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Town wants to change the name of the road.

Question: 

The town wants to change the name of a road, and I was wondering if you would know how to go about this. The road is only about 600’ long, has no addresses on it and it connects to a private road. The town wants to take dedication of the private road that will eventually connect with another town road. This road has townhomes on it with the private road addresses. We would like to make the private road name the town road name as the people in the townhomes would not have to change their address. Would this just have to have town board approval? Or is this something I need to change with NYS.

Answer: 

The power to set road names is under Town Law 64(9)

   § 64. General powers of town boards. Subject to law and the provisions of this chapter, the town board of every town:

    9. Naming and numbering streets,  and providing street signs.  May designate by name and number the streets,  avenues,  lots,  public buildings and places, and may cause a map of the town to be prepared and filed in the office of the town clerk,  and purchase,  install and maintain street signs showing the names of streets and avenues therein. Such names may also be  changed and altered as the town board may determine. Whenever the town board shall change the name or number of any street, avenue, public building or place, the town clerk shall within ten days thereafter notify the board of assessors and the planning board, if any, of said town, the county clerk and county engineer of the county in which said town is located,  and the post-office department of the United States thereof.

In this case the changing of the road name would likely be part of the dedication process and done by the town board. 

Officially, the Town Clerk will notify the following agencies: 

  • Assessor
  • Planning board
  • County
  • US Post-Office

You should work with your town clerk to ensure the following entities are notified of the new road and the road name change: 

  • NYS DOT (via CHIPS)
  • EMS
  • Police 
  • Fire departments
  • Local school district so they are aware.