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Blue Address Signs

Importance of Signs and Proper Posting

911 addressing in unincorporated areas of Austin County provides emergency responders with the location of residences, open pastures, businesses, and other structures.  In an emergency, the address sign must be posted at the entrance to the property, clearly visible from the road.  The Austin County Planning and Development Department provides address number signs; contact the department (979-865-5911, ext. 5110 or 5111) to order your sign. The signs are durable 6" x 12" blue metal with reflective numbers. If you have more than one residence using a single entranceway, you must post signs at the road entrance and on each residence to avoid confusion for emergency responders. Emergency responders often rely on address signs when locating callers needing their services.

Please call our office if you have any questions concerning where to post your address sign.

Posting Address Signs

Address signs should be visible from the road to your property's entrance.  The sign below is posted facing the road, marking the entrance.  It is visible when driving by the property from either direction.

A gated entrance with a stone pillar, address sign, and a dirt road leading into a wooded area.

An address sign should not be posted on the gate. It is unlikely to be visible from both directions when the gate opens.

Closed black gate with number 303, road and greenery behind.
Closed gate
A metal gate with a stone pillar on a rural dirt road, trees, grass, and a blue address sign.
Open Gate

An address sign should not be posted on a mailbox, especially if the mailbox is located on the opposite side of the road from the entrance. Signs should not be posted on fence wire. Instead, they should be attached facing the road on a permanent fence post at the entrance.

A black mailbox with the number 11137 along a rural road with a grassy verge and fence.
A blue sign with "303" mounted on a post by a chain-link fence, surrounded by foliage.

Signs attached behind a fence or at a height not easily visible from the vehicle are not a good idea.

Stone pillar with house number, metal gate, trees, and a dirt path in a sunny, wooded area.