Can someone read your house number from the road?

Start at the approach

The useful test for a rural house number is the view from the road. Pittsylvania County’s posted structure-numbering ordinance calls for residential numbers at least four inches high, made of durable, clearly visible material and contrasting with their background.

Owners are responsible for purchasing and maintaining them.

The ordinance also addresses a common rural situation: a house more than 50 feet from the street, or an entrance that cannot be seen from it. In those cases, the number must also appear beside the walk, driveway or another suitable spot where it can be read from the street.

Check the mailbox separately

USPS guidance asks customers to put the house or apartment number on the mailbox. When the box is on a different street from the home, its guidance calls for the full street address.

A mailbox number and a visible entrance marker serve related purposes, so inspect both.

From a safe place off the roadway, look for vegetation, fading or an angle that hides the number. Think about how an unfamiliar visitor would distinguish your entrance from the next driveway.

Ask the county about an uncertain assigned address or unusual layout before ordering a replacement sign. If your property is inside Gretna’s town limits, confirm the applicable town requirements as well.