a.

In addition to the aforementioned requirements of Section 6.10 Street Access Control, these standards are hereby enacted to supplement driveway access within unincorporated areas of the County. Before the grading, paving, construction and repair of any driveway, the Chief Building Official must be notified and must make, or cause to be made, an inspection thereof; and the proposed improvements must receive approval of Floyd County Public Works.

b.

All work shall conform to the following specifications and standards. These standards are implemented by Floyd County for the purpose of ensuring proper driveway installation and avoiding future problems with the County Road System.

(1)

Driveway Standards:

(a)

Maximum driveway width shall comply with Section 6.10.2 Driveway Connections, table 6-10.

(b)

Angle of driveway into the County road right-of-way must be between 60 and 90 degrees.

(c)

Maximum grade, which shall be permitted, is 15 percent within the right-of-way.

(d)

The driveway surface connecting with the County road must have a minimum of five percent slope down and away from the edge of pavement for the lesser of a distance of six feet, or to the centerline of a roadside ditch, to prevent surface water drainage from the driveway flowing onto the County road surface.

(e)

The driveway shall not obstruct or impair drainage in roadside ditches or roadside areas. The driveway piping shall be adequate for surface water drainage along the roadway and in no case less than 15-inch-diameter pipe.

(f)

Driveway pipe, if required, shall be Class III reinforced concrete and shall have a minimum installed length of 24 feet.

(g)

No landscaping, fences, terraces, or other natural or artificial features adjacent to the driveway shall impair visibility from approaching vehicular traffic where that visibility is a threat to safety.

(h)

The driveway shall be located on the property so as to provide proper sight distance. Minimum sight distance requirements must comply with Section 6.7.3 Vertical and Horizontal Alignment of Streets, table 6-3.

(2)

Application for permit.

(a)

The Office of the Floyd County Engineer shall be responsible for issuance of driveway permits separate from other building permits.

(b)

Upon application for a driveway permit, the applicant will be given two stakes to mark the proposed driveway location at the site.

(c)

Floyd County Public Works will inspect the location and state the required pipe size and other special notes on the location of the driveway.

(d)

Any property with an existing driveway that requires a building permit for a new structure shall comply with these requirements herein.

(3)

Driveway connection installation. With the exception of State Routes, all driveway connection installations within unincorporated Floyd County will be inspected by Floyd County Public Works.

(a)

At the request of the Applicant, Floyd County Public Works will install driveway connections on the road right-of-way. A fee schedule for materials and installation shall be set by the Floyd County Board of Commissioners for any driveway with pipe up to 36 inches in diameter. All fees shall be paid in full at the Office of the Floyd County Engineer.

(b)

The applicant may elect to install their own driveway connection; however, Floyd County Public Works must inspect and approve any driveway connection not installed by them. Any development that fails to comply with the driveway standards herein shall not receive a final electrical inspection until such time that the driveway has been inspected and approved by Floyd County Public Works.

(4)

Maintenance of driveway.

(a)

The Public Works Department will be responsible for the maintenance of the drainage pipe under the driveway and will also be responsible for providing a smooth transition from the County road to the driveway within the road right-of-way.

(b)

The property owner is responsible for maintaining the surface of the driveway and any associated improvements to the property, which has encroached upon the County right-of-way such as landscaping, fences, etc.

(c)

If any improvements encroaching on the county right-of-way are found to be in violation of this section or are a safety hazard, the property owner will be notified in writing to remove such improvement. If the property owner does not comply within a reasonable period of time, Floyd County Public Works will remove such improvement.

(5)

Variances.

(a)

A variance may be requested in cases where these requirements might create an undue hardship.

(b)

Before a variance can be considered, a letter must be submitted to the Public Works Director stating the reasons for requesting a variance.

(c)

Within five working days, a decision on granting the variance will be made by the Public Works Director. The party requesting the variance will be notified by letter if the variance is to be granted or not. Any special conditions attached to the variance will also be stated in this letter.

(d)

The decision of the Public Works Director may be appealed to the County Manager, who shall have the authority to reverse the decision. An appeal to the County Manager shall be decided in a timely manner.

(e)

If the decision of the Public Works Director is upheld by the County Manager, the applicant may further appeal to the Board of Commissioners by submitting a written notice of appeal. An appeal submitted to the Board of Commissioners shall be considered and decided within 30 days.