Roanoke County, VA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- General surface rule
- Concrete, asphalt, pavers or approved pervious material
- Single/two-family exemption
- Gravel driveways allowed, no paving required
- Clearbrook overlay
- Excess parking must be pervious; gravel barred
- Governing section
- Roanoke County Code § 30-91-4.3(A)
- Reference standard
- Roanoke County Design Handbook
Summary
In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), off-street parking areas generally must be paved with concrete, asphalt, bituminous pavement, brick, stone pavers or an approved pervious surface, but § 30-91-4.3(A) exempts single-family and two-family driveways, and agricultural and forestry uses, from that requirement.
(A)All off-street parking and stacking areas, except for those required for single family and two (2) family dwellings or agricultural and forestry use types, shall be graded for drainage and surfaced with concrete, asphalt, bituminous pavement, brick or stone pavers, or a permeable or pervious surface in accordance with the Roanoke County Design Handbook. Where permeable or pervious pavers are used, when required by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code ADA-compliant pavers shall be utilized.1.Within the Clearbrook village overlay district, any parking areas or parking spaces provided in excess of the minimum requirements of this ordinance, shall be constructed with a permeable or pervious pavement material in accordance with the Roanoke County Stormwater Management Design Manual. Gravel shall not be accepted as an approved permeable or pervious surface.
Full Breakdown
' Where the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code requires ADA-compliant surfacing, the pervious pavers used have to meet that accessibility standard too. The key exemption for homeowners is built into the opening clause: parking required 'for single family and two (2) family dwellings or agricultural and forestry use types' is excluded from the surfacing mandate entirely, which is why a gravel or unpaved driveway is allowed at an ordinary house even though it would not be allowed at an apartment complex, office or commercial site subject to site plan review under § 30-90.
The rule tightens inside the Clearbrook village overlay district: any parking area or space built there in excess of the zoning ordinance's minimum parking requirement 'shall be constructed with a permeable or pervious pavement material in accordance with the Roanoke County Stormwater Management Design Manual,' and the same subsection states that 'gravel shall not be accepted as an approved permeable or pervious surface' there, closing off the option that single-family lots elsewhere in the county still have. Compliance is checked at site plan review and again before the county issues a certificate of zoning compliance under § 30-10.
Violations & Fines
A commercial, multi-family or institutional parking area built without the required pavement, or a Clearbrook overlay lot surfaced in gravel instead of an approved pervious material, fails site plan review and can draw a notice of violation from the administrator under § 30-21. An uncorrected violation is a misdemeanor under § 30-22, fined $10 to $2,500, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pave my driveway in Roanoke County?
Can I use gravel for parking in the Clearbrook Village overlay district?
What surfaces satisfy the county's parking area requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roanoke County
Compare Roanoke County to another location·View the Virginia parking rules overview
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