Size matters was one of the few things that a Minneapolis City Council panel could agree on Monday when the topic was how to bring some consistency to the city's house-numbering codes.
Spray-painted house numbers would be out. So would those taped on. And numbers need to be at least 4 inches high.
But beyond those areas of agreement, a council member remarked, defining proper house numbers is like trying to define art.
The matter arose because one city ordinance requires 2-inch-high numbers while another -- and the state fire code -- requires numbers to be 4 inches tall. That's to aid police, fire and ambulance responses. It also helps garbage crews and presumably anyone trying to locate an unfamiliar address in the dark.
The proposed revision would ban spray-painted or hand-painted numbers, those inscribed with a marker or taped on, or anything else not prefabricated for address numbering. Numbers in alphabetic script would be out. So would Roman numerals.
What about hand-painted numbers purchased at an art fair or by a homeowner exhibiting some artistic flair? What about numbers sprayed with a stencil onto the front steps?
With those questions in mind, the panel asked the city attorney's office to tweak the wording a bit before the council takes it up on April 30.
Sprayed numbers on plywood, especially in areas with lots of foreclosed homes, are irritating, Council Member Don Samuels said. "From a distance it looks like graffiti," said JoAnn Velde, deputy director of housing inspection.
