Porter County, IN Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

35, PK-01: Parking; General, within Chapter 5's Zoning District Development Standards. Subsection A requires every off-street parking area to use a paved surface, meaning concrete, asphalt or brick pavers; gravel, crushed stone, dirt, sand and grass are all explicitly disqualified, with a narrow exception in § PK-04(A)(11) for permitted parking pavers. Subsection B extends the paving requirement to the driveway apron itself, the ingress and egress point connecting the parking area to the street, so an owner cannot pave only the parking pad and leave a gravel driveway.

Subsection C bars parking a vehicle on a lawn or any other pervious-surfaced part of the lot, closing the loophole of simply pulling onto the grass beside a paved drive. 35(D) lets a legally established gravel, stone or rock parking area expand once, by up to ten percent of its existing size, but only after the owner obtains Site Plan review and approval from the Plan Commission Office. 35(G). All of these standards, part of the ordinance in force since June 15, 2007, are administered by the Porter County Plan Commission through its Site Plan and Improvement Location Permit review.