Village Code states that any person intending to install, replace or alter a driveway, or any material part thereof, must first obtain a Building Permit from the Village office. (Residents within the Historic District must also obtain a Historic Area Work Permit; please contact the Historic Preservation Commission directly.) (12) Any external antenna, air conditioner, generator or heat pump including the replacement of any such external feature that is a developmental nonconformity.

Driveways on private property may be installed using any material the resident chooses (although residents within the Historic District must consult with HPC), provided that the driveway does not exceed fifteen feet (15’) in width. Village Code allows residents to install a wider garage apron—the section of a driveway just forward of a garage—for two-car garages. The apron in front of a two-car garage may extend the full width of the two-car garage for a distance up to twenty feet (20’) from the face of the garage. The Code applies this accommodation only for two-car garages.

All driveways must cross the public right-of-way to access the street, but where private property ends and the public right-of-way begins ends is not always consistent from street to street, and may even vary from block to block (as discussed above). The first step is to determine where the right-of-way begins in front of your property. Your proposed driveway cannot exceed ten feet (10’) in width where the driveway crosses the right-of-way. Also, if your driveway (whether new or replacement) crosses or intersects with a public sidewalk, the sidewalk material must be restored/maintained across the driveway so as to create a continuous public sidewalk of consistent material type.

The driveway apron is the portion of the driveway that meets the public street. In addition to the ten foot (10’) maximum width of the driveway where the driveway crosses the public right-of-way, the Village Code allows a five foot (5’) radius on either side to establish the driveway apron, thereby allowing a maximum width at the curb of twenty feet (20’). While driveways on private property may be installed in any material or color that residents choose, the Village Code specifies that the driveway apron must be installed in accordance with current Montgomery County standards.

(due when application submitted)