For additional information not covered below… Contact: Jim Burton, Road Count and Address Technician at (970)565-8525 or via email at jburton@co.montezuma.co.us. The Addressing Office is located at Room 304, Montezuma County Courthouse, 109 West Main, Cortez CO 81321.
Why are addresses being changed?
The Montezuma County Board of Commissioners has directed the County Planning Department to identify and correct all addresses in the unincorporated areas of Montezuma County that do not conform to the county road addressing system. Throughout Montezuma County, address numbers within many sections of roads are out of sequence or properties are otherwise misaddressed to the point that 911 emergency responders frequently have difficulty in finding such addresses.
So, what is the exact purpose of this project?
The primary purpose of the re-addressing project is to provide uniform property address numbers to allow emergency services to locate residents and their properties throughout Montezuma County in a timely manner.
The secondary purpose of the project is to make certain that, in the future as the county experiences growth, new address numbers will correctly fit into the existing address number range within each section of each county road.
The third purpose of the project is to make all property owners aware that their address numbers should be displayed at their driveways so as to be clearly seen from either direction of the road. For this reason, Montezuma County will provide and install reflective address signs at no cost to property owners whose road address numbers have been reassigned by the County.
Will all address numbers of county roads be changed? When will my road be re-addressed?
Eventually, all existing addresses within each section of all County roads will be examined to determine if they are sequentially correct. The number of address changes to be made or which roads will be re-addressed first is not known at this time. Certain areas of the county will be targeted before others based on factors such as problem areas where 911 has been unable to swiftly locate addresses in emergency situations or demand for new address numbers due to new development, etc.
How long will it take to complete this project?
Because the re-addressing project encompasses all unincorporated areas of Montezuma County and because of the tedious nature of the process by which all rural addresses must be examined and corrected, the completion date of the re-addressing effort can only be estimated to occur some time in the year 2011.
Will addresses be changed in municipalities such as Cortez, Mancos and Dolores?
No, the scope of the re-addressing project only covers the rural, unincorporated areas of Montezuma County.
Doesn’t the County realize that changing each person’s address will be a hassle?
Yes, the County understands and regrets that each address change may have a considerable, but temporary, impact upon each property owner.
However, please note that… First, the re-addressing project is being undertaken to help 911 emergency responders to find you and your property when needed.
Second, Montezuma County will endeavor to change addresses only when absolutely necessary.
I have had my address for years. Why does it have to be changed now? Can’t it be grandfathered in?
All addresses, regardless of the length of time they have been in use, will be examined and renumbered, as necessary, so all address numbers within your section of road will be in sequence.
If my address is to be changed, can I choose my new address number?
No. Address numbers are to accurately identify where your driveway or primary access point (gate or entrance) is located within the section of road in which your property lies.
Example: If you live or your (vacant) property access point lies halfway in the 23000 section of your road, your address would probably be somewhere between 23500 and 23599, dependent upon other surrounding lots’ assigned address numbers.
When will I know if my address number is being changed?
The County Planning Department will notify you by letter.
What should I do once I receive the address change letter?
Certain things will be done by the County to implement the address change; and it will be the property owner’s responsibility to see that other steps are taken to put the address change into effect.
Address changes within the County Tax Assessor’s database will become effective 60 days from the date of the letter. During that time, property owners should notify the appropriate parties of the address change. The notification letter will contain a list of some of the parties that may require notification.
Information regarding the delivery of mail by the Post Office is outlined below in “Postal Requirements” and “Mail Boxes and Address Signs”.
Please note that the Colorado Department of Revenue Driver’s License Office and the County Clerk and Recorder’s Office will not accept the address change information from the County Planning Department. Voter registration changes must be made in person at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office. At the end of the 60-day period, the County will notify 911, Empire Electric Company, and the landline telephone provider servicing the particular area in which the renumbered parcel lies.
• Postal Requirements
To lessen the impact of the address change, the County will send the change information electronically to the local Post Office when the address change notification letters are mailed. The property owner will not be required to contact his/her local Post Office to implement the address change. However, each one is encouraged to submit a change of address form to the Post Office as soon as possible to expedite the address change. All property owners should also be aware that the Post Office will only forward their mail to the new addresses for a period of one year from the date of the notification letters. After that, mail addressed to the old numbers will be returned to sender as unable to be forwarded.
Another very important item to note is that the address change notification letters will be sent to property owners only since the address change process stems from the Montezuma County Tax Assessor’s database. Property owners will be responsible for notifying their tenants and other persons living at the changed addresses.
• Mail Boxes and Address Number Signs
Address changes will be determined and implemented one section of road at a time. When the notification letters are received by the property owners therein, the new address numbers should be clearly displayed on each one’s mail box.
In rural conditions, mail boxes are often located in places distant from and nonadjacent to their related driveways. The intent and purpose of the re-addressing project is to make rural driveways within Montezuma County readily visible to emergency responders.
For that reason, Montezuma County will provide and install reflective address number signs at no charge to all property owners whose addresses are changed by the County. Additional information regarding the new address number signs will be posted in this section as it becomes available.
