Addressing Information

To obtain an address for your property, please call the appropriate number listed below:
If your property is in:
Naming a Road Outside a Platted Subdivision
A written request for a street name shall be made to the GIS Department .
Procedure for naming a road is as follows:
  • Call or visit the GIS Department at the La Plata County Courthouse. Staff will ensure that the proposed street name is not already in use and is consistent with road/street naming policies and/or regulations.
  • A Road Name Application Form must be used for canvassing property owners potentially affected by the road name. Take the form door-to-door to obtain signatures. Collect the signatures of every property owner along the road and their opinions on the proposed road name. If a property owner cannot be reached the form may be sent to the owner via certified mail.
  • A road name affidavit shall be recorded with the county Clerk & Recorder's office.
Naming a Road Inside a Platted Subdivision
All streets created by the subdivision review process will have proposed road names reviewed and approved by the county prior to submission of the final plat.

Changing a Road Name

A written request for a street name change shall be made to the GIS Department.  The process to request a road name change is:
  • Call or visit the GIS Department at 1060 E 2nd Avenue, Durango. Staff will ensure that the proposed street name is not already in use and is consistent with street naming policies and/or regulations.
  • A Street Name Change Form must be used for canvassing current property owners. Take the form door-to-door to obtain signatures. Collect the signatures of every property owner along the street and their opinions on the proposed street name change. If a property owner cannot be reached, a Street Name Change Form may be sent to the owner via certified mail.
  • Changing a street name shown on a recorded plat requires recording a Ratification of Plat with the County Clerk & Recorder's Office.
Fun Facts about Addresses
The La Plata County Rural Milepost Addressing System was created by Mountain Bell in 1977. The system was formally adopted by the La Plata County Board of Commissioners on July 20, 1977. The Rural Milepost System is based on mileage breakdowns along each numbered State Highway, County Road, and Subdivision Road. This system was instituted to provide a common addressing system for the entire County
thereby providing faster response times from police, emergency medical, and fire protection services. It also aids the utility companies and the U.S. Postal Service in fulfilling their responsibilities.

When assigning rural addresses, each 5.28 feet has a number on each State Highway, County Road, or Subdivision Road. The location of each home and/or business is assigned a number depending upon its driveway location within a particular mile section of the subject
road/highway.

Real Facts about Addresses
1) Road names must not duplicate existing road names in the County. All new road names must be approved by the La Plata County GIS Office prior to usage. A list of existing road names is available in the GIS Office.
2) Create a plat of the subdivision on paper no smaller than 8½"x11". Please indicate the name of the subdivision, section, township, and range on the address map.
3) Number the lots (blocks, units, etc., if applicable), following the same numbering arrangement that is found on the final plat that has been submitted to the Planning Department.
4) Essentially every 5.28 feet of each roadway could be assigned an address number. Calculate the address numbers as follows:
  • From the beginning of the road, calculate footage to the center of each lot fronting that particular road. Large lots with more than 400' of frontage must have addresses every 125 feet.
  • After the potential address “points” have been determined, calculate the address number(s) for each lot by using the following examples:
Example:
  • Lot 1  180 feet from beginning of road to center of lot, so divide the number of feet (in this case 180) by 5.28 to find the address number: 180÷5.28=34 (34 is the address)
  • Lot 2 This lot will need 3 addresses because the front property line is 575 feet. It is 360 feet from the beginning of the road to the property line. The addresses would be figured as follows:
1.  360' + 125' = 485' ÷ 5.28 = 91.85, use 92
2. 485' + 125' = 610' ÷ 5.28 = 115.5, use 116
3. 610' + 125' = 735' ÷ 5.28 = 139.2, use 138

IMPORTANT NOTE:  From the beginning of the road, in the direction of travel, ODD numbers are on the left hand side & EVEN numbers are on the right hand side.

  • Repeat the process for the left hand side or odd side of the road. If the calculations come out to an even number, remember to use the next lowest number for the address.
  • Where a lot straddles the center of a cul-de-sac, please provide numbers on both sides of the centerline.
  • In some cases subdivisions do not abut a County Road or State Highway and are provided with easements traversing adjacent properties. The footage calculations for addresses on these types of subdivision roads MUST be calculated from the County Road, State Highway, or the beginning of the access easement (subdivision road).
Forms Brochures & Reports