# Is Your House Number Clearly Visible at Night? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599 "2015-11-15T00:08:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/21 "2015-11-16T05:40:32Z")
No. Our house is nearly 100 yards from the road, and the mailbox by the road doesn’t have any labels either. Ambulances have never had a problem finding the house. Come to think of it, very few houses in town are clearly labeled. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/22 "2015-11-16T09:58:52Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I’m Mr. Archaic, but I would think these days if you called for emergency services, they would know within about 4 inches of where you were. > > That being said, I have to admit until a year or so ago, FedEx couldn’t find our house. :rolleyes: Speaking as a supervisor in a 9-1-1 center… you would be so very wrong. And even if we know where you are that doesn’t mean the ambulance can find you quickly when time is of the essence. That is why part of our standard instructions to callers, when possible, is to have someone wait out on the street to wave the emergency services into the correct home. Ambulances, police, and even fire trucks can have a hard time finding the right location. Happens all day, every single day. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/23 "2015-11-16T10:24:29Z")
Do you guys do the “paint the house number on the kerb” thing that was popular for a little while? I still think that’s a good idea, though not ideal for every situation. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/24 "2015-11-16T13:16:04Z")
Sounds like a good idea, but I’ve never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/25 "2015-11-16T13:46:10Z")
What happens when a car is parking at the curb, blocking the painted number? I think the number should be in multiple locations. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/26 "2015-11-16T16:00:18Z")
I have 3" reflective numbers on each side of the mailbox. We have no curbs in our neighborhood and the house is set back far enough that numbering there would be hard to read. It’s about the best we can do! ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/27 "2015-11-16T16:43:34Z")
I live in a rural area and we have township-issued metal stakes with reflective numbers on a metal plate attached to them. Like the red and white ones shown [here](http://www.911signs.com/911-address-signs.php). They used to be white on green but they were all replaced with the red signs a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/28 "2015-11-16T16:51:50Z")
The code in the county I live is to have blue reflectors on a post with your address. The addresses themselves need not be reflective. If you pull a building permit for something (like a remodel), you won’t pass unless the address numbers meet code. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/29 "2015-11-16T17:00:12Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I just discovered that a piece of mail was delivered to our house by mistake. I decided to drop it off on the nearby street. Well, geez, deciding that misdelivered mailisn’t your problem is one thing, but dropping litter in the street is kind of dickish. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/30 "2015-11-16T17:02:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Do you guys do the “paint the house number on the kerb” thing that was popular for a little while? I still think that’s a good idea, though not ideal for every situation. Every so often I get a flyer. Since I already have clearly visible numbers prominently attached to the mailbox post, I don’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/31 "2015-11-16T17:37:59Z")
Not only is my house number not the same one as on the tax roles, but the number is not clearly visible at any time, and the (two block) street’s name is often confused with another bigger street. When I had to call for an ambulance, I had to give directs to the 911 operator before she understood where I was. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/32 "2015-11-16T21:22:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What happens when a car is parking at the curb, blocking the painted number? I think the number should be in multiple locations. If you have a driveway, then the number is best placed right on its corner, where cars are least likely to block it. But that’s a fair point, maybe that’s one reason it hasn’t caught on as well as it might have. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/33 "2015-11-17T02:19:46Z")
I have nice reflective numbers on the mailbox, and recently installed huge numbers on a support beam near the front porch light. The new numbers are visible in headlight beams if you know where to look…the old numbers were much smaller, and had faded to the point where they weren’t really visible from the road. For the house where I grew up, there was some conflict between the building’s originally assigned street number and the official 911 street number. Dad stuck with the original numbers, and eventually removed all numbers from the house when he failed to work things out with whoever was responsible for maintaining the 911 addresses. The house was at the end of a dead end street in a tiny town, so it wasn’t a problem for local emergency services to find the place anyway. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/34 "2015-11-17T02:36:44Z")
(steps outside) (steps back in) Nope. And neither do what seem like 90% of houses up and down this block and the next on both sides. Then again with the eldricht mess that are street addresses in the 009\*\* ZIPs… (baseline grids? we don’t need no stinkin’ baseline grids!) ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/35 "2015-11-17T02:48:03Z")
No but my condo management it too stupid to take care of something this importance . ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/36 "2015-11-17T05:30:12Z")
Nope. The mail carriers don’t come when it’s dark. And we always give directions to visitors, so we know when they are coming. I’m honestly not sure that they’re there when it’s daylight. If they are, they may not all be there. We’re out in the “country,” so the numbers on the streets are radically different. I’ve been told they measure the distance from the house to the nearest town, to help out 911. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/37 "2015-11-17T19:51:11Z")
Our house number is illuminated. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/38 "2015-11-17T21:38:35Z")
It hangs on a roughly 8x4" sign under my mailbox at the end of my driveway. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/39 "2015-11-17T23:00:58Z")
In talking with firemen after our neighbor’s house burned down, I found out that they ignore _ignore_ numbers placed on houses. They use a computer/GPS guided system to get to the right spot. We and none of our neighbors have night visible house numbers. Some in the area might have porch lights on all night. That wouldn’t affect us. We don’t have a number on our house. (Reflective numbers on the mailbox work better. You can’t see the front of the house easily when the trees have leaves.) (It’s also illegal to paint your house number on the curb. Useless, waste of money and a con.) ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599/40 "2015-11-18T01:25:27Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > In talking with firemen after our neighbor’s house burned down, I found out that they ignore _ignore_ numbers placed on houses. They use a computer/GPS guided system to get to the right spot. > > We and none of our neighbors have night visible house numbers. Some in the area might have porch lights on all night. That wouldn’t affect us. We don’t have a number on our house. (Reflective numbers on the mailbox work better. You can’t see the front of the house easily when the trees have leaves.) > > (It’s also illegal to paint your house number on the curb. Useless, waste of money and a con.) Your mileage is definitely going to vary with that. It’s certainly not true anywhere I’ve ever worked- I’m definitely looking for numbers on the house and so are police and fire where I am. FWIW, I have a post at the end of my driveway with the house number on a reflective highway-style sign [like this](https://www.alphabetsigns.com/signs/reflective-house-number-sign.html) St. Urho Paramedic [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-house-number-clearly-visible-at-night/737599.md?page=3)