Any person or corporation desiring to construct a driveway or other connection within the right-of-way of a Town street or road shall, before beginning any construction, secure a permit from the Director of Public Works authorizing construction on the Town right-of-way. Failure to secure a permit prior to construction may result in the removal of the driveway and/or denial of access at that location.

When a driveway connects into State system streets and roads, the more restrictive ordinance, Municipal or State, shall apply.

Where to Apply

Applications will be made to the Director of Public Works for Town streets and N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) highways. Applications for driveway construction on N.C. DOT highways will be forwarded to the N.C. DOT District Engineer for approval.

Information Required

Information that must be given with the application is listed below. Additional information will be required for special commercial property uses.

• Location: The location of the property must be identified clearly enough for the proposed site to be located in the field: lot number, street address, etc.


• Identification of property owner and applicant.


• Property Use: The planned property use must be indicated as either residential or commercial.


• Plan: Plans shall be submitted which clearly indicate the character and extent of the work proposed, including:


• The location of all existing or proposed buildings.


• Retaining walls, drainage, poles, and other physical features which affect the driveway location.


• Pavement and right-of-way widths.


• Roadway alignment and channelization.


• Off-street parking locations which may affect the driveway locations.


• Location of control of access.

Approval of Application

The approval of the application shall be subject to the following conditions:

• The application shall be properly and clearly completed.


• The location, design and construction of driveway entrance shall meet the general and geometric requirements stated in the Beech Mountain Driveway Connection Manual and/or the N.C. Division of Highways' Manual on Driveway Entrance Regulations, in the case of commercial driveway entrances.


• The permit shall require that the applicant assume the following construction responsibilities:


• Existing Open Ditch: The applicant shall furnish all required pipe of size, type and quantity as specified by the Public Works Director. The pipe will be laid and backfilled by Town employees, if requested. The applicant shall bear the full cost of any stabilization and pavement placed on the driveway(s) within the right-of-way.


• Driveways on Paved Streets: The applicant will bear all costs of driveway construction including the cost of placing asphalt pavement on the driveway within the right-of-way.


• No alteration or addition shall be made to any driveway within the right-of-way without first securing a permit from the Public Works Director.


• The Town reserves the right of inspection by its authorized representative of driveway construction within the right-of-way. In the event of failure to comply with the terms of the permit, faulty workmanship and/or materials, the Town shall have the right to stop the work, until such time as the objectionable conditions are corrected. All costs incurred in the removal and/or correction of non-compliance with design, defective workmanship and/or materials shall be borne by the applicant.

Application Review Period

The Public Works Director shall process all permit applications as expeditiously as possible. Residential and routine commercial applications will require approximately one week to process. Special commercial applications normally will require a minimum of sixty (60) days to process. This includes the following:

• Shopping centers.


• Condominiums and apartments of ten (10) or more units.


• New public streets.


• Other uses which can be expected to attract large amounts of traffic.

Location of Driveways

Driveways should be located at a point along the frontage where it is possible for drivers of vehicles entering the street to see in both directions along the traveled way far enough to allow entering the street without creating a hazardous situation. At an intersection, no driveway shall be within the return of the intersecting roadways. NOTE: "Return" means the radius of the edge of pavement between intersecting roadways.

Side Clearance

All portions of the driveway, including the returns, shall be between the two frontage boundary lines. NOTE: "Return" means the curved radius at the right-of-way line.

Widths

The width of a driveway, measured parallel to the street center line, shall be within the minimum and maximum widths of twelve (12) feet and thirty-sic (36) feet.

Setback

The area to which the driveway provides access shall be sufficiently large to store any vehicles using the driveway completely off the right-of-way.

Drainage

The provisions for the drainage of the right-of-way shall be as directed by the Public Works Director, and the cost shall be borne by the applicant. The drainage in street side ditches shall not be impeded, and the applicant shall provide suitable drainage structures at his own expense.

Existing Facilities

Existing driveways shall not be altered without first securing a permit.

Driveway Grades

The grades of entrances and exits shall be constructed to conform to the existing shoulder grades.

Driveway Pavement

Driveway entrances within the street right-of-way of gravel streets shall be paved with 6 inches of ABC aggregate. Driveway entrances within the street right-of-way of asphalt paved streets shall be paved with 2 inches of I-2 Asphalt.

Please contact the Public Works Director, 403 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, NC 28604-8012, 828/387-9282 for further information or to secure a driveway permit.