Livonia, MI Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Section 9.10 of the Livonia Zoning Ordinance, Surfacing and Drainage, sets the baseline standard for every parking area and driveway subject to the ordinance: unless the City Council grants a waiver, the surface must be hard-surfaced no matter how small the area is. The pavement type and thickness are not left to the property owner. The City Engineer must approve both before construction begins, weighing soil conditions and expected traffic loads for that specific site, which in practice means an unpaved gravel or dirt driveway or parking pad does not meet the ordinance absent a Council-approved waiver.

The same section folds in stormwater control. Runoff created by improving a parking area must be managed so it does not drain onto neighboring properties, and developers are directed to consider permeable or pervious pavement where feasible to cut down that runoff. Site grading and stormwater provisions require sign-off from the City Engineer or Wayne County before site construction starts, and improved parking areas may be folded into a project's broader stormwater management plan.

Section 9.10(3) adds an ongoing maintenance duty: every off-street parking area must be kept in satisfactory condition at all times so it stays safe, attractive and free of hazards or nuisances, a standard the Inspection Department can enforce well after the original certificate of occupancy is issued. A related curb standard in Section 9.11 requires concrete curbs around most parking areas, with an exception for areas serving single- and two-family dwellings, and requires a curb at least six inches high wherever a lot abuts a public sidewalk so a vehicle cannot park within two feet of it.