Driveway Permit/Ditch Enclosure
Permit
General Provisions
Driveway Permits are required when:
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A new
driveway is desired
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The
use of a driveway changes (e.g. farm drive to residential, residential to
business, etc.)
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A
driveway culvert pipe is in need of replacement
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A
driveway is being improved (e.g. paving or pouring concrete where the drive was
previously gravel)
IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT YOU OBTAIN YOUR PERMIT BEFORE PURCHASING A CULVERT PIPE OR
STARTING CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR DRIVEWAY.
WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE THE REQUIRED PERMIT IN HAND, SO YOU DON’T WASTE MONEY.
Upon receiving an
application for a driveway, the Engineer’s Office will review the request,
taking into consideration the drive type and functional classification of the
roadway to determine if access is allowed under the County Access Management Regulations. In addition, the Engineer’s Office will
determine the required culvert pipe size, if any is required, and issue a
permit containing all the information necessary to construct your driveway. The driveway will be inspected after
construction. If it is not in compliance
with the requirements of the permit, the driveway will be blocked until the
problems are corrected.
Ditch Enclosure Permits are required if a person desires to
enclose the roadside ditch across their property. Some landowners desire to eliminate the ditch
to make it easier to mow the yard. If
being able to mow more easily is the concern, we recommend re-grading the ditch
across the property as an alternative because a ditch can hold more water than
a pipe. Check the ditch cleaning detail
below for recommended grading profiles that make mowing easier and are
aesthetically pleasing. Often,
re-grading the ditch can be done by the County Engineer’s Office with the
landowner’s cooperation.
Roadside ditches
not only drain water from the roadway for traffic safety reasons, they often
drain entire watersheds. Therefore,
anything being placed in the ditch must first be reviewed in advance by the
County Engineer to ensure proper drainage is accommodated. Upon receipt of an application to enclose a
ditch, the Engineer’s Office will examine the location and the size of the
watershed draining through the ditch to determine the size pipe that will be
required in the ditch.
Contact our office
at (419)782-4751 for assistance in helping you determine which permit is more
appropriate for your needs.
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Application for Driveway Permit