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

Franklin County's off-street parking chapter sets a two-tier surfacing standard. Section 17.78.090(A)(1) requires customer and client parking, and any parking area between the right-of-way line and the front of a building, to be paved with asphalt or portland cement concrete; areas out of public view, like employee or service-vehicle parking behind the front-yard setback, are exempt and can stay unpaved. Section 17.78.090(A)(2) allows the rest of a lot's parking, the areas that do not require hard surfacing, to be gravel, but only gravel laid on a stable substrate, not bare dirt.

The rule that stops a gravel driveway from meeting the street is Section 17.78.090(A)(3): no gravel parking lot or driveway may abut the public street right-of-way, and every driveway must be paved for five feet on each side of the driveway opening, extending twenty feet back from the right-of-way line, regardless of what surface covers the rest of the driveway. For single-family lots specifically, Section 17.78.030(D) goes further and requires all parking areas and driveways within the front yard to be hard surfaced, and caps front-yard parking for five or more cars. Drainage from any parking lot must be contained on-site and designed to accepted engineering standards under Section 17.78.090(B), tying the surfacing rule to the same on-site stormwater retention duty that governs the rest of Title 17. A site plan showing the surfacing, grading and drainage design must be submitted and approved before construction, per Section 17.78.080.