HARMONY — The borough council is considering a new ordinance requiring all houses to have “clearly visible” numbers for the sake of public safety.

The new ordinance would require that:

• House numbers be clearly visible by road traffic coming from either direction,

• The numbers be at least three inches tall

• Houses more than 50 feet from the road have the letters on a sign or fence-post, as opposed to the house itself.

• The numbers need not be reflective.

The council voted 5-2 Tuesday night to advertise the ordinance.

The new requirements would help emergency responders to more easily find addresses, Council President Jim Hulings said.

“We have a lot of older houses that haven’t changed or updated their numbers in years and it’s a safety issue,” Hulings said.

Harmony Fire Department Chief Neal Nanna also spoke in favor of the ordinance, saying that it would be a great help to both the fire department and ambulance drivers when they are responding to an emergency call and need to get there fast.

“Minutes count when somebody’s life is in danger,” he said.

Council member Don Sims, who voted against the ordinance, asked if the new rule would create an unnecessary hardship on residents, some of whom would be required to get a new sign or new lettering.

The fire department has sold reflective signs for lawns for five years, Nanna said. The signs cost $20, though residents wouldn’t necessarily need to buy signs from the department to follow the new requirements.

The council will vote on the ordinance July 1.

Though the ordinance would go into effect immediately, Hulings said the borough would allow homeowners a reasonable time to get new signs or numbers if they need to.