FAQs • Carteret County, NC • CivicEngage

Why is a 911 address required?: Requirement of a 911 address is a NC Statute as well as a county ordinance. Posting your house number is crucial to emergency responders in locating you in your time of need. Remember, Enhanced 911 only tells the 911 Telecommunicators where you are. This information has to then be relayed to the responding units. Posting your house numbers makes you much easier to find during an emergency.

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911 Addressing

1. How do I apply for a 911 address?: The Carteret County GIS Division is responsible for assigning addresses to improved properties within the unincorporated areas of Carteret County, North Carolina, and any incorporated areas included through inter-local agreement. You can call 252-728-8506 Option #2 or submit an online form for an address request. For properties within municipal limits, we can coordinate with the appropriate department to have an address assigned for you.

2. How are 911 addresses assigned?: We locate each site via GIS mapping and generally measure the distance from the adjacent address to the entrance of the proposed property, assigning 1 number for each 25-feet in rural areas and 5-feet in urban areas. We try to numerically balance in order to reduce potential address changes in the future.

3. Why is a 911 address required?: Requirement of a 911 address is a NC Statute as well as a county ordinance. Posting your house number is crucial to emergency responders in locating you in your time of need. Remember, Enhanced 911 only tells the 911 Telecommunicators where you are. This information has to then be relayed to the responding units. Posting your house numbers makes you much easier to find during an emergency.

4. How do I post my address number?: Every owner of improved property shall purchase and display official address numbers so that they may be visible from the street on which the property fronts. If a building is more than 75 feet from any road, the address number shall be displayed on a sign attached to a fence, gate, lawn stake, mailbox (except when the mailbox is on the opposite side of the road from the structure), etc., adjacent to the road right-of-way in a manner that clearly identifies the entrance to a property. Please see Sec 16-11 of the Carteret County Road Naming and Addressing Ordinance for additional posting requirements.

5. I received a letter or phone call about my address being changed. Why?: We make every effort to avoid address changes, yet sometimes there may be an issue with your address and there has been difficulty in locating the house or business. Seconds count in an emergency, and accurate addressing enables rapid emergency response, utilities to be connected, outages to be located and repaired and efficient delivery of mail and packages. If you don’t change your address, you are putting yourself, your family and neighbors at risk in an emergency.

6. Who do I contact if my address is changed?: Notify any company that sends you bills, magazines, or other important information, such as mortgage, financial, and insurance documents. Contact your letter carrier or the local post office about a change of address notification. Update your driver's license or DMV ID card at a local office or online at www.ncdot.org/dmv. Carteret County will send an update to the E911 system and tax office. Keep the letter that you received from Carteret County with your important papers. If you misplace it and need a copy, contact our office.

7. Do I need a new deed if my address changed?: No. Your property deed is based on the legal description, not the E911 address. You do not need to change the deed to your property.

8. What is this Next Generation 911 I’ve been hearing about?: Currently Enhanced 911 (E911) call routing relies on tabular data in order to send 911 calls to the correct 911 dispatch center, which then generates location information of the call. Now counties all over North Carolina are converting to a state-mandated internet protocol-based network to enable citizens to make voice, text and video calls from any communications device. Carteret County GIS will be providing the state with the GIS data needed to populate the system for Carteret County Communications. With the Next Generation 911 (NG911) system, call routing and location information will be relying on GIS data, primarily street centerlines and 911 address point data. This will also allow for a seamless transition to a backup 911 location should communications ever face a significant failure or disaster. The change from E911 to NG911 highlights the importance of accurate addressing!

9. Who do I call if my road sign has been stolen or knocked down?: You can submit a Sign Request or Call Public Works at 252-648-7878. This is for County areas ONLY; not for roads covered in Municipal limits.