Driveways

Water runoff from driveways is an important concern as described in the "Storm Water Management" section. A drainage plan must be submitted as part of the building permit application for any structure over 144sf, and a driveway is indeed considered a structure per Section 3's broad definition. Section 3 ordinances require that the proposed construction or renovation of any driveway must be at least 80% permeable or must provide adequate means of retaining storm water on site so that drainage won't adversely affect any adjacent property or public sidewalk or street. Possible material options for achieving the desired level of permeability include permeable concrete, permeable pavers, or plain old pea gravel. You may download Stormwater Management Design Guidelines for assistance.

While residents do not need a building permit to simply resurface their existing driveways if they are not making any changes to the driveway's size or configuration, it is encouraged that they nonetheless look carefully at the existing drainage situation to see if there could be any improvement to the management of run-off. Rules on driveways can be found in Chapter 6-302 (e): 4.c, (f), and (g). Again, further guidance can be found in the Stormwater Management Design Guidelines.