Civic Number: What Is It and How to Get One?

Every house, building and workplace in Canada has its civic address. In case of an emergency, emergency services need to know the civic address of your location to assist you. There are three parts to a civic address: a civic number, a street name, and the municipality.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what a civic number is, its importance, and how to locate yours. Let’s get going.

What Is a Civic Number?

A civic number is a number that the municipal government in each Canadian province assigns to each home, and it is a part of home addresses. Another name for it is the 911 address. In the state of an emergency, this will be the number that you should give the 9-1-1 operator.

Examples of civic numbers

In some cases, your mailing address will consist of the civic address plus the postal code. For example, if your mailing address is “56377 Marlbourlogh Ave, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0B1”, “56377” is your civic number. 

In other cases, the mailing address is the same as the civic address: for example, “46515 Elm Stree, Toronto, Ontario”, where the civic number is “46515”.

What is the civic number used for?

In the event of an emergency, police officers, firefighters, and rescue squad members will use your civic number to locate your home. Various service providers like banks and insurance companies use your civic address. Additionally, utility companies also use the civic number to find your home for cable, telephone, or Internet connection. 

Why does it have to be visible?

It is the responsibility of property owners to put their civic number at the end of their driveway in an area visible from the road. Having a visible civic number can be helpful for mail and delivery services, emergency response, telecommunication providers, as well as for navigation.

How to Find my Civic Number?

There are a couple of ways to find your civic number in Canada. You can do it by contacting your municipal office or provincial organization or checking your home-ownership papers. 

Municipality office 

Municipal offices are responsible for the civic numbering system, so contacting them is the best way for you to get access to your civic number. 

Provincial organization

You can also contact provincial organizations such as Alberta Emergency Management Agency for civic number and address lookup.

Documents at home

Another option to find your civic number in Canada is by checking your home-ownership papers, title deeds, mortgage paperwork or any other document your real estate agent has given you.

How to Get a New One?

If you are building a new house or moving to a cheaper place, you’ll need to get a new civic address. You can get a new one by filling out a civic address request form at the municipality office. 

Forms vary by location, but they often ask for personal information, the reason for the request, the type of property, and other details, such as a street number, an apartment number or a street number suffix (if applicable).

Any new building must have a civic address, for which you have to submit a request at the municipality office. However, a property without a building does not require a civic address.

Bottom Line

We’ve come to the end of our guide, in which we covered all the information you need to know about civic numbers. After reading this guide, you’ll have absolutely no problem locating your civic number, or issuing a new civic address if you ever need one.