VDOT entrance permit
A VDOT entrance permit is the land use permit the Virginia Department of Transportation issues before a driveway or street may be built to connect with a state highway. It is written for a private, low volume commercial or commercial entrance, and it grants only the rights VDOT itself holds in the right-of-way.
Private, low volume commercial or commercial, sorted by what the drive serves
Every entrance permit is written in one of three classes, and the class is set by what the entrance serves, not by how wide or how paved the driveway is.
VDOT's Access Management Regulations start with the word itself. An entrance "means any driveway, street, or other means of providing for movement of vehicles to or from the highway." A farm lane counts. So does a subdivision street where it meets the state road.
| Class | What it serves |
|---|---|
| Private entrance | Up to two private residences, for the exclusive benefit of the occupants; or agricultural operations reaching fields; or a civil or communication infrastructure facility generating 10 or fewer trips per day |
| Low volume commercial entrance | Any entrance other than a private entrance that serves five or fewer individual residences or lots for individual residences on a privately owned and maintained road, or land uses generating 50 or fewer vehicular trips per day |
| Commercial entrance | Land uses generating more than 50 vehicular trips per day, or the trip generation equivalent of more than five individual private residences or lots |
The word commercial in the two higher classes is not about business: a private road serving a few homes can meet the state road as a low volume commercial entrance, as the question below and whether two parcels can share a driveway set out. For land meant for a business use, the class turns on vehicular trips per day, which is part of the reasoning in how far from an interstate exit ground still works as commercial ground.
Issued through the district's designee, before the entrance is built
The permit comes from VDOT's district, through the designee for the county where the work will happen, and it comes first.
The regulations authorize VDOT's district administrators or their designees to issue private and commercial entrance permits, and applications are obtained from and submitted to the designee for the county where the work is to be performed. Which residency takes each county here is listed on the six counties and Galax page.
Under 24VAC30-73-60 nothing goes into the right-of-way until VDOT has approved the location and issued the permit, and VDOT may block, obstruct or remove an entrance built without one. A permanent upgrade to an existing entrance needs a single use permit of its own as well.
The permit only matters where the road is VDOT's. Whether a given road is in the state system is its own question, worked through in how to know if a road is state maintained. Appendix F of VDOT's Road Design Manual also leaves cities outside its access management standards unless a city chooses to apply them. VDOT lists Galax among the cities in its Salem District, and who handles streets inside the city is set out on the Galax VA real estate page.
The county building office asks to see it first
A landowner often meets the entrance permit first as a line on a county building permit checklist, not as a VDOT form.
Wythe, Grayson and Carroll each put the VDOT entrance permit into their building permit paperwork, each with a qualifier of its own: Wythe's reaches a new driveway cut off a state-maintained road, Grayson's a new drive connection to a Virginia secondary highway, and Carroll's access from VDOT-regulated roads, with evidence of every involved agency's approval before a building permit issues. How those qualifiers apply to one driveway, and how the application goes, is covered in whether you need a VDOT permit for a driveway.
A permit carries VDOT's rights at the road edge and no one else's
An entrance permit is often mistaken for proof of access. The Land Use Permit Regulations close that door in two sentences.
A permit grants the permittee only those rights set forth in the permit and only to the extent of whatever rights VDOT has in the right-of-way. The permittee is responsible for obtaining permission from others who may also have an interest in the property or right-of-way and for satisfying all other applicable legal requirements
24VAC30-151-20
Location is VDOT's call as well. The regulations say VDOT will permit reasonably convenient access to a parcel of record but is not obligated to approve the applicant's preferred entrance location or design. For a private entrance, sight distance decides where on the frontage the entrance goes rather than whether it is allowed, as what VDOT considers a safe entrance sets out.
Is an entrance permit part of the parcel you are selling?
Before a parcel that needs a new entrance goes on the market, send the address and any permit or plat. Lowell will sort out where the entrance question sits and which VDOT residency answers it. No cost, no obligation.
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Questions about this term
What can an owner do if VDOT denies an entrance permit or attaches conditions the owner disputes?
The regulations provide a written appeal. Under 24VAC30-73-50, an applicant may appeal a denial, a revocation or contested permit conditions to the district administrator, and the appeal must be received within 30 calendar days of receiving the written notice. The district administrator's decision can be appealed to the commissioner within 30 calendar days of receiving written notice of that decision.
Which entrance class covers a private road serving three or four houses?
A low volume commercial entrance. A private entrance serves up to two private residences. An entrance other than a private one that serves five or fewer individual residences or lots on a privately owned and maintained road falls in the low volume commercial class, even though no business is involved. The VDOT residency confirms the class for a particular entrance.
Where this page's facts come from
Every rule, office and figure above traces to one of these. Rules change; check the office before you act on one.
- 24VAC30-73-10: Access Management Regulations, definitions Virginia Administrative Code
- 24VAC30-73-20: authority to issue entrance permits Virginia Administrative Code
- 24VAC30-73-40: entrance permit applications Virginia Administrative Code
- 24VAC30-73-50: appeals Virginia Administrative Code
- 24VAC30-73-60: entrance permit requirements and location Virginia Administrative Code
- 24VAC30-151-20: Land Use Permit Regulations, general provisions Virginia Administrative Code
- 24VAC30-151-30: when a single use permit is required Virginia Administrative Code
- Road Design Manual Appendix F: Access Management Design Standards for Entrances and Intersections (PDF) VDOT
- Building Permit Requirements Wythe County
- Building permit application submission requirements, revised 10/25/2021 (PDF) Grayson County
- Building Official cover sheet for a new dwelling (PDF) Carroll County