Addresses

Property owners and residents who will have a new address should inform their friends and acquaintances, the newspapers and magazines they subscribe to, their own suppliers and partners, etc. of the changes.

If the name of an existing road or the address number of a building site changes, residents should not notify the post office, as they are not physically moving anywhere!

The city maintains the address system and informs the authorities (emergency services, rescue services, police, postal address service, Varkaus postal delivery unit, Population Register Centre, Land Registry Office and Road Administration) about changes of address names and numbers. Through the Population Register Centre, the data are updated to KELA and the Tax Administration, among others).

It is essential for the performance of alarm and distribution activities that:

• the call numbers are visible from the road, even in the dark, and legible from both directions. The call number must not be obscured by vegetation or be too far from the road to be visible in the dark.
• buildings at the same address are marked with a unique colour. In cases where there are several buildings at the same address, the unique address numbers of all buildings must be visible at the junction of the main road and on each building.
• there are no roads with the same or very similar names in the municipality.
• there are clear signs along the roadside indicating that the name of the road has changed (it is not logical for the name of the road to change in the middle of an intersection).

Outside the zoning districts, road operators, private road associations and property owners are jointly responsible for the purchase, erection and maintenance of road name plates.
Building owners are responsible for obtaining and installing address numbers.

Section 84 of the Land Use and Building Decree (895/1999), Section 9.2.1 of the Fire Inspection Guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior and Section 12 of the Building Regulations of the City of Varkaus oblige building owners to place unambiguous signposts on residential, holiday home and commercial buildings on the property.

Road name plate

• The street name sign shall be visible in both directions.
• Black text on a light-coloured reflective background.
• The height of the name plate is 20 cm on public roads (highways and roads 453, 468, 4681, 4684 and 4703) and 15 cm on other roads.
• Height of the text; on public roads, capital letters 10 cm and small letters 8 cm; on other roads, capital letters 8 cm and small letters 6 cm.
• At least 2 cm free space at the ends of the nameplate, plus an attachment space.
• The nameplate shall be fixed to a separate post approximately 6 cm thick.
• The nameplate shall be placed approximately 4 m from the edge of the public road verge and 1 to 3,5 m from the edge of the private road.
• The height of the lowest edge of the road name plate above the road surface shall be at least 2 m.

A private road sign may only be erected in the roadway area of a public road with the permission of the Road Administration. The erection and maintenance of a private road sign is the responsibility of the private road operator.

Address number

• The address number must always be legible from both directions on the road, even in the dark.
• The address number plate may be fixed to a building wall, door lamp, gate, fence or similar structure. If the address number is not visible from the road, a signpost (= address number with arrow) should be placed at the junction and side road crossings.
• The address number plate may be fixed to a separate post at a height of at least 2 m above the road surface in a built-up area, approximately 4 m from the edge of the public road verge and 1 to 3,5 m from the edge of the private road.
• Black text on a light-coloured reflective background.
• Height of the number plate 15 cm.
• Height of the number 10 cm.