What Is a Driveway Apron?
A driveway apron is the section where a driveway meets the street. Where that street is a state highway, the connection is regulated: New Jersey property owners seeking access to a state road apply to NJDOT, and in Pennsylvania a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit covers installing, altering or removing a driveway that connects to a state highway.
Where the apron is
The apron is the stretch of driveway at the street, where the driveway connects to the road. Because it sits at that connection, it is the part of a driveway most likely to fall under road-owner rules.
New Jersey state highways
The New Jersey Department of Transportation says property owners seeking traffic access to state roadways must submit applications for access to NJDOT, under the State Highway Access Management Code. It classifies applications with fewer than 500 daily trips as minor.
Pennsylvania state highways
PennDOT issues Highway Occupancy Permits for, in its words, installing, altering or removing driveways or streets connecting to the highway, and says it regulates the design, construction, drainage and maintenance of accesses within the state highway right-of-way.
Town and county roads
If the driveway meets a municipal or county road, the rules come from that road's owner. Ask the town or county engineering office whether work on the apron needs a permit before it is replaced.
Keep reading
Sources
- New Jersey Department of Transportation, Access Management and the State Highway Access Management Code
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Apply for a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit
Frequently Asked Questions
NJDOT says property owners seeking traffic access to state roadways must submit an access application to NJDOT under the State Highway Access Management Code.
PennDOT issues Highway Occupancy Permits for installing, altering or removing driveways that connect to state highways.