Houston's driveway permit

The residential permit covers building a new driveway or sidewalk, removing and replacing an existing driveway, sidewalk or curb and gutter, and extending a driveway.¹ The commercial version, HPWOCE1012, needs a bond and may need Urban Forestry approval first.²

A driveway onto a freeway, highway, frontage road, tollway or farm-to-market road isn't the city's to permit. It needs approval from the agency that runs that road.³

The city's Infrastructure Design Manual sets the rules, and its 2026 edition took effect on March 2, 2026.⁴ A driveway for a single-family house or a duplex is a Type A driveway.⁵

A joint access driveway serving two lots must be at least 12 feet wide.⁶ On a narrow lot with its own driveway, 12 feet is the most allowed.⁷

For a Type A driveway, the manual sets these minimum distances:⁸

• 20 feet from an adjacent street's right-of-way;
• 20 feet between two driveways on the same property, or 10 feet between a pair of one-way driveways;
• 4 feet from the side property line.

A property can have at most two driveways, unless chapter 42 of the city code says otherwise, and the radius can't reach past the property line or into the street's or another driveway's curb radius.⁸ No driveway is allowed within the limits of an intersection, and a Type A driveway has to stay straight, the same width and unobstructed from the roadway to the property line.⁷ A driveway can't be built onto a local street where there's less than 20 feet of clear depth between the right-of-way and any obstruction.⁹

On a street with open ditches, every driveway crossing gets a culvert at least 24 inches across inside,¹⁰ and never narrower than the nearest culvert upstream.⁹ PVC isn't allowed for driveway culverts. High density polyethylene is allowed for single-family culverts only, and polypropylene and reinforced concrete are allowed too.¹¹

The application, form CE1023, is filed by the owner or the contractor. It asks for the project number, each driveway's width and length, the surface material, the cost of the work and a sidewalk, driveway, curb and gutter bond number. Whoever signs it certifies having a contract to do the work.⁹

For the residential permit you need the application with a project number, two dimensioned site plans and a copy of the survey. Plan review is required. Plans go in through ProjectDox, or in person on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8am to 4pm. The page lists a processing time of 1 business day. The permit is valid for one year, and any change to it needs a revision.¹

Before you book an inspection you need the permit and the traffic-approved stamped plans, the fee paid and the bond current. The culvert must be in and the driveway and sidewalk fully formed. The work is inspected before and after the concrete is poured, and it has to match the approved traffic-stamped site plan. Book through the city's online permits site or at 832.394.9496. Inspections are for the next business day, with no same-day slots, and repeated failures bring a re-inspection fee plus an administrative fee.¹

The permit fee is set in the City of Houston fee schedule, under Building Code - Traffic. The Permit Office, which handles payment and bonds, is at 832.394.8899 or 832.394.9494.¹