The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
Administrative officer- means the Public Works Director or authorized representative.
Apron- means that part of the driveway entrance and any radius, or taper immediately adjacent to curb and gutter (or pavement edge), and extending away from the street.
Certification- means a signed, written statement by the administrative officer that specific construction, inspections or tests, where required, have been performed and that such construction, inspections or tests comply with requirements of this article, and with any regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
City connecting link- means a route inside the city limits which:
A. Connects a state highway through the City.
B. Connects a state highway to a City connecting link of another state highway.
C. Is a state highway terminating within the City.
Driveway- means any access point from private property onto public right-of-way intended for vehicular use.
KDOT- means the State Department of Transportation.
Radius or taper- means the improved surface outside of the width of the driveway, normally triangular in shape and immediately adjacent to the street, designed to accommodate turning movements into and out of a driveway.
Right-of-way- means land, usually in a strip, which is dedicated to public ownership for street or highway transportation purposes.
State highway- means any state or federal highway which is part of the official state highway system of the State. KDOT approval is required for any driveway access or other modification along these routes.
Traffic control devices- means all signs, signals and pavements markings placed by or erected by the authority of the City or KDOT for the purpose of regulating, warning or guiding traffic.
Width or wide- means the measurement from one side of the driveway to the other, taken perpendicular to the centerline of said driveway, and exclusive of any radius/taper.
(Code 2015)
No certificate of occupancy for any building shall be issued unless the applicant for the certificate of occupancy shall have substantially complied with the requirements of this article.
(Code 2015)
Nothing contained in this article shall be construed as exempting from regulation any driveway construction that may be otherwise regulated or permitted as set forth elsewhere in City Codes or any subdivision covenants and restrictions.
(Code 2015)
A. No person shall construct, relocate or remove a driveway unless he/she is in possession of a valid driveway permit issued by the administrative officer as provided for in this article.
B. A separate application and permit is required for each driveway constructed, relocated or removed. The permit application shall include:
1. Name, address and telephone number of owner, developer, contractor and applicant.
2. Address of property where driveway is to be installed.
3. Plot/site plan in an easily read scale, never smaller than one (1) inch equals sixteen (16) feet, showing, as a minimum:
a. Adjacent streets.
b. Property lines and dimensions.
c. Property corners adjacent to rights-of-way.
d. Existing and proposed site drainage.
e. Footprints of existing and proposed buildings.
f. Existing and proposed parking facilities.
g. Existing and proposed sidewalks.
h. Existing and proposed utilities.
i. Proposed traffic control, if applicable.
C. At the time of filing an application for a driveway permit, a nonrefundable plan checking fee of ten dollars ($10.00) shall be paid to the City.
D. Any driveway access to City Connecting Links also requires a permit processed and issued by KDOT. The KDOT permit application must be approved by the City and can be initiated with the administrative officer.
E. In the absence of other established procedures, KDOT approval must be obtained prior to application for a permit from the City.
F. Plans requiring City approval prior to review and/or approval by a State agency shall be submitted according to requirements of the State and this article.
G. Plans approved by the State and submitted to the City for review shall reflect any changes or corrections required by KDOT.
(Code 2015)
The administrative officer shall have available typical construction drawings that illustrate examples of the specifications stated within this article. In the event of conflict between those drawings and this article, this article shall prevail.
A. Design, construction and maintenance of any driveway entrances and related improvements within the right-of-way shall be the responsibility of the property owner. Such maintenance includes removal and/or clearance of windows of snow, ice or sleet that may be deposited by State, County or City crews or their contractors engaged in winter maintenance operations.
B. Driveways shall be constructed so that they do not adversely affect drainage onto streets and highways, or onto adjacent properties. In no case shall a driveway cause water to flow across the highway pavement, to pond at the roadway shoulder, or to cause erosion within the right-of-way.
C. Drainage collected by ditches, gutters or pipes, including sump pumps, on private property shall not be discharged directly into the street/highway drainage system unless expressly approved by the administrative officer through this permit procedure.
D. Design and construction of driveways shall meet the city’s minimum standards for apron construction, including concrete curb and gutter, and driveways, Those minimum standards can be found in the City of Ottawa Standard Details for Entrances and Sidewalks.
E. Changes in driveway slope within the right-of-way should be no greater than a twelve (12) percent increase or an eight (8) percent decrease in order to prevent difficulty with vehicular ground clearance.
F. Sidewalks approaching driveways within the public right-of-way shall have slopes no greater than one (1) unit of rise to twelve (12) units of run (12:1 slope) in order to accommodate persons with disabilities.
G. Sidewalks within driveways in the public right-of-way shall be constructed to a minimum standard of Class A-AE 4000 p.s.i. Concrete with a thickness of six (6) inches, reinforced with 12x6-W4.0xW4.0 welded wire fabric.
H. Sidewalks must be separated from the back of the curb and gutter by nothing less than a one (1) inch thick fiber (bituminous) expansion joint.
I. That portion of any driveway within the public right-of-way should be constructed perpendicular to the centerline of the adjacent street.
J. Each property shall be allowed at least one (1) driveway.
K. Commercial and industrial properties may have more than one (1) driveway, as long as the sum of widths of all driveways does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the length of the property line abutting the street right-of-way.
L. The following shall govern construction of driveways:
1. Residential driveways shall:
a. Be no less than twelve (12) feet and no more than thirty-two (32) feet in cumulative width for single-family residences. There may be more than one (1) curb cut for a residential driveway access, such as in a circular drive. However, such installations must fall within the limitations of the maximum cumulative width.
b. Be no less than twenty-four (24) feet and no more than forty-four (44) feet in cumulative width for multi-family residences.
c. Have a maximum allowable radius/taper of five (5) feet.
2. Commercial driveways shall:
a. Be no less than twenty-four (24) feet and no more than forty (40) feet wide, except that an approach up to fifty-two (52) feet wide may be authorized when a median no less than four (4) feet wide is installed to separate entrance and exit lanes.
b. Be no less than sixteen (16) feet wide for one-way approaches.
c. Have a minimum turning radius of fifteen (15) feet.
d. Have a minimum allowable radius/taper of fifteen (15) feet in the apron.
e. Not be designed such that backing vehicles onto the street or highway is necessary. Sufficient turnaround space must be provided.
3. Industrial driveways shall:
a. Be no less than twenty-four (24) feet and no more than sixty (60) feet wide for two-way approaches.
b. Be no less than sixteen (16) feet wide for one-way approaches.
c. Have a minimum turning radius of fifteen (15) feet.
d. Have a minimum allowable radius/taper of twenty-five (25) feet in the apron.
e. Not be designed such that backing vehicles onto the street or highway is necessary. Sufficient turnaround space must be provided.
M. When driveway approaches are located on properties at a street intersection, such driveway approaches shall be no closer than fifty (50) feet to the property corner at the intersection, as those points may be extended to the curb or pavement edge.
N. The minimum length of safety islands shall be twenty-four (24) feet between driveway entrances, measured at property lines.
O. Landscaping is permissible within the right-of-way. Shrubs are to be maintained at a maximum height of thirty (30) inches and trees are to be trimmed so that sight distance is not restricted. Property owners or residents adjacent to the right-of-way are responsible for all grounds maintenance activities within the right-of-way, including, but not limited to, tree, lawn and garden care.
(Code 2015)
Any person who violates a provision of this article shall upon conviction be subject to a fine of up to five hundred dollars ($500.00). Each day that any such violation exists shall constitute a separate violation and may be punishable as a separate offense.
(Code 2015)