Define: Street Number
Street Number is the numeral or code assigned to a property that fixes its position along a street, used in contracts to precisely identify a premises within a full postal address. It appears in clauses describing the location of leased, sold, or serviced property, ensuring the correct site is unambiguously referenced.
Legal accuracy standard set & glossary spot-checked by Imad Mohammed Nazar , Skadden-trained M&A lawyer, Legal Engineer at GenieAI
What Street Number Means in a Contract
Within a contract, a Street Number is the specific numeral, or occasionally an alphanumeric code, that pinpoints a building's location on a named street. It is one component of a full property address, working alongside the street name, city, postal code, and sometimes a unit or suite number. Although it appears to be a minor administrative detail, the Street Number performs an essential identifying function whenever a contract needs to describe real property with precision.
Parties rely on the Street Number to avoid confusion between similarly named streets, adjacent buildings, or multiple units within a single complex. In agreements such as leases, deeds, or service contracts, the address block containing the Street Number is often treated as a material term because it defines the physical scope of the parties' obligations. If the number is wrong or missing, the contract may still be enforceable, but disputes can arise over which property was actually intended.
How Street Number Is Defined or Measured
A Street Number is typically assigned by a local authority, postal service, or municipal planning body, and it does not change based on ownership or tenancy. Unlike financial or performance metrics, it is not measured but simply recorded, usually as it appears on official records, utility bills, or land registry documents. Drafters generally copy the Street Number directly from a title document or official correspondence rather than inventing or abbreviating it.
In some jurisdictions, Street Numbers can include suffixes such as letters (for example, 12A) to distinguish subdivided properties, or ranges (for example, 12-14) where multiple lots were combined. Contracts describing such properties should reproduce these variations exactly as registered, since even small formatting differences can create ambiguity about which parcel is covered.
- Simple numeric form, such as 45 Oak Street
- Alphanumeric form, such as 45A Oak Street, for subdivided units
- Range form, such as 45-47 Oak Street, for merged plots
Where Street Number Appears in Agreements
The Street Number most commonly appears in the recitals or definitions section of a contract, where the property subject to the agreement is first identified. It is a standard feature of a Relevant Circumstances
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