An amendment to General Bylaw No. 4 1990 has been passed to fulfil the
Council's obligation to ensure properties have accurate street
numbers.
All buildings must display their street number to the new minimum
standards which are:
Residential buildings must be marked with characters 50mm or more high
and 30mm wide (except for the number "1" or the letter "I") and must be
made out of lines 3mm or more wide.
All other buildings must be marked with characters 75mm or more high and
40mm wide (except for the number "1" or the letter "I") and must be made
out of lines 5mm or more wide.
Markings must be easy to read at all times.
The new minimum signage sizes have been advertised in the Waitakere City
News as well as the local newspapers.
When did this come into force?
The new amendment came into force in September 2003.
What are the boundaries for the new amendment?
The new bylaw applies to all buildings in Waitakere City, both
residential and commercial.
What does it mean for ratepayers?
Residents can check their official number by
comparing the number on their letterbox with the property location
contained in the body of their rates account. This simple check is
particularly recommended for those that have moved into new houses or
subdivisions.
If these two numbers are inconsistent, residents can
contact us and we will
assist you further.
To help any redirection that may need to occur, New Zealand Post offers two months' free redirection of mail to residential households.
Owners and occupiers are responsible for compliance. Non-resident owners
of buildings still have an obligation to ensure compliance.
Why has this change come about?
At present there are a number of issues that have caused about the amendment
to the bylaw. These are:
There are inconsistencies between existing building markings and the
official numbers allocated by the Council. As a matter of public safety
all buildings need to legibly display the correct official number as the
Council's database is supplied to the emergency services' call centre.
Therefore, if the number of a house is not the official one, it slows
down efficiency and endangers public safety.
The direction for the amendment has come from Land Information New
Zealand (LINZ). It is their stipulation that councils must allocate
official numbers to all premises. This database which is then supplied
to emergency services must be correct.
What if a number is wrong?
Any changes that need to be made to number(s) displayed on a building
need to be undertaken within a month. If you don't comply with the
standard then you will be prosecuted under the new amendment.
Prosecution will only occur after a written letter is sent out and the
full month given to change the markings.
