 Status (Complete)

City of Charles Town - This area has been completed. If you have any questions about the ACP in Charles Town, please contact our office. 

Corporation of Shepherdstown -  This area has been completed. If you have any questions about the ACP in Shepherdstown, please contact our office.

Town of Bolivar - This area has been completed. If you have any questions about the ACP in Bolivar, please contact our office.

City of Ranson - This area has been completed. If you have any questions about the ACP in Ranson, please contact our office. 

Town of Harpers Ferry - This area has been completed. If you have any questions about the ACP in Harpers Ferry, please contact our office.

Phase 1 (Complete)

All addressable structures within the county, including residences, businesses, and public buildings were reviewed for their compliance with the Jefferson County E9-1-1 Addressing Ordinance. Please note, all structures within municipalities were exempt from Phase 1 review.

Questions or Concerns? Contact Us!