E-911 Rural Addressing

Santa Fe County E-911 Addressing Section is part of the Santa Fe County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Division, which is under the Santa Fe County Growth Management Department. Santa Fe County E-911 Rural Addressing Section will submit necessary information to help County offices to provide accurate and informational data to the public as well as to other government entities.

Common Questions

How do I receive an Assigned 911 Address Form?
To request an Assigned 911 Address Form, please contact the Geographic Information System Division, E911 Rural Addressing Section, e911addressing@santafecountynm.gov to provide your official County assigned address or property tax account number. Staff will then verify the provided information in the mapping system with the information on record. Once the address is verified as a valid E911 physical address assignment, staff will generate, sign and provide an official Assigned 911 Address Form. The Assigned 911 Address Form can be obtained by email, in person or sent by postal mail. Please be rest assured that if there is a discrepancy, staff will work with you and the Building and Development Division to resolve the issue.

What is the difference between a Santa Fe County officially assigned E-911 physical address and a postal mailing address?
A physical address, also known as a ‘Rural’ or ‘Enhanced 911 Address’ (E911), describes the physical location (street address) of a property, residence, or business. In some cases, the mailing address may be the same as the physical address, and in others they may be different dependent on where and how you receive mail from the United States Postal Service.

A valid physical address is required for all properties, residences, occupied structures and or businesses in Santa Fe County, in order for emergency service personnel to quickly and efficiently locate you in the event of an emergency.

I live in the Espanola/Santa Cruz area of Santa Fe County and I have received a letter from my local post office requesting that I get my E-911 physical address verified. What do I need to do?
Obtain an Assigned 911 Address Form from the E-911 Rurual Addressing Section (as described above). This form will provide you with the documentation required by your local Post Office.

If I live in the City of Espanola, Town of Edgewood, City of Santa Fe, or Rio Arriba County, who do I contact for addressing questions?

City of Espanola
Rebekah Seawall
(505) 747-6080
rkseawall@espanolanm.gov

Town of Edgewood
Brad Hill
(505) 286-4518
bhill@edgewood-nm.gov

City of Santa Fe
Leonard Padilla
(505) 955-6616
lppadilla@santafenm.gov

Rio Arriba County
Angel Garcia
(505) 753-7774
agarcia@rio-arriba.org

Why is my address being changed?
Officially assigned E-911 physical addresses in the rural areas of Santa Fe County are determined by a distance-based system using miles as the unit of measure. All lots, occupied buildings and residences are assigned an address number according to the distance from the start of the named road to the entrance point of each driveway. For example: An address of 23 would indicate that a driveway entrance is approximately 0.23 miles from the beginning of the road.

Common reasons why addresses may change:
1) The driveway entrance has relocated to a different location on the same road, or in the case of a corner lot, the driveway entrance is on another road.
2) Even numbers are on one side of the road and odd numbers are on the opposite. The address may be changed if the address number is out of sequence and/or if it is not on the correct side (an odd number on an even side, or an even number on an odd side).
3) County Ordinance 1996-14 requires that any road or driveway, whether public or private, that accesses four or more lots, occupied buildings or residences, shall be named. Once this threshold is met, that road or driveway must be named. This will result in a road name and new addresses for all affected lots, occupied buildings, and residences. Property owners may petition for new road names, however, Santa Fe County is the final authority for all road naming.
4) Public safety and timely emergency response is the primary objective for E-911 physical addressing assignments. An address may be changed to correct any circumstance that may cause confusion in locating an E911 physical address in the event of an emergency.

I am not receiving mail/packages at my E-911 physical address. How can I fix this?
Check with your local Post Office to determine if your E-911 physical address is in their database. If not, then request that your E-911 physical address be added. If the Post Office requires verification, please contact the GIS Division’s, E-911 Rural Addressing Section to review and verify the officially assigned E-911 physical addressing. Staff will verify this information and then provide you with an official, Assigned 911 Address Form for each livable dwelling located on your property.

Utility company (such as PNM, NM Gas Company, Jemez Electric) has a different service address than my physical address. How do I reconcile this?
Obtain an Assigned 911 Address Form from the E-911 Addressing Section and present it to the utility company’s customer service department.

Under the Real ID Act, in the state of New Mexico, the Motor Vehicle Department requires two proofs of physical address to obtain a driver’s license. Will the Assigned 911 Address Form qualify?
Yes. An Assigned 911 Address Form can serve as one of the required proof of address documents.

Why would a road name change?
If Santa Fe County discovers a duplicate road name, or the threshold of four or more lots, occupied buildings or residences is met or exceeded, a new road name will be required. (County Ordinance 1996-14 requires that any road or driveway, whether public or private, that accesses four or more lots, occupied buildings or residences, shall be named.) Property owners may petition for new road names, however, Santa Fe County is the final authority for all road naming.

My address is not posted, or my red and white address numbers are faded. How do I obtain new red and white address numbers?
By ordinance, it is the responsibility of the owner and/or occupant to manually post and maintain the official assigned physical address number on their own property. Currently, Santa Fe County E911 GPS Field Technicians may be requested to post new, red and white address numbers as a courtesy to aid the public and emergency services to assist with location identification of physical addresses in the unincorporated areas of Santa Fe County. To report missing or faded red and white address numbers, please contact the E-911 Rural Addressing Section.