(a) Waste soil. Waste soil from county road maintenance operations may be deposited on private property subject to the following conditions:
(1) Each maintenance camp must build and maintain a stockpile of at least 500 cubic yards of soil before giving any away.
(2) An actual savings to the county must be involved in giving the soil away (example: no savings is achieved by giving away soil when the truck is headed for the maintenance camp such as with the last load from a day’s work).
(3) The soil must be requested in writing by the property owner who must also hold the county harmless in connection with depositing the soil on his property. The property owner must sign an agreement not to resell the soil.
(4) The soil may be dumped only. No spreading, leveling or other work is allowed.
(5) Absolutely no payment for waste soil may be accepted by any county employee, official or agent.
(b) Gravel. County crews may place gravel on a county road from its beginning to the last residence served by the road; however, county crews may not improve or widen a road unless criteria set forth in subsection 18-32(d)(2) have been met. Beyond the last residence, the existing surface may be maintained by scraping but no sand, gravel or cinders will be added at county expense, except as provided for hereinafter. County crews may place gravel purchased by others on a county road that does not meet the above criteria. If a cul-de-sac is within 100 feet of the last residence, the 100 feet of road and cul-de-sac may be graveled. Additionally, gravel may be placed on a county road to a house or business that is under construction after the floor slab is complete or the floor framing begins. Such gravel placed during construction may be maintained as long as construction on the structure is progressing at an acceptable rate.
(c) Through roads serving no homes. The placement of gravel on through roads may be approved by the director of public services, provided the following criteria are met:
(1) The length of the gravel improvement should not exceed 50% of the road length between the terminal intersections of the road segment under consideration; and
(2) When a road is maintained as a passable dirt surface, an average traffic count must exceed 15 vehicles per day.
(d) Road improvements. A county road may be improved according to the following guidelines:
(1) A road may be improved for 1-way traffic (average 10 to 15 feet wide) in dry weather to unimproved property provided the property owner submits to the county a written request and a copy of his/her new home building permit or mobile home permit, or for roads previously improved, if the purpose of the improvement is to continue access to property used for fruit or vegetable cultivation; but no sand, stone, or drainage facilities will be placed thereon.
(2) A road may be improved to full width to a residence by the most economical route, provided that 3 residences must exist on the section to be improved, with a maximum [minimum] density of 1 residence per 1,500 feet. Density is to be determined by dividing the number of residences on the section to be improved by the length of the same section. Houses at the intersection of paved roads or with driveways to paved roads do not count toward the 3 required.
(e) Roadside ditches. The county will install culverts and storm drainage system in lieu of roadside ditches if required to provide adequate protection for a county road or bridge. The piping of roadside ditches by property owners requires an encroachment permit. All materials and methods of installation shall conform to the state highway department “Standard Specifications for Highway Construction,” latest edition. The sizes of all structures and culverts shall be approved by the county engineering department. All costs associated with the piping of roadside ditches shall be borne by the permittee. All maintenance associated with culvert, inlets, etc., installed in roadside ditches, shall be the responsibility of the property owner, his heirs or assigns.
(f) Driveway entrances.
(1) The county, on county roads, may provide and install private residential driveway entrances and any related culverts to facilitate proper roadway drainage, subject to the following conditions:
a. The county will provide and install not more than 20 lineal feet of drainage culvert for a private residential driveway entrance up to a maximum diameter of 36 inches or the equivalent thereof. Where additional pipe lengths are provided by the property owner on site at the time of the driveway installation, the county will install not more than an additional 10 lineal feet of driveway pipe per entrance. The installation of culverts under driveways will be made only if it is essential to the drainage pattern of the area.
b. Driveways and/or culverts may be installed only for the purpose of providing a single access to an individual parcel of land as shown on the Greenville County tax maps.
c. For properties which front on a state and/or municipal and county roads, no culverts or driveways shall be furnished if access is already provided by a driveway entrance to the property from a state or municipal road.
d. Prior to providing and installing private residential driveway entrances and/or related drainage culverts, the county will require the purchase of a building permit, mobile home permit, or other suitable construction permit indicating plans for a taxable real property improvement, a $100 liquidated damages deposit, returnable upon compliance with this subsection 18-32(f), and an agreement by the property owner or requesting that if the improvements are not initiated within 1 year that he will be liable to the county for the direct and indirect costs of providing a driveway entrance and any related drainage culvert, plus an additional $100 penalty, court costs, and attorney fees for collection of the damages as is necessary. Additionally, all costs and penalties for violating subsection 18-32(f) shall act as a lien against the property of the owner until payment thereof.
e. The county shall not be responsible for providing a second driveway entrance to any property unless the property owner or requesting party can present evidence to the satisfaction of the county in the form of encroachment permits, invoices for services rendered, and/or receipts for materials purchased that the initial driveway entrance was not only installed at the property owner’s expense, but also in accordance with county policy.
(2) The following situations shall require the property owner to secure an encroachment permit for and bear all expenses related to the installation of driveway entrances and/or related drainage culverts:
a. Where the county road and bridge department determines that the appropriate culvert size for a driveway installation exceeds 36 inches in diameter; or
b. When driveway entrances are required to provide access to vacant lots; or
c. Where the connection of private roads and the installation of related drainage culverts is required. Private roads shall mean those roads servicing 2 or more properties.
The responsibility for maintenance, repair and/or replacement of driveway entrances, related drainage culverts, inlets and appurtenances requiring an encroachment permit shall be that of the property owner on whose behalf such encroachment exists. Any and all work related to driveway entrances on county road rights-of-way shall fully comply with the requirements of the latest edition of the Encroachment Permit Policy of the County of Greenville.
(3) Where both the driveway and county road are paved, the driveway apron may be paved by the county with asphalt (limit 2 driveways per parcel at 20 feet wide each). Asphalt driveway aprons may be installed from paved roads to unpaved roads or driveways only when necessary to protect the edge of the road or control drainage. All work must be within county rights-of-way.
(4) Where drainage culverts are placed in roadside ditches, a catch basin or manhole will be placed at intervals not greater than 100 feet. Exceptions to this policy may be granted by the director of public services upon review of the site’s specific conditions and the diameter of the pipe proposed for the installation.
(5) No pipe may be furnished, installed, or maintained on private roads. Roads being constructed for dedication to the county shall be deemed to be private roads prior to final acceptance by the county.
(g) Dirt road paving. Paving a county dirt road may be recommended by the road and bridge department to county council provided the road meets the following conditions:
(1) The road must have served 3 residences for a minimum of 2 years, but this requirement shall not apply if all materials are supplied at no cost to the county. (Summer homes and houses at the intersection of paved roads and dirt roads do not count toward the required 3).
(2) When special circumstances exist, county council may approve and fund the paving of a county dirt road that does not meet the above requirements.
(h) Resurfacing. The road and bridge department shall prepare and submit to council annually a proposed resurfacing program. The roads in the program shall be presented to county council in the order of their priority based upon their structural condition and use. All resurfacing that is more than 500 feet in length or 25% of the length of a road is subject to this requirement.
(i) Extending existing paving. The road and bridge department may extend the paving on an existing paved county road no more than the length required to serve an occupied residence, and in no case more than 500 feet. This work may be performed as a maintenance item. County council approval for each road shall not be required.
(1976 Code, § 18-32) (Ord. 1222, § 3, passed 2-21-1984; Ord. 1244, § 1, passed 4-17-1984; Ord. 1391, § 1, passed 4-23-1985; Ord. 1471, § 1, passed 11-19-1985; Ord. 1730, § 2, passed 9-1-1987; Ord. 1803, §§ 1, 2, passed 2-16-1988; Ord. 1903, § 1, passed 11-1-1988; Ord. 2010, § 1, passed 7-18-1989; Ord. 2181, § 3, passed 11-6-1990; Ord. 2362, § 2, passed 4-21-1992; Ord. 2418, § 2, passed 11-30-1992; Ord. 2495, § 1, passed 11-11-1993; Ord. 3080-A, § 1, passed 3-3-1998; Ord. 3308, § 1, passed 11-16-1999)