Address Assignment Guidelines

The GIS Office of the City of Sioux Falls is responsible for assigning and maintaining all addresses inside city limits.  Addresses falling under this jurisdiction include both parcel addresses and individual building addresses if more than one exists on a parcel. The City will assign commercial suite numbers in certain situations, but residential apartment unit numbers are the responsibility of the apartment property owner.

The following are a set of guiding principles that the City will use to assign addresses.

  • Per City policy, building addresses will be assigned to the street which the main entrance faces, unless extenuating circumstances dictate otherwise. The ease with which an address can be identified and accessed by emergency response personnel is a primary factor when assigning addresses.
  • Generally speaking, large undeveloped parcels that will be further subdivided will not be assigned an address. This also applies to land-locked parcels with no street access, like drainageways or detention ponds.
  • Residential addresses are initially assigned on a preliminary basis as City staff review subdivision plans in advance of construction. These addresses are subject to change if plans are revised or re-evaluated. Once parcels are legally created by a plat filed with the County Register of Deeds, the addresses will become active.
  • Commercial addresses will be assigned during the Building Plan Review process.  Plans are to be submitted to the Building Services division, and various staff will evaluate the plans to determine appropriate addresses. From an address assignment standpoint, apartment buildings are treated as commercial buildings.
  • In the case of a multi-tenant building, addresses will be assigned as follows:
    • If tenant spaces have unique (non-shared) entrances to the building, each will receive a unique address number (i.e. 123 S Main Ave, 125 S Main Ave, etc.)
    • If a building has multiple tenant spaces that share one entrance, the above assignment method is acceptable. However, the use of one address with a suite number for each tenant (i.e. 123 S Main Ave Suite 100, Suite 200, etc.) is also acceptable. Address number signage must be provided for all addresses or suite numbers, per Ordinance 96.147.