State guides · Pennsylvania · PennDOT HOP
PennDOT driveway permit: is your road a state road?
A driveway onto a state road needs a PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP). Type an address to see whether the road out front is PennDOT’s, which State Route and district it is, and what the permit takes under the rules PennDOT updated on Oct. 31, 2026.
Road ownership comes live from PennDOT’s road data. A pin can land on the wrong side of a corner lot, so check the road your driveway will connect to. This is planning information, not a permit decision; PennDOT or your municipality has the final word. Your address is not saved.
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Address search by OpenStreetMap Nominatim (data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Road data: PennDOT state road segments and PennDOT local roads. Standing at the end of the driveway? Use my location gives the best match.
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Planning information only. Confirm with PennDOT or your municipality before you dig, and call 811.
When you need a PennDOT permit
Building a new driveway or changing an existing one inside the state highway right-of-way, or altering or tying into a PennDOT drainage pipe, inlet or ditch.
Maintenance. PennDOT says repaving a driveway is often maintenance only and needs just proper traffic control, but ask your district first.
Township, borough and city streets. Your municipality may have its own driveway permit; find the office with our building permit lookup.
Rule: 67 Pa. Code § 441.3(a), as amended Oct. 31, 2026. Maintenance and paving: PennDOT HOP FAQ.
Driveway types and fees
| Type | Traffic | Issue fee | Inspection fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum use (most homes) | 25 vehicles a day or fewer | $15 | $10 |
| Low volume | More than 25, under 750 a day | $30 | $20 |
| Medium volume | More than 750, under 1,500 a day | $40 | $35 |
| High volume | More than 1,500 a day | $50 | $50 |
Types from 67 Pa. Code § 441.1; fees from § 441.4, unchanged by the 2026 amendment. A time extension or change is $10, and PennDOT can add inspection fees on bigger jobs.
How to apply
- Apply through PennDOT’s ePermitting System (EPS). Paper is accepted only at PennDOT’s discretion.
- The applicant is the owner, or someone under a sales agreement or option to buy; an agent needs written authorization.
- Include plans, the fee and proof of ownership, such as the deed or sales agreement.
- Submit at least 30 days before you plan to start work.
- Doing one driveway? Ask for a Single-User ePermitting ID instead of a business account.
- The minimum use form is M-950A; other driveways use M-945A.
- PennDOT has 60 days to review and aims for 30.
- If part of a lane has to close during the work, include a traffic control plan.
From the Oct. 31, 2026 Chapter 441 amendment (56 Pa.B. 7042), PennDOT’s HOP page and Publication 312.
Building it right
Don’t change the existing drainage pattern or send more water onto the highway. Where there’s a ditch or swale, put a pipe under the driveway as the permit allows; PennDOT’s guide calls for at least 15 inches in diameter.
On a curbed highway, set the driveway apron 1½ inches above the gutter grade so water stays in the gutter.
PennDOT measures it from 10 feet back from the edge of pavement at a 3½-foot eye height. Brush, signs and walls near the entrance can block it.
From PennDOT Publication 312, Guide for Obtaining Minimum Use Driveway Permits. The 2026 amendment moved detailed design standards into PennDOT’s HOP Operations Manual (Publication 282), so your permit may set different terms.
Who to call
District 2-0, Clearfield: Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin and Potter counties.
District 3-0, Montoursville: Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.
PennDOT lists each district’s permit contacts on its HOP page. A driveway that crosses a creek also falls under DEP Chapter 105, and one in a floodplain needs your town’s floodplain permit; check the flood zone lookup.
Questions
Do I need a PennDOT permit for my driveway?
If the property fronts a state road and you build a new driveway or change an existing one inside the state highway right-of-way, yes. Under 67 Pa. Code § 441.3(a), as amended Oct. 31, 2026, no access may be built or altered in state right-of-way, and no PennDOT drainage facility altered or connected to, without a PennDOT permit. Maintenance doesn’t need one.
Do I need a permit to pave my driveway on a state road?
Often not. PennDOT says that in many cases paving a driveway is maintenance only, and you just need proper traffic control to do the work. It also says to contact PennDOT to confirm for your project.
How much does a PennDOT driveway permit cost?
For a minimum use driveway, such as a single home, it is $15 to issue plus a $10 inspection fee, $25 total. Low volume driveways are $30 plus $20, medium volume $40 plus $35 and high volume $50 plus $50 (67 Pa. Code § 441.4). PennDOT can charge extra inspection fees on bigger jobs.
How long does a highway occupancy permit take?
PennDOT has 60 days to review an application and aims to finish in 30. The amended rule says to submit at least 30 days before you plan to start work, and PennDOT asks that driveway applications go in before you build the house the driveway will serve.
How can I tell if my road is a state road?
Use the lookup above. On the road itself, PennDOT posts small white rectangular signs with black letters showing the State Route number and segment along its routes. Four-digit State Route numbers are often not on any other sign.
What size pipe goes under a driveway on a state road?
Where there is a ditch or swale, the driveway needs a pipe as the permit authorizes. PennDOT’s minimum use driveway guide says pipe under driveways must be at least 15 inches in diameter. You can’t change the existing drainage pattern or send more water onto the highway.
What happens if a driveway was built without a permit?
PennDOT can block the access or remove drainage built without a permit. Under the Oct. 31, 2026 amendment, if PennDOT finds an unpermitted access is a threat to public safety and the owner doesn’t remove it after notice, PennDOT can remove it and restore the right-of-way at the owner’s cost (67 Pa. Code § 441.10).
Sources: 67 Pa. Code Ch. 441 amendment, 56 Pa.B. 7042, Oct. 31, 2026 (permit rule § 441.3, EPS, 30 days, ownership; enforcement § 441.10); 67 Pa. Code Ch. 441 (driveway definitions § 441.1); § 441.4 (fees); PennDOT, Apply for a Highway Occupancy Permit (EPS, single-user ID, forms, 60-day review, paving as maintenance); PennDOT Publication 312 (15-inch pipe, drainage, curbed approaches, sight distance, districts); PennDOT Minimum Use Driveway Fact Sheet; PennDOT regional office FAQ (State Route signs); PennDOT state road segments (RMS open data); PennDOT local roads layer. Checked Nov. 12, 2026.
Muthler Landscaping & Construction · Lock Haven, PA
New driveway or entrance?
We excavate and build driveways, install driveway pipe and stone, and grade the entrance across Clinton, Centre, Lycoming and Union counties. On a state road, we build to the approved PennDOT permit.
Get a quoteDriveway cost calculatorMore Pennsylvania rules: Pennsylvania state guide · Building permit lookup · Stream and creek permits
Muthler Landscaping & Construction LLC · 913 Bellefonte Ave, Lock Haven, PA 17745 · (570) 397-9800 · PA HIC #PA212584.
Using this guide? Link to it or cite it. It's free to use with a link back, and we keep it updated against official sources.
Cite as: Muthler Landscaping & Construction, “PennDOT Driveway Permit (HOP): Is My Road a State Road?,” https://muthlerlandscaping.com/state-guides/pennsylvania/penndot-driveway-permit/ (last checked November 14, 2026).
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