Is a permit required to make a driveway or to pave one?

[Winny]

I've been thinking about having a driveaway installed on my property. We don't have an actual driveaway, just grass and sand. I want to make a driveaway with blacktop. Would this require a permit? Does the size of the driveaway matter? Are there any rules about type of material, tools used, and other aspects of the job?

I wouldn't mind extending a walkway from the driveaway to my porch as well. How would the permitting process go for all of this?

 

[Jake]

If your drive way is anywhere near a public road, you probably will need a permit. I read that if it's 33 feet close to the road, it will require a permit. How far is your house from the road? Do you plan to make your driveaway as close as possible to the road? Will it connect to the road?

This doc should help clear some things up - Michigan.gov
And more details on right of way - https://www.scrc-mi.org/right-of-way/

 

[Eric]

I've been thinking about having a driveaway installed on my property. We don't have an actual driveaway, just grass and sand. I want to make a driveaway with blacktop. Would this require a permit? Does the size of the driveaway matter? Are there any rules about type of material, tools used, and other aspects of the job?

I wouldn't mind extending a walkway from the driveaway to my porch as well. How would the permitting process go for all of this?

I'm not sure about Michigan but a lot of jurisdictions have rules about the amount of impervious surface cover you can add to your property. This is probably more of an issue in areas where flash flooding is a major issue, e.g., the southwest or other highly developed watersheds. But if you talk to someone at the permitting office, you might ask whether that aspect of the driveway's design (i.e., total size and use of impervious materials) will be something they evaluate for as part of their review.

 

[Winny]

I'm not sure about Michigan but a lot of jurisdictions have rules about the amount of impervious surface cover you can add to your property. This is probably more of an issue in areas where flash flooding is a major issue, e.g., the southwest or other highly developed watersheds. But if you talk to someone at the permitting office, you might ask whether that aspect of the driveway's design (i.e., total size and use of impervious materials) will be something they evaluate for as part of their review.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Most of the properties near me have driveways that reach up to the roads height, if that makes sense? When I head over to the permitting office I'll be sure to ask them about it and see if there are any specific rules I have to follow. As for the size of the driveway, I was thinking of them just evaluating how much of a driveaway I can get. Could they do that? Like specify what height and length I'd be allowed?

I'm glad I decided to ask about it in here.