Road Approach permits, also known as Driveway permits, are required to be obtained prior to modifying or making a new connection to the county road right-of-way. This process has been developed to ensure the connection is completed in a way that ensures a high level of safety as well as adequate construction standards to meet the various needs required.
Do I Need This Permit?
Common examples of when to obtain a permit include:
- Driveway access to new development
- Driveway to pasture or barn property
- Driveway for RV parking
- Adding a second driveway to complete a circular drive.
- Widening an existing driveway
- Paving an existing driveway
NOTE: Installing a concrete driveway along a gravel-shoulder roadway will require an Encroachment Permit in lieu of this permit.
Summary of Process
How to Start - Call us or come into our office with the information noted in the 2nd bullet of the 'Steps' section below.
Steps
- Contact Roads to ensure your road is in fact a county road (as opposed to city or state)
- Make application for the permit in person at our office or over the phone. Necessary information includes:
- Name and mailing address of current property owner (or written authorization from property owner to contractor)
- Driveway location information such as address, 'next-to' address, or other identifying marking(s)
- Daytime telephone number
- Type of driveway requested (residential or commercial)
- Legal description (township, range, section, and tax lot number)
- Sign a 'signature page' which is your authorization to proceed through the permitting process (sample form can be viewed from the PDF link below)
- Pay the fee associated with this permit (cash, check, or credit card including over the phone)
- Your permit application will then be sent to an Inspector who will determine construction requirements. This step may take several days depending on workload and complexity of the application.
- If approved, your permit will then be mailed, emailed, or faxed to you.
- An on-site conference with the Inspector and approved permit in possession is required prior to any construction work.
- Once work is complete and inspected and found to be in conformance to all standards the driveway connection including the culvert (if applicable) will become a part of the road system maintenance program.
- NOTE: When a permit is issued and
includes referenced plans provided by the permit applicant and prepared by an
Oregon Registered Professional Engineer, the permit applicant shall retain the
stamping engineer as the Engineer of Record (EOR) for the work covered by the
permit. If the stamping engineer is not retained by the permit applicant,
other arrangements will have to be made by the permit applicant to provide an
alternate EOR. The arrangements for an alternate EOR must be approved by
the County Engineer.
Fee(s) - $290.00 (subject to change during annual fee update process)
Timing - the initial office work or phone call may take 15 minutes or so. It then takes several days up to two weeks to consider your application with the end goal to issue you a permit. Your work can begin once you have your permit in hand and the permitted work needs to be completed within 60 days; extensions may be considered in certain circumstances.
Tips & Tricks
- Be sure to start the process well ahead of when you want the construction to be completed.
- Gather necessary information before you come into our office or call - see details above.
- You can obtain this permit and complete it fully without having to come into our office - by paying with a credit card the entire process can be completed using things like phone/mail/email/fax.
- Don't forget to "Call Before You Dig" - safety first!
Forms/Documents/Drawings
Standard specification drawings can be found on our website here.
Below you will also find the following:
- Road Approach Regulations (steps and specifications)
- Sample Signature Page - you will need to sign this form when we provide it to you to authorize the permit. It will become a part of the permit file.