The standards in this section apply to all driveways in the Town's jurisdiction, except where specifically exempted by the text of this Ordinance. Lawfully-established driveways existing prior January 1, 2020, that do not conform to these standards shall be subject to the standards in Article 7: Nonconformities.
A. Purpose for These Standards. These driveway standards are intended to:
1. Ensure safe vehicular movements in the Town's jurisdiction;
2. Configure lot access in accordance with the Town's adopted policy guidance for roadway corridors;
3. Minimize conflicts between pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles;
4. Provide as much physical separation between street intersections and driveways serving individual land uses as is practicable;
5. Minimize individual access points to collector and arterial streets to the minimum necessary; and
6. Encourage shared access to individual lots.
B. Compliance with NCDOT Standards.
1. Driveways providing ingress or egress to a State-maintained street shall be placed and constructed in accordance with the "Policy on Street and Driveway Access to North Carolina Highways" adopted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), as amended.
2. All driveways connecting to State-maintained streets shall obtain driveway permit approval from NCDOT prior to the construction.
C. Compliance with Town Standards.
1. Driveways providing ingress or egress to a Town-maintained street shall be placed and constructed in accordance with the applicable Town standards.
2. All driveways connecting to Town-maintained streets shall obtain driveway permit approval from the Town prior to construction.
D. Driveway Configuration.
1. All driveways shall be constructed so that:
a. Vehicles can enter and exit from a lot without posing any substantial danger to themselves, pedestrians, bicycles, or vehicles traveling on abutting streets; and
b. Interference with the free and convenient flow of traffic on abutting or surrounding streets is minimized.
2. Driveway radii shall be designed in accordance with the Town specifications, and shall not extend beyond side lot lines.
3. No driveway serving an off-street parking area or providing on-site circulation is permitted within any required landscaping area, but driveways may be installed across these areas.
4. Driveways shall be as nearly perpendicular to the street right-of-way as possible (see Figure 5.1.6.D: Driveway Configuration).
5. Driveways shall line up with other driveways across the street, where practicable.
6. Driveways on corner lots shall provide access from the street with less traffic, to the maximum extent practicable.
E. Minimum Driveway Width and Depth.
1. Driveways shall be configured to extend into the lot they serve for a minimum distance in accordance with Table 5.1.6.E: Minimum Driveway Width and Depth.
Use Type | Minimum Driveway Width (Feet) [1] [2] | Minimum Driveway Depth (Feet) [3] |
Use Type | Minimum Driveway Width (Feet) [1] [2] | Minimum Driveway Depth (Feet) [3] |
Single-family detached and duplex development | 10 [4] | 25 |
Triplex and quadraplex development | 12 | Driveways serving individual units: 25 Driveways serving parking lots: [6] |
Single-family attached and multi-family development | One-way: 12 Two-way: 18 [5] | |
Mixed-use development | One-way: 12 Two-way: 24 [5] | [6] |
Nonresidential development | ||
NOTES: [1] Drive aisles shall comply with the standards in Section 9.3.11.F, Parking Space and Access Aisle Dimensions. [2] A wider driveway shall be provided when required by the Town's adopted Fire Code. [3] Measured from the edge of the right-of-way serving the driveway. In cases where the driveway is located within an access easement that crosses another lot, minimum driveway depth is measured from the edge of the lot line where the driveway is located. [4] Minimum width only applied to the area where minimum driveway depth standards are applied. [5] Travel lane widths on two-way driveways may differ when required by Town staff. [6] See Section 5.1.6.FMinimum Parking Lot Stem Length. | ||
2. The width of any driveway accessing a public street shall not exceed 36 feet at its intersection with the right-of-way, except as required by the NCDOT, the Town of Zebulon, or in an approved transportation impact analysis (see Section 6.13, Transportation Impact Analysis).
F. Minimum Parking Lot Stem Length.
1. Driveways serving off-street parking lots shall comply with the standards for minimum stem length in Table 5.1.6.F: Parking Lot Stem Length.
2. In no instance shall a parking lot be configured to allow access to an individual off-street parking space, drive aisle, or other vehicular accessway at a point closer to the street right-of-way than the minimum parking stem length (see Figure 5.1.6.F: Parking Lot Stem Length).
3. In cases where a development is subject to a transportation impact analysis, the parking lot stem length specified in the transportation impact analysis shall control.
4. Nothing shall limit a parking lot stem with a longer length than specified in this subsection.
Number of Provided Off-Street Parking Spaces in Parking Lot | Minimum Parking Lot Stem Length (Feet) [1][2] |
Number of Provided Off-Street Parking Spaces in Parking Lot | Minimum Parking Lot Stem Length (Feet) [1][2] |
10 or less | 25 |
11 to 51 | 50 |
51 to 100 | 75 |
101 to 200 | 100 |
201 to 250 | 150 |
251 or more | As determined by the TRC |
NOTES: [1] Measured from the edge of the right-of-way serving the parking lot stem. [2] The TRC may allow a reduced parking lot stem length based on site conditions, provided public safety can be maintained. | |
G. Required Driveway Spacing.
1. Spacing from Streets.
a. No portion of any driveway leading from a street shall be closer than 100 feet to the corner of any adjacent street intersection measured from the edge of the right-of-way.
b. On lots with less than 100 feet of lot width, the driveway shall be located as far as practicable from the adjacent street intersection.
2. Spacing from Other Driveways.
a. Certain Residential Uses.
i. Except when configured as paired driveways, driveways serving individual single-family detached dwellings, individual single-family attached dwellings, duplex, triplex, or quadriplex buildings shall be located at least 20 linear feet from any other driveway on the same or different lot.
ii. For the purposes of this section, paired driveways are up to two driveways, whether on the same or different lots, where one side of a driveway is within five feet of the side of the other driveway.
b. All Other Uses. No two driveway access points, whether on the same or different lots, shall be located within 50 feet of each other, to the maximum extent practicable.
H. Driveway Surfacing. New driveways established after January 1, 2020, that abut a paved street shall be surfaced with asphalt, pavers, or six inches of concrete. Single- family detached dwellings and duplex dwellings on lots of 21,780 square feet or more may be served by a gravel driveway.
I. Driveways on Collector Streets Prohibited. Driveways on Town-maintained collector and arterial streets are prohibited.
(Ord. 2020-36, passed 12-2-2019)