No more Mr. Nice guy in Sussex County, DE: residents warned to get a proper address
Sussex County officials have drawn a line in the sand. They have strong words for any resident who has not posted their new address to comply with a county ordinance passed in 2005.
Sussex County officials say it’s a matter of life death. So, they have drawn a line in the sand with strong words for any resident not in compliance. What’s the issue? They want anyone who has not posted their new address to comply with a county ordinance passed in 2005 to do so: NOW.
“Sussex County has been patient long enough,” County Councilman Michael Vincent said in a statement. While the patience is coming to an end, the fines are about to start. County residents who have not posted their address on their home or mailbox face $50 fines which could increase to $100 per day. A release issued by public information officer Chip Guy warned that “there will be no escaping the fines ahead.”
Councilman Vincent says it’s “a matter of life and death, and some people just aren’t getting the message.” More than 120,000 Sussex County property owners were given new addresses over the last ten years, in an effort to modernize the county’s address system. The address overhaul is designed to make it easier for emergency crews to find specific locations. Vincent says, “I’m no fan of fines, certainly not as a means to generate revenue. But those who refuse to follow the law have left us no choice.”
Under the county ordinance, residents and businesses must display in plain view the address number, which must be four inches high if on the structure itself, or three inches high if it’s on a mailbox. Guy says, “Isn’t it worth a few dollars now, and a few minutes of your time now to put that address up to save time, to save minutes, to save seconds, when a first responder is trying to find you.”
Property owners who haven’t changed their address would first get a warning letter. If they still haven’t complied within 45 days, the fines would start at $50 and increase to as much as $100 a day.
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