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The objective of this publication is to provide
information on the State Highway Administration's (SHA)
residential access regulations. Our goal is to provide
the maximum protection to the motoring public through
the orderly control of traffic movement to and from the
State Highway system. Permits are required for all
driveways to assure that entrances to State Highways are
made in a safe manner. This publication was prepared to
explain the guidelines to be followed in obtaining a
residential entrance permit.
Anyone accessing a State Highway from a residential
property is required to obtain a residential entrance
permit from the SHA. The SHA must approve the location,
design geometries, drainage requirements, and paving
cross section of a residential entrance on a State
Highway. The entrance design guidelines discussed in
this publication are based on SHA approved standards,
specifications and engineering manuals. Traffic control
specifications for shoulder work and lane closures are
based on federal guidelines.
Application for a permit should be made to the local
SHA office. The addresses
of the local offices are listed later in this
manual. Depending on the county, the application may be
made to either the District Engineer, the Resident
Maintenance Engineer or the Permit Inspector. The
District Engineer is responsible for any construction,
maintenance or other activity within his assigned
counties. He is charged with ensuring the safety of the
traveling public, in part, by allowing only the safest
possible access points onto State highways. The Resident
Maintenance Engineer is an agent of the District
Engineer who, in addition to supervising the road
maintenance activities in his area, accepts and
processes applications for residential driveway access.
The Resident Maintenance Engineer also performs periodic
inspection of the driveway construction. In the
metropolitan counties, a Permit Inspector may be
assigned to handle requests for residential access. In
this case, the Permit Inspector will accept, process and
provide inspection for residential driveway access. In
all cases, the District Engineer has final authority in
the approval of the residential driveway permit.
In general, the permit application procedure is as
follows. Upon receiving a completed application package,
the District Engineer's representative will investigate
the proposed driveway location to determine its
acceptability based on sight distance, overall safety,
drainage and other factors. After determining the best
location for the driveway, the District Engineer will
issue a residential driveway permit to the homeowner for
construction of the driveway at that location. The
permittee is responsible for all construction related to
the driveway, including any utility relocations made
necessary by the driveway construction. Forty-eight (48)
hours prior to beginning work, the permittee must notify
SHA of his intent to begin construction. This
notification is necessary to allow for inspection
scheduling. When construction is completed, to the
satisfaction of the District Engineer or his
representative, the permit will be released and the
performance surety will be returned to the permittee. (Performance
sureties are described in detail in this manual
including sample
documents.)
When properly applied, these residential driveway
guidelines will provide for safer roadways for all
motorists. This is true for the traveling public as well
as the homeowner using the entrance.
These regulations apply only to residential entrances
serving one to five homes. Any change in use, or
resubdivision of the land for more than five (5) homes,
would require the owner/developer to obtain an access
permit from the Engineering Access Permits Division at
SHA Headquarters in Baltimore (see address below). Any
questions or comments about this publication should be
addressed to:
State Highway Administration
Engineering Access Permits Division
707 N. Calvert Street
P.O. Box 717
Baltimore, MD 21203
(410)545-5600
(800)876-4742 Toll free in Maryland only.
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