Residential Access Permit

A Residential Access permit (curb cut) is required for any new installation or modification of a residential entrance onto a County road, with or without the need to remove and replace concrete curb and gutter. The fee for each access point/curb cut is $115, and is only due after the application has been received and accepted. The Residential Access Permit can be combined with a new dwelling permit if shown on the application and is part of the Description of Work.  

Baltimore County must approve the following for a residential entrance onto a County road:

  1. Location of curb cut
  2. Design geometrics
  3. Any drainage requirements
  4. Paving cross section

Residential access design should be based on the Department of Public Works and Transportation's Standards, Specifications and Details for Construction.

Please note:

  1. Access point may not exceed 24 feet in width.
  2. Accessing a state road requires a permit from the Maryland State Highway Administration. Baltimore County does not provide permits for state road access. A state road is identified if the road has a route number.

  3. The Administrative and Inspection fee for each access point/curb cut is $115. The fee is due after the application has been reviewed and accepted, or at the time of issuance for a new dwelling, if the access is included with that permit.

     

Required Documents

You must provide the following when submitting your application:

  1. Utility Letter—Applicant must complete, sign and upload the Baltimore County Utility Letter from Homeowner.
  2. Drawing or rough sketch of the proposed access point and driveway's location, including all dimensions in relationship to the County roadway. Drawing must show the following:
  • Property lines
  • House location, identifying the front of the house
  • Location of proposed curb cut and driveway
  • Measurement of curb cut
  • Location and name of road

Standards and Specifications

The following applies for all residential entrances:

  • Circular Entrances—Ingress and egress points connected by a common driveway require a minimum frontage of 100 feet but will be only authorized at the discretion of the County.
  • Second Entrance - Only one driveway (ingress and egress point) is permitted in Baltimore County.  A second entrance may be allowed if there is a minimum frontage of 100 feet and is authorized at the discretion of the County.
  • Affected Sidewalks, Curbs or Gutters—Any existing sidewalks, curb and gutter disturbed by construction shall be replaced in kind to the alignment and grade specified by authorized County personnel.
  • Drainage—Positive drainage shall be maintained. Any pipes to be used shall be specified by authorized County personnel including size, type and any signage needed to reduce hazards to the traveling public.
  • Embankments—If the roadway is on an embankment and the roadway is not provided with an existing traffic barrier along the roadway embankment, the driveway or embankment side slope shall be as flat as possible to reduce any hazard to the traveling public.
  • Location
    • No portion of a driveway shall be constructed within 25 feet of any intersection radius.
    • No driveway shall be located where only partial ingress or egress of vehicles onto private property is possible. The intent is to prohibit the use of the sidewalk for parking vehicles for loading or unloading, thereby obstructing use of the sidewalk by pedestrians.
    • All entrances shall be confined to the properties' frontage.
  • Abandoned Driveways and Depressed Curbs—shall be removed and replaced with full-height curb and sidewalk on standard slope. An existing curb depression that does not conform to the minimum standards of the latest Standard Plans shall be reconstructed to the latest requirements when constructing a new driveway slab.
  • Sight Distance—Any new entrance onto a County road must meet minimum safe stopping sight distance based on the speed of the roadway being accessed. Issues surrounding the availability of adequate sight distance must be resolved with the County before an access permit is granted.

  • It may be necessary to install a minimum 12-inch diameter pipe under the driveway to facilitate roadside drainage. The engineer will determine if this is necessary.
  • Areas shall consist of three inches of County-approved asphalt (two inches of base, one inch of surface) on six inches of crusher run stone.
  • All construction and width requirements for asphalt type drives shall be taken from County plates R-15, R-15A and R-15B in Roads and Streets Standard Details.

  • All driveway aprons and adjoining sidewalk must be concrete, seven inches thick minimum, of County-approved concrete mix.
  • Concrete curb and gutter must be removed to the nearest joint.
  • County-approved expansion joint material must be placed behind all curbing to separate the driveway from the curb.
  • All construction and width requirements for concrete type drives shall be taken from County plates R-15, R-15A, R-15B and R-20 in Roads and Streets Standard Details.

About the Application Process

To learn more about the application process, read the steps and watch the videos below, or view the FAQ or full tutorial video playlist.

Watch a video to learn how to create your account or follow the instructions below:

  1. Navigate to the online portal.
  2. Select the Create Account button.
  3. Enter your email address, select Submit.
  4. An email will be sent with a link to complete the account setup. (Note: If you don't see the email is not in your inbox, check the SPAM folder. If in SPAM, mark unread before selecting the link.)

Prepare/gather all required documents as indicated above to upload when completing your online application. Be sure to name the documents appropriately—file names must follow Baltimore County naming conventions.

Watch a video to learn how to create your application or follow the instructions below:

  1. Enter the applicant and owner information.
  2. Select the property address and enter the contractor information. 
    1. In the Search and Add Contractors section, enter the contractor name in the search box.
    2. Select the contractor. The system will highlight the selected contractor in  red.
    3. Select the Add button to select the contractor. The contractor will be listed in the Selected Contractors section.
  3. Describe proposed work.
  4. Answer all required questions and enter all information related to the project.
  5. Upload required documents. 
    1. After accepting the Terms and Conditions, the Document Upload window opens.
    2. On the Plan Documents tab, scroll down and select the Browse button to select your files.
    3. Highlight the files to be added, select Open. The files are added to the Upload Documents window. 
    4. For each file, select a discipline from the dropdown list to describe your uploaded document type. 
    5. Select the Upload button.
    6. A disclaimer pop-up appears. Approve the disclaimer by selecting the Yes button.
    7. Select the Submit for Review button.
    8. When all files have been submitted, close out the Document Upload window.
  6. Submit the application.

  1. Applications will be reviewed by the Permit Processing Staff. Watch a video to learn about the application review and revisions process. Staff may leave comments and  revisions required for your permit. To view comments, follow the below instructions:
    1. Navigate to the online portal. 
    2. Locate the permit on the My Dashboard page.
    3. Select the expand icon next to the permit. Select the Action (magnifying glass) icon, which opens the Permit Application Info page. There are two ways to view comments and revisions required for your permit:
      1. From the Plan Review section:
        • Select the Open Plan Review button.
        • From the Upload Documents screen, select the Review Documents tab
        • Download the documents for review. Review the comments and feedback letter, documenting the required updates. Review the markups of submitted plans and documents.
      2. From the Tasks section:
        • Scroll to the Tasks section. If there are comments for review, you will see an Action (magnifying glass) icon in the Comments field to the right of the task’s Date Completed field.
        • Select the magnifying glass to see the comments.
  2. If all required information and documents are submitted, the application will be completed and application fees will be calculated.
  3. Applicants will receive a notification that the fees are ready for payment. Watch a video to learn how to pay application fees or follow the instructions below:
    1. Navigate to the online portal. The My Dashboard page displays.
    2. Select the Applications with Fees Due box at the top-middle of the My Dashboard window.
    3. Scroll to the My Fees section, find the permit number and scroll to the right to the Actions section. You will see a magnifying glass icon and a credit card icon.
    4. To view details for the fees, select the magnifying glass icon.
    5. To pay the fees, select the credit card icon. (Note: Baltimore County only accepts Mastercard, Visa and PayPal electronic payments.)
  4. Once payment is received, the application will be sent to all reviewing departments for technical review. Watch a video to learn about the review and revision process.
  5. Once the reviews are completed and approved, the permit will be issued.

Once the permit has been issued, the applicant will be notified via email. Watch a video to learn how to access the permit and approved plans in the applicant portal. Permits and approved plans must be available at the job site for inspections.

All construction must be completed exactly as stated on the approved permit and approved construction plans. Watch a video to learn how to schedule inspections through the applicant portal.

APPLY FOR A PERMIT

Once you have reviewed the process outlined above and have gathered your required documentation, apply for your permit online using the buttons below.

Apply for a Residential Access Permit