Driveway Inspections

Driveway Construction

After you have received the appropriate City of Asheville driveway permit, you may begin construction of the driveway. There are two different driveway construction criteria that are dependent on what type of use that the driveway will serve.

For driveways to serve single family units, the driveway must be built in accordance with one of the two following designs:

• 6 inches of 4000 psi concrete on top of 6 inches of 100% compacted CABC stone base, or
• 2 inches of Type II asphalt on top of 6 inches of 100% compacted CABC stone base.

For driveways to serve multi-family or commercial units, the driveway must be built in accordance with one of the two following designs:

• 8 inches of 4000 psi concrete on top of 6 inches of 100% compacted CABC stone base, or
• 2 inches of Type II asphalt above 2 inch binder course on top of 6 inches of 100% compacted CABC stone base.

If the roadway has curb and gutter and/or sidewalk, both types of driveway apron must be concrete. All driveways may transition to other materials 10 feet from the roadway edge.

Alternate materials may be approved for driveway construction on a case by case basis.Some commercial driveways, depending on their use and volumes, may be constructed with a radius that resembles the type of street curbing that is to be cut. Approval of these types of driveways must be granted by the City of Asheville Traffic Engineer prior to installation.

Additional standards and detail drawings for installing a driveway are included in Section 3.00, Streets (requires Adobe Reader), of the City of Asheville Standard Details and Specifications Manual. You may also reference the Unified Development Ordinance (Part II, Chapter 7, Article V, Section 7-5-17) for further requirements. 

Driveway Inspection

Once construction begins, the Stormwater Services construction inspectors will inspect the driveway in different phases. For concrete driveways:

1. Inspection of the compacted stone base and concrete forms prior to pouring the concrete.
2. Re-inspection of the compacted stone base and concrete forms (if required).
3. Final inspection after the concrete is poured, has cured for ten days and concrete forms removed.

And for asphalt driveways:

1. Inspection of the compacted stone base.
2. Re-inspection of the compacted stone base (if required).
3. Final inspection after the asphalt overlay.

For new development, once the final inspection is complete, the inspector will notify the Development Services Center that the driveway installation is complete.The driveway must be completed before final utilities or a certificate of occupancy can be issued.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the following documents:

Section 3.00, Streets

Contact Information

Inspection requests
Stormwater Services Division
Physical Address:  Public Works Building, 161 South Charlotte Street
Mailing Address:  P. O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802

7:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday
Office: (828) 232-4567
E-mail:  stormwater@ashevillenc.gov