As of June 2010 all residents and structures in Susquehanna County should have a new 911 address. If you are in need of a new address you can call (570) 278-2918 or fill out the Address Request Form found here.

We recommend that you post your new addresses in a manor visible from the road so it may be seen by emergency personnel. Reflective signs with numbers at least 3 inches high work best. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are we getting new addresses?

The Susquehanna County Readdressing Project was initiated to provide the residents of the county faster and more accurate delivery of emergency services. The program has several other benefits, such as easier package delivery and easier direction-giving to visitors. Also, most insurance carriers, including NFIP, require a standard street address, and will no longer accept “RR Box” addresses. The project was done with the aim of bringing our addressing into alignment with national standards, and is intended to be extensible and expandable for future growth. The existing “RR Box” system was antiquated, illogical and confusing.

2. Do I still use the “RR Box”?

We are completely retiring the old system, all residents in Susquehanna County will have “street-style” addresses, and there will no longer be any “RR” boxes. You should use the address given without any additions, unless it is an apartment or suite number.

3. How long do I have to change my address?

USPS regulations state that they will deliver mail to an old address for up to one year. We strongly suggest that you make every effort to notify your correspondents as soon as possible, which will reduce the chances of an interruption in mail delivery. Most bills have a space to change your address when you mail them in, or have a toll-free number or website which you can utilize at no additional cost to you. We ask that you notify the telephone company as soon as you can, because it is through them that the 911 system is updated.

4. Who do I have to tell about my new address?

We ask that you notify your telephone company as soon as possible, so the 911 system can be updated. You will need to notify all business and personal correspondents of your new address. This includes: utility companies, mail-order vendors, PennDOT/DMV, Friends and Family, anyone who will send you mail or who uses your address to refer to your property. Deeds do not have an address associated with them, but your tax records do. Some companies take weeks to update their mailing software, so you may encounter some who tell you that your address is not valid. We recommend that you wait at least a month before reattempting to notify them. We unfortunately have no control over this, and cannot force these companies to accept the new addresses.

5. I received several sheets, which one do I use?

If you received more than one address, please call the toll-free number. We will work with you to determine which address(es) are yours, and to which building they belong. Please do not assume that the numbers run in the same direction, as many roads and streets were previously numbered inconsistently. A call of this nature only takes a few moments, please let us ensure that you are using the correct address for your property.

6. I have a CDL license, what do I do?

As CDL-licensed drivers are required to have their address printed on the license, you will need to order a duplicate license after your change the address. You will then receive a correctly-printed license camera card. There is no fee for changing your license, but there is a small fee for a duplicate license. You can change addresses and order duplicate cards at www.dmv.state.pa.us.

7. Do I have to change my will, deed, or other documents?

Any document printed with your current address may need to be changed, but only if that document will be used to send you mail. Deeds have no address on them, they are a physical description of the property boundaries.

8. Where do I have to post the numbers? On my house? Mailbox?

We ask that as soon as practical, you post your number on your mailbox (both sides). If you do not have a mailbox in front of the house (or if your mailbox is across the road or otherwise not directly in front of the building), we ask that you mount the number on a post, 3-4 feet off the ground (to get above snow levels), using 3-inch or larger numbers. The numbers should be reflective and a contrasting color to the background.

We also ask that the number also be posted on the front of the house, visible from the road. If the house is too far away from the road to see the number clearly, or is screened by trees or other buildings, refer to the sign instructions above. The intent of this is to ensure that emergency personnel can quickly and accurately locate your house, day or night.

9. My road name makes no sense, what happened?

If the road name on your address letter does not seem right, it may be that either: 1. Your municipality changed the name of your road during this process; or 2. You may be on a private road which was named earlier.

The township/borough officials are responsible for the naming of streets and roads. The signs may not have been updated yet, as we did ask them to wait until addresses were issued to post the new road names.

Private roads were created where 3 or more addressed structures share a common driveway. We made every reasonable attempt to ensure that all property owners involved had a say in the name of their road. In some cases, we received no reply from any property owner(s) and were forced to issue a name of our choosing.

If you have any question about your road name, contact your township or borough officials. If you believe you received the wrong address form, call the toll-free number, we will assist you in determining your correct road name and address.

10. How did you come up with these numbers?

The address numbers were determined by distance. The interval used was 5.28 feet, or 1/1,000th of a mile. The numbers run from South to North, and from West to East. Dead-End roads are one of the few exceptions- they are numbered from the origin to the dead end, regardless of direction. There were a very few streets that needed the ranges changed to avoid duplication. In that case, we added either 500 or 5,000 to the address numbers.

As an example, an address of 1750 Main St would be 1.750 miles from the origin of the street. Odd numbers are on the left and even on the right, traveling either north or east on a street. Therefore, our example would be on the right-hand side of the street.

This also explains why neighboring houses may not have “sequential” numbers.

11. Who named my road?

In Pennsylvania, the authority to name streets, roads, and other thoroughfares falls to either the Township Board of Supervisors, or the Borough Council. This includes state roads, with the exception of a “memorial highway” which must be named by an act of the State Legislature.

We did not name two- or three-digit state routes, as the route number serves as the generally-accepted name. (i.e. SR 92, SR 171, SR 267, etc.). Many 4-digit state routes were also not named.

Private roads were named by the landowners, with a ‘majority rules’ policy. There were some rare instances where despite our best efforts, we could not generate a response from the property owners. In these cases, after all reasonable effort was expended to contact, we assigned a name to those roads.

In order to change a road name, the township or borough must enact an ordinance and is responsible for the notification of all residents on that road that the change will be occurring.

12. Why didn’t you notify us that our address would change?

Some time ago, response cards were placed on every addressed structure to verify the information. We have also made several press releases and public appearances to notify the public and answer questions and concerns. Further individual notification would have been prohibitively expensive.

13. Can I just keep using my old address?

The USPS will deliver mail to your old address for up to one year. After that, you may not receive mail sent to the old address. After the notification process is complete, there will be no more “RR” boxes in Susquehanna County. If you continue to use an old street address in town, your mail may be delivered to the wrong address, or not at all.

14. When was my address released?

Addresses were released by zip codes, often times in groups. The follow lists when each zip code was released.

Updated: June 15, 2010

We have released Montrose 18801. All residents of Susquehanna County now should have a new 911 address. If you have not received your new address yet you may call (570) 278-2918

Updated: December 7, 2009

We have released Carbondale (In Susquehanna County) 18407, Forest City (In Clifford Twp only) 18421, Herrick Center 18430, Lenoxville 18441 and Union Dale 18470. Please note that if you live in Clifford Twp , your address will have as the city Clifford Twp, Pa with the appropriate zip code. If you live in Forest City Borough and need an address you need to contact the Forest City Borough Office.

Updated: October 19, 2009

We have released Springville 18844, Hop Bottom 18824, Factoryville (In Susquehanna County) 18419, Nicholson (In Susquehanna County) 18446

Updated: August 3, 2009

We have released Little Meadows 18830, Lawton 18828, Laceyville (In Susquehanna County) 18623 and Meshoppen (In Susquehanna County) 18630

Updated: March 24, 2009

We have released Brackney 18812 and Friendsville 18818

Updated: November 24, 2008

More addresses have been issued. We have released New Milford 18834, Harford 18823, Kingsley 18826 and Brooklyn 18813.

Updated: August 11, 2008

More addresses issued

We have recently issued addresses in the following Zips. Great Bend 18821, Hallstead 18822, Thompson 18465, Jackson 18825, South Gibson 18842 Gibson 18820 and Starrucca 18462.

Last Update: Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Addresses have been issued

New addresses were mailed to residents in the 18847 (Susquehanna) ZIP code area Thursday, May 15th. Due to the sheer volume of calls and emails we are receiving, we have provided a “Frequently Asked Questions” section to explain and inform residents. Please read the FAQ before calling or sending email, your question most likely has already been answered here. If you do call us, please be patient as we are answering calls and emails as quickly as we can.

On Wednesday, May 21, we mailed postcards to every postal customer in the 18847 zip code. The purpose of these cards was to notify residents that if they had not received a new address, they will need to call the toll-free number to obtain their correct address.

Also, USPS is no longer issuing new “RR Box” addresses, all new residents and new mail deliveries will require a standard address. You can get your new address by calling the addressing number and leaving a daytime contact number.

NOTICE: It seems that some customers are running into difficulty when trying to update their address with credit card companies, the USPS website, and others. The cause of this is that those companies’ mailing software has not been updated yet. We are asking that you still notify your telephone company as soon as possible, and if you encounter a company who will not accept the address you were given, wait until the next billing cycle to change.

Contact Information

911 Addressing   (570) 278-2918 

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