New residential or commercial driveways that cross a Portland sidewalk or curb require a curb-cut permit from the Portland Department of Public Works. The Eastern Promenade between Atlantic Street and North Street has a special 13-foot maximum curb-cut limit, and Portland is an Urban Compact municipality so the city — not MaineDOT — issues local-road driveway permits.
Curb cuts and driveway aprons in the public right-of-way are regulated under Portland Code of Ordinances Chapter 25 (Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places). The public works authority issues curb-cut permits and reviews driveway geometry to preserve the sidewalk, on-street parking, street trees, and stormwater drainage. On the Eastern Promenade between Atlantic Street and North Street, no curb cut for a residential driveway may exceed 13 feet in width. Because Portland is designated an Urban Compact Area under Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 23 Sec. 754, the city — rather than MaineDOT — administers driveway-entrance permits onto local roads within the compact (MaineDOT Driveway and Entrance Rules, Code of Maine Rules 17-229 Ch. 299). Driveways onto state highways outside the compact require a MaineDOT permit and a 12-22 foot inclusive driveway-width range. Zoning standards for paved parking surface, dimensions of off-street stalls, and front-yard parking restrictions are set in the Portland Land Use Code (Chapter 14).
Constructing or widening a driveway curb cut without a Public Works permit is a municipal violation under Chapter 25 with civil penalties typically $100-$2,500 per Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 30-A Sec. 4452 (the statewide civil-penalty framework for land-use violations). The city may also order restoration of the curb and sidewalk at the property owner's expense. State-highway driveways built without a MaineDOT permit are subject to additional Title 23 penalties.
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