COMMON ACCESS DRIVEWAY SUBDIVISIONS (CADs)
The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC) is responsible for reviewing CAD Subdivisions and is assisted by the County Engineer’s Office and other Governmental Agencies. Subdivision procedures and requirements for CADs can be found in the Subdivision Regulations of Delaware County which can be downloaded from the DCPRC’s website. Additional Subdivision requirements are located in the County Engineer’s Standards Manual.
The Development Review Department has Standard Coversheets and General Note Sheets available for insertion into project plans. Please click on the below link to view the PDF of the Standard Coversheet and General Notes Sheet.
For copies of electronic drawings, please send an email request to emackling@co.delaware.oh.us and in the subject line put “Request for Commercial and CAD Coversheet & General Notes electronic drawing”.
CAD Review Process:
The review entails a field visit by the County Engineer’s Office to investigate driveway site distance issues, ditch setbacks, and any easements (e.g. Drainage, Right-of-Way) required for the particular lot in accordance with the County Engineer’s Standards Manual.
Intersection Sight Distance (ISD) is used for determining adequate sight distance on CAD drives. For ISD information, see Section 200 and specifically Section 202 as well as Figures 201-4E and 201-5E in ODOT’s Location and Design Manual on their website which can be found on ODOT’s Design Resource Center. A sample Intersection Sight Distance Exhibit can be found on our Development Resource Webpage.
For Ditch Setback information and example plan, see below.
Important Links and Forms for CAD Subdivisions:
Subdivision Development Flowchart
Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Website DCRPC There you can find information and application forms to be submitted to Regional Planning.
Note that a Review Submittal Form from our Development Resource Page must be filled out and submitted to the County Engineer’s Office with plans.
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that is to be addressed as part of the development process for CADs.
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SITES
The Development Review Department has Standard Coversheets and General Note Sheets available for insertion into project plans.
Coversheet & General Notes for Commercial, Industrial and Condominium Sites
For copies of the above electronic drawings, please send an email request to emackling@co.delaware.oh.us and in the subject line put “Request for Commercial Coversheet & General Notes electronic drawing”.
For Commercial and Industrial Plans that include Road Widening, please also see Road Widenings below.
Commercial and Industrial Site Development requirements are located in the County Engineer’s Standards Manual which can be downloaded by clicking on the Standards Manual link.
Commercial sites with public roads need an internal traffic study (External traffic study consideration based upon usage).
For commercial sites with public or private roads, the roads are to be built to public road standards. A 10 foot wide safety shoulder shall be included. See table 603 for additional information.
For an overview of the commercial review process, please see the Subdivision and Commercial Development Flowchart.
Other Items of interest:
Please see Table 901 of the Standards Manual. It contains storm water calculation requirements for detention/retention. For commercial sites, the peak runoff from the 100 year, 24 hour storm shall not be greater than the peak runoff for the 2 year, 24 hour storm.
See Figures 603 and 605 of the Standards Manual for commercial and industrial street design standards.
For Driveway requirements, see section 800 for commercial sites for information on driveway buildup within the R/W, required widths, and required radius/flare sizes.
Note: 2 foot wide shoulders are required on all commercial non-curbed streets.
Important Links and Forms for Commercial Sites:
The required Submittal Form for Projects must be submitted to County Engineer’s Office with plans submitted for review. The form is available at the following link:
https://engineer.co.delaware.oh.us/development/development-resources/
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that is to be addressed as part of the development process.
A Sample Commercial Review Checklist can be found on the Development Resource Page. These can be printed out by going to the following link. Where a ditch setback is required, a Ditch Setback Review Checklist can also be found at the above link.
COMMON QUESTIONS AND REVIEW TIMEFRAMES
What are the fees from the Permit Department and Storm Water Department?
What are the fees from the Permit Department and Storm Water Department?
Plans, Plat, or Lot Split Submittal Review – When plans, plats, or lot splits are submitted to the County Engineer, a fee is charged to review the plans to make sure the they have been prepared in accordance with County Engineer’s Design Standards. The review fee is separate from inspection fees such as for work within the Right-of-Way or storm water permit fees.
Work within the Public Right-of-Way – On smaller projects, if the plans include work within the Public Right-of-Way such as addition of a driveway or construction of utilities within the Right-of-Way, a separate fee is required by the Permit Department for inspecting the completed work in the field. This fee is determined by the Permit Department after the plans are submitted for review. For larger projects such as subdivisions, the inspection fees are handled through the County Engineer’s Inspection Department for inspection during the project with the fees addressed through an Owner’s Agreement. These fees are determined after the plans have been submitted.
Review and Inspection of Storm Water Management Measures – The Storm Water Regulation Department is responsible for administration of the Phase II National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Storm Water Program. The Department charges a separate fee for coordinating waterway and storm water permits and inspecting construction for compliance. Contact the Storm Water Regulation Department at 740-833-2426 regarding their plan and application submittal requirements for storm water permits. (Note that in the case of Lot Splits, DESC (Storm Water) Permits are not required until the building permit is applied for through the Building Department).
In cases where offsite storm water flows across a property or development, a drainage maintenance fee may be required by the Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District for maintaining the offsite drainage system.
Other agencies may also have fees. See below for how to contact other agencies.
Other Agencies:
What other agencies may be involved?
Other agencies or authorities may be involved in plans review besides the County Engineer depending on what the project involves. These may include the County Sanitary Engineer, Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District, Del-Co Water, and the local Fire Departments.
For platting and/or subdividing, other agencies or authorities involved include Township Zoning, Delaware General Health District (if a household sewer system will be involved), County Sanitary Engineer, Del-Co Water, and the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission.
Timeframes:
What is the timeframe for plan review and when can I start construction?
Review of the plans by the Development Review Department is just one part of the overall building approval process. The entire process includes submittals and/or applications to the other agencies and authorities above so several factors affect when actual construction can begin.
To get an idea of the overall timeframe involved in doing Lot Splits, the County Engineer’s Office has developed a Lot Split Flowchart which may be helpful to understand some of the overall processes involved that affect when construction can begin.
For initial plan review times for the County Engineer’s Development Review Department, the times are as follows. Note that plan review comments then issued as part of the plan review may require revision of the plans by the Developer’s Engineer. These revisions then need to be resubmitted for review. The revision review time is typically shorter than the first review but is also dependent on existing workload at the time of the resubmittal.
Development Review Department Review Timeframes (maximum review times):
| Submittal Type | Review Time |
| Lot-Splits | 2 weeks |
| Common Access Driveways (CADs) | 28 days |
| Subdivisions | |
| Preliminary Engineering Plans | 28 days |
| Final Engineering Plans | 28 days |
| Commercial Developments | 28 days |
| Road Widening | 28 days |
| Ditch Setbacks | 2 weeks |
| Preliminary Plat | 28 days (submit concurrent with preliminary plan) |
| Final Plat | 2 weeks before desired County Engineer approval (4 weeks recommended in case changes are necessary) |
Note that the Design Standards will be revised in the near future so plan review times will be changing according to the new Design Standards soon to be published!
Sites on/or with access to State Routes or Highways:
What is required if the site is located on a State Route or Highway?
All work involving access from a state route or highway must be reviewed by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). This applies to all sites including Common Access Drives, Lot Splits, Commercial Sites and Subdivisions. Contact the ODOT District 6 Permits Department at 740-363-1251 or 800-372-7714, ext. 244.
Common Access Driveways (CADs):
CAD requirements are addressed in the Subdivision Regulations of Delaware County, Ohio. The Developer’s Professional Engineer is charged with reviewing the CAD construction and certifying that the design and construction complies with CAD Standards and Requirements. The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC) reviews the certification prior to the DCRPC Director signing the plat.
The County Engineer is responsible for approval of all design and construction activities within county or township road right-of-way as well as approval of the 100-year flood storm water management practices. Per Section 305.01 the Subdivision Regulations regarding Access Management, the County Engineer may regulate access of CADs directly onto public arterial roads. ODOT may regulate access onto State Roads.
CAD Standards are addressed in Section 306.05 of the Subdivision Regulations while additional or more restrictive standards may be required by the County Engineer for the promotion and protection of public health, safety, and welfare.
DITCH SETBACK REQUIREMENTS
All projects fronting on an existing public road shall provide a pavement, shoulder and ditch modification plan to comply with the approved typical section and the Delaware County Thoroughfare Plan.
Cross-sections shall be provided at 50-foot intervals and at existing structures, drives and road entrances. All existing utilities and subsurface drainage shall be shown in the cross-sections and on the plan. Proposed drives shall have drive profiles. Calculations for drive culverts shall be provided.
All work on ditch and drainage improvements and pavement widening shall be done as the first phase of any proposed development.
On adjacent properties along County or Township Roads where additional R/W is required for the ditch improvements, sample required R/W and Drainage Easement Conveyance Instruments, Descriptions, and Exhibits can be found on our Development Resource Page.
Important Links and Forms for Ditch Setbacks:
County Engineer’s Submittal Form for Subdivisions (must be included with all plans to the County Engineer’s Office)
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that shall be addressed as part of the development process.
A Sample Ditch Setback Review Checklist can be found on the Development Resource Page.
Drainage Contacts
For questions on drainage within the County Public Right-of-Way (R/W):
Joe Warner, Permit Department, email address: jwarner@co.delaware.oh.us
Brett Bergefurd, Stormwater Department, phone number: 740-833-2426 email address: bbergefurd@co.delaware.oh.us
For questions on drainage outside of the County Public R/W:
Brett Bergefurd, Stormwater Department, phone number: 740-833-2426 email address: bbergefurd@co.delaware.oh.us
Matt Lanum, Delaware Water and Soil Conservation District, phone number: 740-368-1921
For questions on drainage on City of Columbus properties within Delaware County:
Jason Sanson, Private Development Section Manager, email address: JTSanson@columbus.gov
For questions on drainage on City of Delaware properties within Delaware County:
Blake Jordan, City of Delaware Public Utilities Department, (740) 203-1903, email address: bjordan@delawareohio.net
For questions on drainage on City of Powell properties within Delaware County:
Jeff Snyder, Public Service Director, (614)-885-9820 ext. 1, email address: jsnyder@cityofpowell.us
LOT SPLITS
Lot Splits are also known as No-Plat Subdivisions. The first point of contact when doing Lot Splits should be with Regional Planning. (A link to their website is located below.) Lot Splits are filed through the Map Room. The Map Department is located in the Hayes Building on Sandusky and their phone number is 740-833-2450 in case you have any questions. As an aid, the information below is provided purely as a courtesy by the Engineer’s Office to give an idea of some of the necessary tasks involved in lot splits. As such, the below information is by no means all inclusive but provides a starting point.
COUNTY ENGINEER’S OFFICE
Please see the Flow Chart For Lot Splits for the general order of who to contact to obtain the required Lot Split signatures and some of the typical review times for some of the reviewing entities as well as some of the Common Questions and Review Timeframes.
Lot Splits are reviewed by Regional Planning, the County Engineer’s Office, and others. The lot-split review entails a field visit by the County Engineer’s Office to investigate requirements for driveway site distance, ditch setbacks, and any easements (e.g. Drainage, Right-of-Way) required for the particular lot in accordance with the County Engineer’s Standards Manual. The current Standards Manual can be downloaded by clicking on the Standards Manual link.
Click here for example Sight Distance Plan for lotsplits. In the County, Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) is used for determining adequate sight distance on lotsplits. For Ditch Setback information and example plan, click here.
Note that Drainage Easements may be required depending on site conditions. However, Lot-Splits do not typically include Drainage Maintenance Agreements.
For properties along County or Township Roads, proposed R/W widths shall be shown on the Lot Split and widths shall be provided as per the current Delaware County Thoroughfare Plan. See the bottom of this page for a Sample R/W, Sanitary, and Drainage Easement Conveyance Document.
A Sample Lotsplit Review Checklist is available on our Development Resource Page.
For required Plat size required by the Map Department, click here. After the Lot Split has the appropriate signatures and has been reviewed by the County Engineer’s Office along with any Drainage and/or Right-of-Way Easement Conveyance Instruments, Easement Descriptions, and Easement Exhibits, and the items are approved by the Engineer’s Office, the Lot Split and related documents are filed with the Map Department. (The County Engineer’s Office must also apply a ink stamp to the easement cover letter.) The Map Department then notifies the Regional Planning Commission once the proper documents have been filed.
Note that after the original submittal is made and when revisions are required, it is necessary to allow the Engineer’s Office some time to review the revised documents and to make sure everything has been provided. Thus, the revised documents need be dropped off for review. Once everything is found to be in order and they have been signed by the Engineer’s Office, the Office will notify you when the review of the revisions is complete. (The revisions are typically reviewed within one or two business days of the resubmission).
Contact the Map Department regarding any questions or requirements for Lot Splits.
For a Map that shows locations of various agencies in the Delaware area, click here.
Important Links and Forms for Lot-Splits:
Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Website DCRPC
(contains information on Non-Platted Subdivisions including Fee Schedules and No-Plat Subdivision Application Forms to be submitted to Regional Planning)
County Engineer’s Submittal Form for Lot Splits (This form and fees must be submitted to County Engineer’s Office for all lotsplits)
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that is to be addressed as part of the development process for Lot-Splits.
Sample Combined Conveyance Easement. A Sample Combined Conveyance Instrument can be found on our Design Resource Webpage.
PLATS
The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC) is responsible for reviewing Plats and is assisted by the County Engineer’s Department and other Departments and Governmental Agencies.
Plat procedures and requirements can be found in the Subdivision Regulations of Delaware County which can be downloaded on DCPRC’s website listed below. These regulations also include Final Plat Statements and General Plat Notations to be included on the plat. Other statements and notations may also be required by County Engineer’s Department and others depending on specifics of the individual site.
Additional plat requirements are located in the County Engineer’s Standards Manual which can be downloaded by clicking on the Standards Manual link. Please note that all easements including Drainage Easements must be shown on the plats.
Important Links and Forms for Plats:
Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Website DCRPC. In particular, please see the Plats section of Regional Planning’s 2007 Subdivision Regulations.
The following Submittal Form for Plats must be submitted to County Engineer’s Office with plat submitted for review:
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that is to be addressed as part of the development process for platting.
A Sample Plat Review Checklist can be found on the Design Resource Page.
ROAD WIDENING
All projects fronting on an existing public road shall provide a pavement, shoulder and ditch modification plan to comply with the approved typical section and the Delaware County Thoroughfare Plan.
All work on pavement widening shall be done as the first phase of any proposed development. Pavement widening and setback of the ditch shall comply with Standard Drawing DCED-R2130 and shall include pavement reinforcement complying with Standard Drawing DCED-R1451.
Important Links and Forms for Road Widening:
Ditch Setback Example Plan (which also includes road widening)
General Considerations
- Provide evidence of adequate sight distance at proposed driveways and road intersections per Volume 1 of the current ODOT Location and Design Manual.
- Proposed Driveways and Roads on County and Township roads. Proposed driveway and road intersection locations relative to opposite and adjacent driveways and distances from adjacent roads and intersections need to be examined and proper access management shall be addressed.
- For properties located along State Routes or State Highways, see common asked questions section.
- Where properties have frontage along County or Township roads, road widening/ditch setbacks shall comply with the Current County Standards and Standard Drawing DCED R-2130.
- For properties along County or Township Roads, proposed R/W widths shall be provided per the current Delaware County Thoroughfare Plan.
- Address Storm Water Management by submitting a DESC Application along with plans to the Storm Water Department for their review. Contact the Storm Water Department at 740-833-2426 regarding their plan and application submittal requirements for storm water permits.
- Evidence of adequate drainage outlet downstream of the site shall be provided.
- Offsite drainage flowing through the site shall be addressed per the current County Standards.
The following Submittal Form for Road Widenings must be submitted to County Engineer’s Office with plans submitted for review:
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that is to be addressed as part of the development process. Where an easement is required on projects that do not involve a separate plat, samples of required R/W and Drainage Easement Conveyance Instruments, Descriptions, and Exhibits are available and can be found on the Design Resource Page.
A Sample Road Widening Checklist can be found on the Development Resource Page.
See also the Ditch Setback Link.
SUBDIVISIONS
The Development Review Department has Standard Coversheets and General Note Sheets available for insertion into project plans. Please click on the below link to view the pdfs of the Standard Coversheet and General Note Sheet.
For copies of the above electronic drawings, please send an email request to emackling@co.delaware.oh.us and in the subject line put “Request for Subdivision Coversheet & General Notes electronic drawing”.
For Subdivision Plans that include Road Widening, please also see the following link: Road Widenings
Subdivisions include Multi-Step Subdivisions and Combined Subdivisions. For No-Plat Subdivisions, see Lot Splits.
The Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC) is responsible for reviewing Subdivisions and is assisted by the County Engineer’s Office and other Governmental Agencies.
Subdivision procedures and requirements can be found in the Subdivision Regulations of Delaware County which can be downloaded from the DCPRC’s website listed below. Additional Subdivision requirements are located in the County Engineer’s Standards Manual which can be downloaded by clicking on the Standards Manual link.
For an overview of the subdivision review process, please see the Subdivision & Commercial Development Flowchart. See the Common Questions and Review Timelines for additional information.
Other Items of interest:
Please see Table 901 of the Standards Manual. It contains storm water calculation requirements for detention/retention. For medium and high density subdivisions, the peak runoff from the 100 year, 24 hour storm shall not be greater than the peak runoff for the 2 year, 24 hour storm.
In the County, Intersection Sight Distance (ISD) is used for determining adequate sight distance for Subdivisions. For ISD information, see Section 200 and specifically Section 202 as well as Figures 201-4E and 201-5E in ODOT’s Location and Design Manual on their website which can be found on ODOT’s Design Resource Center at:
https://www.dot.state.oh.us/drrc/Pages/default.aspx
Click here for example Intersection Sight Distance Exhibit.
Important Links and Forms for Subdivisions:
Subdivision Development Flowchart
Delaware County Regional Planning Commission (DCRPC) Website DCRPC
(contains information on Subdivisions including Fee Schedules, DCRPC checklists, and Subdivision Application Forms to be submitted to Regional Planning)
County Engineer’s Submittal Form for Subdivisions (This Form and Fees must be submitted to County Engineer’s Office with all submittals or resubmittals)
Proposed Right-of-Way Widths are also a design component that is to be addressed as part of the development process for Subdivisions, CADs, and Lot-Splits.
Delaware County Engineer’s Sample Preliminary and Final Plans Checklists can be found on the Development Resource Page. Sample Ditch Setback Checklists can also be found on the Development Resource Page.