The San Juan County Commission adopted a resolution Dec. 16 appointing the county surveyor’s office as the county addressing agency under a county ordinance dated May 21, 2024. County staff said the designation clarifies which office will assign physical addresses for new construction and corrects past addressing problems that complicated mail delivery and emergency services.

Commissioners raised concerns about how House Bill 300 — which ties certain administrative functions to physical-address requirements — affects residents in remote and reservation communities that use out-of-state ZIP codes or chapter-house locations. Several commissioners described efforts to obtain plus-code data and requests to the Navajo Nation Addressing Authority to explore a data-sharing arrangement. Staff said the county had reached out to the Navajo Nation’s addressing team and that further coordination and possible grant funding to map addresses on the reservation may be needed.

A motion to approve the resolution naming the surveyor's office as the addressing authority carried by voice vote. County staff will continue outreach to Navajo Nation officials and explore grants to support addressing work in remote communities.