§ 12.04.500. Drive and utility permits.

A.

A driveway or road right-of-way cut permit is required prior to the issuance of a building permit. This includes all properties described by metes and bounds description, whether residential or commercial, and all building lots in recorded platted subdivision, industrial parks, etc. as each individual lot is developed. The issuance of this permit on a public record is conditional upon a cut approval to be conducted by a representative of the Porter County highway engineering department. This permit will be issued by the Porter County highway engineering department for a lump sum fee, which is set depending upon particular circumstances set forth in the permit. The base fee will be one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for a residential construction; one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) for commercial use; forty dollars ($40.00) for a farm field entrance; forty dollars ($40.00) for a secondary residential drive; forty dollars ($40.00) for the alteration of a driveway cut on a public road; and for utility service there will be a fifty dollar ($50.00) fee for the first quarter (¼) mile and a twenty five dollar ($25.00) fee for each quarter (¼) miles thereafter, with an additional fee to cross or intersect a county road in the amount of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a bore. The Porter County board of commissioners may waive or adjust at its discretion a fee for the specific reason or reasons set forth in elsewhere in this chapter.

B.

A driveway permit may be denied at the discretion of the Porter County board of commissioners if a determination is made that the public road to be accessed is not passable by emergency vehicles. The road permit will be granted if the county road is upgraded to the extent necessary to assure safe passage by emergency vehicles. The cost of the upgrade of the county is a cost that must be incurred by the applicant.

C.

Any driveway installed must be constructed in such a manner as to provide for reasonable emergency vehicles access to the property located there.

(Ord. No. 13-14, 11-19-20013; Ord. 90-3, § 7(C))