Private Driveway Permit Application

General
Any person, partnership, company, corporation, associations or agency intending to construct an access on the County's right-of-way shall make written application to, and secure a permit from, the County Highway Department. This permit must be obtained before commencing construction on a driveway within the right-of-way of a County highway.

Application Requirement and Preparation
A new driveway permit application shall be required when a relocation alteration or remodeling of an access, approach and/or crossover, or any change in the character of the use of the access approach and/or crossover is proposed. The granting or denial of such application shall be governed by the same regulations and judged by the same standards as an application for a permit for a wholly new access, approach, and/or crossover.

Application to the County Highway Department shall be made on the form as prescribed by the County Highway Department. The application shall include immediately proposed and future work affecting all locations of access to the applicant's property and adjacent parcels in which an interest is held by the applicant.

Applications are available at the County Highway Department at the following address or by clicking here:

Hancock County Highway Department
921 W. Osage Street
Greenfield. IN 46140

Telephone: (317) 477-1130
Fax: (317) 477-1156

Permit Application Fee
The private driveway permit fee for Class I, II, & V driveways shall be $50.00.

Permit Time Limit
The permit shall expire one year from the date of approval.

Performance Bond
A performance bond is required. The document used to guarantee that work performed on the right-of-way by the applicant (principal) will be completed as required by conditions and
provisions of the permit. The bonding company (surety) is bound by the bond to see that the
permit is completed satisfactorily should the permitee (principal) fail to perform properly. The bond shall be approved by the Highway Department and shall be sufficient to cover the work to be performed in the right-of-way. This document shall be notarized. The minimum bond shall be by approach class as shown below.

Residential drive (Class I and II)....................................................................................$3,000.00
Field entrance (Class V)..................................................................................................$1,000.00

(Class I drives are locations where the county highway is constructed with concrete curb)
(Class II drives are locations where the county highway is constructed without curb)
(Class V drives are locations that serve a vacant lot, field, or unimproved property)

Pipe Requirements
A culvert pipe is required at each drive and shall be a minimum of 12 inches in diameter and 24 feet in length with end sections. The pipe shall be constructed of corrugated steel or reinforced concrete. Alternate materials may be used if approved by the County Engineer. The minimum wall thickness for the corrugated steel pipe shall be 0.064 inch (16 gauge).

Pipes shall not be smaller than structures upstream from their location.

Driveway Surface Requirements
The driveways shall be constructed of 6 inches of compacted aggregate, as a minimum, from the edge of the mainline pavement to the County right-of-way line.

Note: The desired pavement for Class I & II drives are as follows:

Number of Driveways
Access shall be limited to a single drive per property unless the frontage exceeds 400 feet.

Joint Driveways
Joint driveways are allowed. but the application shall be jointly prepared and submitted by both
property owners. The driveway shall be located precisely straddling the property line dividing the two properties. A perpetual easement and maintenance agreement should be recorded on both properties to ensure the optimum use and condition.

Separation Distance for Driveways
The distance between driveways must allow driveway vehicles to safely accelerate, decelerate,
and cross traffic streams without excessive interference. The following is the minimum spacing of driveways for various speeds. The spacing is the clear distance between the near edges of the driveway throats.

Driveways With-in Platted Subdivisions
Driveways within platted subdivisions shall be as approved in conformance with the Subdivision
Control Ordinance. No permit will be required for those drives within concrete curbed subdivisions, except those that may require drives onto the existing uncurbed County Highway.

Failure to Complete Improvements
For construction in County right-of-way for which no performance guarantee has been posted, if
the improvements are not completed within the period of validity of the permit approval, the permit shall be considered null and void. The County reserves the right to institute a suit to remove any work and restore the right-of-way to its original condition and assess the cost to the Applicant.

In those cases where a performance guarantee has been posted and the improvements have not been installed prior to the expiration of the guarantee, the County shall declare the guarantee to be in default and cause all improvements to be installed according to the approved plans, regardless of the extent of any building development at the time the guarantee is declared to be in default.

Variances
A variance may be submitted in writing at the time when the application for driveway permit is
filed. The petition shall state fully the grounds for the application and all of the facts relied upon by the petitioner. The application for variance must be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of $100.00, or as amended in the most recent schedule of fees.

Approval of variances will be given by the County Commissioners, with benefit of a recommendation from the County Engineer.

Variances to regulations regarding driveway pipes, including driveways proposed with no driveway pipe (i.e., at the crest of a hill), shall be exempt from these variance provisions. However, written approval will be required from the County Engineer in those situations.

Also see Section 313 Variances of Article 8 Road Permits of the Hancock County Code.

Miscellaneous Requirements
Debris and Waste. No cut trees, timber, debris, earth rocks, stones, soil, junk, rubbish or other
waste material of any kind shall be buried within the County right-of-way.

Erosion control measures shall be used when necessary.

For more information see article 8 Road Permits of the Hancock County Code.