Franklin County, NC Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Franklin County's Unified Development Code caps impervious driveway and parking coverage in the front yard under UDC section 5.3.4.A.2.c: for front-loaded single-family detached homes and duplexes, impervious surface tied to parking, pedestrian access, service areas and driveways cannot occupy more than 40% of the required front yard. A more generous limit applies to front-loaded townhomes and multifamily buildings under section 5.3.4.A.6.c, which allows up to 60% of the front yard, measured in aggregate for the whole structure and lot. For two-family dwellings sharing a common driveway, section 5.3.4.A.3.a requires the shared drive to keep a standard driveway width until it crosses the property line, where it may then flare out or diverge to serve each unit; duplexes that instead use separate driveways must place them close together, with an optional planting strip between three and six feet wide.

Compliance is checked at the site plan and building permit stage by the Planning and Inspections Department. A driveway or parking area that exceeds the 40% cap, or a duplex access configuration that does not meet section 5.3.4.A.3.a, is a violation of the Ordinance investigated under UDC section 3.3.1, with a written notice of violation and correction order issued under sections 3.3.2 and 3.3.3, appealable to the Board of Adjustment under section 3.3.4. Uncorrected violations can draw a civil penalty of up to $500.00 under section 3.4.2.C, with each day counted separately, or prosecution as a Class 3 misdemeanor with a $500.00 maximum fine under section 3.4.2.D and G.S. section 14-4.