Guilford County, NC Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDO Sec. 6.1.I.4.a
- Required surface
- Concrete, asphalt, or hardened dustless material
- Residential exemption
- 6 or fewer required spaces
- Exempt-use access drives
- Still paved 10 ft past right-of-way
- First civil penalty
- $50, rising to $500 by 4th offense
- Enforcement authority
- Planning & Development Enforcement Officer
Summary
Guilford County requires parking spaces, access drives and loading areas to be paved with concrete, asphalt or a similar hardened dustless surface, not gravel, under UDO Section 6.1.I.4.a, but residential driveways serving six or fewer required parking spaces are exempt from the paving mandate entirely.
a. Paving
(1) Required parking spaces, access drives, and loading areas shall be paved and maintained with concrete, asphalt, or similar hardened dustless materials (not gravel) of sufficient thickness and consistency to support anticipated traffic volumes and weights. ... (3) Paving shall not be required for: (i) Parking facilities used on an irregular basis for churches, private clubs or other similar nonprofit organizations. (ii) Parking facilities for residential uses where six (6) or fewer spaces are required. ... (iv) Parking areas in the Heavy Industrial (HI) District or manufacturing and industrial uses in the Light Industrial (LI) District, provided they are constructed with an all-weather surface.
Full Breakdown
4). Any required parking space, access drive or loading area must be built and kept up with concrete, asphalt, or another hardened dustless material of enough thickness to carry expected traffic, specifically ruling out bare gravel. Even where a use is exempt from paving, the access drive serving it must still be paved from the curb line to a point at least ten feet beyond the public right-of-way, so gravel does not track onto county roads. 5 spaces per unit), agricultural parking in the AG district, and parking in the Heavy or Light Industrial districts and for tracked construction equipment if built to an all-weather standard.
Paved lots must also add curb and gutter or an equivalent drainage system unless the Planning and Development Director finds it impractical for stormwater purposes, be graded to control dust and erosion, mark spaces with paint, bumper guards or curbs, install wheel guards so no vehicle overhangs the property line by more than two feet into a planting area, and keep walkways at least four feet wide.
Violations & Fines
A driveway or lot built or resurfaced without required paving is a UDO violation handled by the Enforcement Officer under Sections 10.04 through 10.06: civil penalties start at $50 for a first offense, then $100, $200 and $500 for a fourth and each later offense, and unpaid penalties can be pursued as a civil debt. Uncorrected violations can also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4, punishable by up to a $500 fine or 30 days in jail, and can block issuance of other permits until fixed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my single-family driveway have to be paved in unincorporated Guilford County?
Can I use gravel for a farm parking area?
If my use is exempt, can the whole driveway stay gravel?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Guilford County
Compare Guilford County to another location·View the North Carolina parking rules overview
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