Choosing an address for new homes or roads just got a little easier.

Routt County has completed its countywide addressing system, called the Master Address Database II. The program will help coordinate addresses across the county, aiding the planning department, county assessor and eventually county communications and emergency services, said Jim Payne, county database administrator and software developer.

Payne said the system provides a “good, solid reference for addressing,” and brings together information that previously was stored in several databases.

The database is helpful when the county needs to name roads and specific addresses, because now with a quick search, county planners can check whether such an address exists.

“The whole point is giving the right address,” Payne said.

Having two duplicate addresses could cause problems for emergency responders trying to reach a person who needs help, utility companies or more, county commissioners said.

Eventually, the list of addresses will be linked with detailed maps of the physical homes, providing a valuable resource for emergency responders and others, Payne said.

The database includes all unincorporated Routt County addresses, such as addresses from Phippsburg and Clark, as well as from the town of Yampa. It also houses addresses for the city of Steamboat Springs, which are managed by the city.

Eventually, addresses from Hayden and Oak Creek could be incorporated into the database, Payne said, possibly through an online system that each town updates itself.

“Having addresses in one centralized database will provide a good source for all county governments to use, providing better services to the public,” Payne said.

Work on the project started two years ago, when Payne began developing the database with information from the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association. Various county departments, as well as the city of Steamboat Springs GIS Department, have spent many hours making the system, Payne said.

The database has been in a test phase since March, and is performing well, Payne said.

The database may be available online to the public in the future, but to look at only.