Vestavia Hills, AL Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required from
- city engineering department
- Permit fee
- $25.00
- Plan review lead time
- 7 days before issuance
- Reviewers
- engineering, fire, police departments
- Restoration duty
- applicant restores curb/sidewalk/street
- Nonrestoration remedy
- city lien on abutting property
Summary
Building a driveway across a public sidewalk, street or parkway in Vestavia Hills requires a written permit from the engineering department, a $25 fee and sign-off from the fire and police departments before construction starts, per Code Sec. 15-10.
(a)Permit required. No person, firm, corporation or other entity shall hereafter construct, build, establish or maintain any driveway over, across or upon any portion of the public sidewalk or public road, street or parkway without first having obtained a written permit to do so from the engineering department of the City of Vestavia Hills, Alabama. ... (d)Permit fee. Before any work is started, the applicant or the contractor for the applicant shall pay a permit fee of $25.00.(e)Repair and restoration. The applicant will cause the curb, sidewalk and street area affected by construction of the driveway to be restored to a condition equal to the condition thereof prior to the construction; he or she will reimburse the city any costs which it may incur in making good any of the aforesaid agreements which the owner may fail to make good, and the city shall have a lien upon the abutting property for any such costs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 6).
Full Breakdown
Section 15-10 of the Code of Ordinances requires anyone building, establishing or maintaining a driveway over, across or upon a public sidewalk, road, street or parkway to first get a written permit from the city's engineering department. The application must be made on city-furnished forms and include the applicant's name and address, the contractor's name, and the driveway's proposed location and dimensions; complete plans and specifications go to both the fire department and the engineering department at least seven days before a permit can issue.
The city engineer can only issue the permit after finding the driveway will not unreasonably interfere with vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the street, with parking demand there, or with ingress and egress from abutting and adjacent properties, and that public health, welfare and safety won't be unreasonably impaired. 00 permit fee before work starts. Plans also need approval from the city engineer, fire department and police department before a permit issues, and subsection (f) gives the city, not the applicant, the final call on driveway location for public safety reasons.
Once construction is done, the applicant must restore the curb, sidewalk and street area to its prior condition; if the applicant fails to do that, the city can complete the work and place a lien on the abutting property to recover its costs.
Violations & Fines
Constructing, building or maintaining a driveway over a public sidewalk, road, street or parkway without first obtaining the written permit is unlawful under Sec. 15-10(a). If the applicant does not restore the curb, sidewalk and street area to its pre-construction condition, the city can do the restoration itself and place a lien on the abutting property for whatever it costs to make good on that repair, per Sec. 15-10(e).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a driveway in Vestavia Hills?
How much does a driveway permit cost?
What if I damage the sidewalk building my driveway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vestavia Hills
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Encroachment Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle encroachment permits.