Washington County, OR Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Paving trigger
- Detached-home driveways under 100 ft
- Townhouse rule
- All driveways must be paved
- Minimum width
- 10 feet
- Curb material
- Concrete or asphalt
- Governing provision
- CDC §§ 413-4.5, 413-4.11
Summary
In unincorporated Washington County, Section 413-4.5 requires driveways under 100 feet long for detached dwellings, and all townhouse driveways, to be paved, sets a minimum 10-foot driveway width under Section 413-4.11, and requires curbs of concrete or asphalt on most off-street parking areas inside the Urban Growth Boundary.
413-4.5 All off-street parking areas, except for detached or two unit attached dwellings on a single lot and areas outside the UGB, shall be constructed with curbs of concrete or asphalt. Driveways for detached dwelling units that are less than 100 feet in length shall be paved. All driveways for Townhouse dwelling units shall be paved. Those areas constructed with a gravel surface may use curbs of wood or other materials as may be approved by the Review Authority. ... 413-4.11 The minimum driveway width for each single-family attached or detached dwelling unit with individual vehicular access to a street shall be 10 feet. The minimum driveway depth for single-family detached and single-family attached units shall be consistent with standards of the primary district for setbacks to garage vehicle entrance. Within a driveway, each 10-foot wide area meeting the minimum driveway depth may be counted as one off-street parking space.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Community Development Code: Supplement 2 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Section 413-4 sets the physical standards every off-street parking and driveway surface must meet, and two of its subsections speak directly to residential driveways. 5 requires that, with narrow exceptions, off-street parking areas be constructed with curbs of concrete or asphalt, and states plainly that driveways for detached dwelling units that are less than 100 feet in length shall be paved and that all driveways for Townhouse dwelling units shall be paved without exception for length. Detached or two-unit attached dwellings on a single lot, and any parking area outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), are exempted from the curbing requirement, and gravel-surfaced areas may use wood or other Review Authority-approved curb materials instead of concrete or asphalt.
11 sets the minimum width: the minimum driveway width for each single-family attached or detached dwelling unit with individual vehicular access to a street shall be 10 feet, with driveway depth tied to whatever setback the primary zoning district requires to the garage vehicle entrance. The same section allows a driveway to double as a counted parking space: within a driveway, each 10-foot wide area meeting the minimum driveway depth may be counted as one off-street parking space. 12 lets two adjoining lots, each with a Townhouse or detached dwelling, share a combined driveway if the combined width is at least 20 feet and each lot's portion measures a continuous minimum of 10 feet. 3 substitutes a gravel standard, four inches of base rock topped with two inches of three-quarter-inch minus leveling course, in place of full paving.
Violations & Fines
An unpaved driveway longer than the exempt threshold, an unpaved townhouse driveway, or a driveway narrower than the 10-foot minimum will fail development permit review under Section 413-1's Type I procedure, and Section 413-2.5 makes ongoing maintenance of an approved parking and driveway surface a continuing obligation the property owner must keep up after occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my gravel driveway need to be paved in unincorporated Washington County?
How wide does a residential driveway have to be?
Can neighbors share one driveway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Oregon parking rules overview
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