House numbers are assigned by the competent authority based on building permits, notifications of construction work, or at the request of the property owners. Street names and house numbers serve as a guide within the city or municipal area and help organize all data related to individuals or locations.

In order to integrate new buildings into an existing house numbering sequence, it may be necessary to change existing house numbers.

It is the responsibility of the competent authority, as the general regulatory authority, to verify whether a house number has been affixed by the owner of the property or house. Local house number signage is also inspected in the event of complaints. The property owner is then required to ensure that a visible house number is displayed.

Two equivalent systems are used for the arrangement of house numbers:

• The so-called Paris System uses a sort of “zipper” system (numbering begins at the end of the street facing the city center, starting with 1 on the left side and 2 on the right, and then continues separately for even and odd numbers to the other end of the street, though due to the varying sizes of individual properties, it often happens that numbers that are numerically adjacent do not actually face each other).
• The so-called Berlin system with continuous house numbering (the number sequence begins on one side of the street with 1, continues without interruption to the end of the street, and then continues back on the other side of the street).

In Lower Saxony, house numbers are usually assigned according to the Paris system.

The installation of house numbers in Salzgitter is regulated by the house numbering statutesPDF-File11,80 kB

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