(Red Oak) Montgomery County is establishing new requirements for the design and construction of driveways and field entrances.
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the following resolution.
All new driveways and field entrances in the county must have a minimum top width of 20 feet and must slope away from the public road unless the County Engineer determines that is impractical.
The resolution establishes different side-slope requirements based on the type of road. Driveways along dirt or rock-surfaced roads must have a minimum side slope of 3-to-1. Those along paved roads carrying fewer than 400 vehicles per day must have a minimum slope of 6-to-1.
For paved roads carrying more than 400 vehicles per day, side slopes must be 8-to-1 when a drainage pipe is required and 10-to-1 when one is not required.
Anyone constructing or improving a driveway or field entrance must first obtain a permit from the County Engineer. Failure to obtain a permit would violate Article 319.14 of the Iowa Code and could result in applicable actions and penalties.
The County Engineer will examine proposed driveway locations to determine whether they are suitable and whether adequate sight distance exists. The engineer will also determine whether a drainage pipe is needed and establish its required size and length.
Property owners will be responsible for the cost of constructing the entrance, including drainage structures, grading and surfacing, in accordance with county specifications. Owners or tenants will also be responsible for maintaining and repairing the driveway or field entrance, including promptly repairing ruts or deterioration and preventing mud, dirt, sediment, or other materials from entering the public roadway.
The county may enter an entrance located within the highway right-of-way and perform necessary maintenance to protect the highway if the entrance does not comply with the resolution. Those costs would be charged to the owner or tenant.
The minimum allowable pipe diameter is 12 inches. Pipe culverts must be new and made of concrete, steel or dual-walled plastic. The county will not place or maintain surfacing on entrances.
The requirements also apply to widening or moving existing driveways. Such work will require a new entrance permit.
The resolution gives the County Engineer sole discretion and judgment to approve or deny applications to construct or modify driveways.
For purposes of the resolution, “driveway” includes all access points to a field, lot, or farmstead.
