Haverhill, MA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Haverhill's zoning ordinance regulates driveways as tightly as buildings. For one-, two- or three-family homes, § 6.1.11(3) confines front-yard parking to the driveway itself or a backup strip next to it, and caps all paved area in the front yard, including the driveway, at 50% of that yard's total area. The design standards in § 6.1.12 add more limits: an entrance or exit driveway can't exceed 30 feet in width where it meets the front lot line, and two driveways serving the same lot must stay at least 30 feet apart at that same front lot line.

Section 6.1.12 also requires any driveway entrance or exit to sit at least 50 feet from the curbline of an intersecting street, and bars backing directly onto any street except for single- and two-family homes. Shared driveways get their own rule: § 6.1.14 limits a single driveway to serving no more than two residential dwellings, and if it serves more than one dwelling, it cannot run longer than 200 feet. These standards were amended March 18, 2025 under Doc. 2-B. As with other parking requirements, § 6.1.15 lets the SPGA, or the Zoning Board of Appeals where no special permit already applies, waive any of these driveway rules by special permit if the waiver won't cause substantial detriment.