The permit and utility coordination staff oversees work within the county and township road right-of-way by public utilities and property owners as well as overweight and oversize vehicles using the roads
This ensures that all utility work, including relocation of overhead and buried electric, phone, cable, water and gas lines does not interfere with the safety and operation of the county road. Also, any work done by a resident to the front of their property (inside the road right-of-way), including construction of new driveways, installation of drainage pipes, re-grading ditches or installing obstructions that would otherwise affect the operation or safety of the road must be reviewed by the permit department.
Payment is for Delaware County Engineer’s Office Only. For Building Department Permits click here.
We accept cash, check or credit cards for payment of permit fees.
Click here to make an online payment through Point & Pay.
Please Note: a convenience fee will be added to charges
Submit the permit application with accompanying forms and receipt from Point & Pay to: dceopermits@co.delaware.oh.us
Hauling Permits for vehicles over Legal Size and Weight Limits
All roads and bridges are designed for a certain size and weight vehicle. Over 99% of vehicles on the road fall within the size and weight limits that roads and bridges are designed for. But sometimes it is necessary for an oversize or overweight vehicle to travel on a public road, as in the case of a truck hauling an oversized building items or construction equipment that cannot practically be separated into smaller pieces.
In the case of an oversized or overweight vehicle, the trucks may be too heavy for some bridges or too wide or tall to pass through an underpass. For this reason, state and local authorities are given authority to regulate the movement of these vehicles to ensure the safety of the traveling public.
Chapter 5577 of the Ohio Revised Code governs the size and weight limits for all vehicles on public streets and highways. When it becomes necessary for these limits to be exceeded by a vehicle or conveyance, it must be done in accordance with established policies and procedures of the appropriate agency which maintains the particular road(s). Each oversized or overweight truck is check to ensure that it will not exceed the structural capacity of the bridges it needs to cross, and to ensure that it will fit under bridges or other obstructions with low vertical clearances.
Permits for oversized or overweight vehicles traveling on local streets within municipal corporation limits are handled by the respective city. Permits for state, federal and interstate highways are administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation. Permits for all other public roads outside of city limits, including county and township streets and highways, are handled by the County Engineer.
What is the Ohio Legal Load Limit for my vehicle?
The legal load limit for a specific vehicle depends on the number and size of axles and tires that a vehicle has. The overall maximum weight limit for any vehicle can never exceed 80,000 pounds. For vehicles such as garbage trucks and delivery trucks, the legal load limit is usually much less than 80,000 pounds, because these vehicles have fewer axles and/or smaller tires.
Click here to go to the Ohio Department of Transportation Special Hauling Permits website for more information about Ohio laws on legal loads for vehicles on public highways and streets.
Listed below are documents that can be helpful in determining what the Ohio Legal Load is for a certain vehicle.
Permits for Oversized or Overweight Vehicles:
Round-Trip or Single Trip Permit:
This permit entitles a specific oversized or overweight vehicle to make one single-trip or round-trip in or through Delaware County on county or township roads. The cost for this permit is as follows:
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Basic permit is $10 and entitles the vehicle to ONE round-trip or round-trip movement
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$25 additional charge for an overweight vehicle.
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$25 additional charge for a vehicle that is over legal limits on height, width or length.
Annual Permit:
For vehicles over the Ohio legal limits for size or weight that frequently travel on county roads in Delaware County, owners or operators can purchase an “annual” permit. This authorizes the movement of a vehicle, or commercial tractor-trailer combination on a yearly basis, with reduced cost “coupons” used for each trip.
A fee of $100 is charged for the annual permit. The annual permit is good from January 1 to December 31 of the year purchased. Coupons are required if total gross weight is greater than 80,000 lbs but less than 120,000 lbs, vehicle is over 12′ wide, over 13′ 6″ high, or overweight by gross or axle weight. Each coupon entitles the vehicle to ONE round-trip or single-trip. Coupons can be purchased in books of 10 for $100.
“Freeze-Thaw” Posted Roads
Section 5577.07 of the Ohio Revised Code specifically authorizes the county to reduce the load limits on any county or township road in times of thawing and excessive moisture. In Delaware County, this period is February 1 to June 1, and roads that are specifically identified as being susceptible to damage from heavy loads have weight limits reduced by 40% from the standard Ohio legal limit.
Owners or operators of vehicles that weigh between 60% and 100% of the Ohio legal load limit for that particular vehicle can purchase a “Posted Road permit”. For a fee of $150 per vehicle, the vehicle is entitled to travel on a posted road, with certain restrictions. First, the vehicle may not cross a bridge with a posted weight restriction. Second, the vehicle may not use posted roads as through roads to reach a destination on another road, if a route exists that does not use a posted road. The intent of the posted road permit is to restrict travel on posted roads to only those vehicles over 60% of Ohio legal load that absolutely must travel to or from a destination on that particular road.
Bridge Weight Limits
Bridge weight limits on township and county roads in Delaware County can be found here.
Driveway, Utility, Right-of-Way, Road Closure and Storm Sewer Permits
Right-of-way is the land that a public road or highway occupies. It generally extends a certain distance from the center of the road and usually includes the ditches, culverts and utility poles.
The authority to regulate work that obstructs or interferes with the safety or usage of any portion of the county right-of-way is provided in Chapter 5547 of the Ohio Revised Code and includes all objects in the right-of-way that are owned by utilities or adjacent property owners. The authority to regulate the installation of driveway culverts, other excavation or construction/reconstruction of utility poles on township roads is provided in Section 5571.16 of the Ohio Revised Code.
In order to ensure that all construction that is done in the public right-of-way does not adversely affect the safety of the traveling public, the County Engineer administers a permit process on behalf of the County Commissioners. All property owners, contractors or utility companies that wish to do work on ditches, driveways, storm sewers, utility poles or underground pipes and cables need to get a permit from the County Engineer’s Permit Department.
Submit the permit application with accompanying forms and receipt from Point & Pay to: dceopermits@co.delaware.oh.us
| Title | Download |
| Driveway Construction
Call 740-833-2435 24 hours in advance to schedule an inspection |
Driveway construction permit process |
| Public Utility Construction
*Utility companies use this form |
Utility construction permit process |
| Right-of-Way Work Permits | Work in Right-of-Way Application |
| Road Closing | Road Closing Application |
| Storm Sewer Construction | Storm Sewer permit application |
Stormwater (DESC) Permits:
Permits issued for coverage under the Phase II NPDES Stormwater Program are administered by the Delaware County Engineer’s Stormwater Department. Click here to visit the stormwater website.
Driveways on township roads or streets:
The Delaware County Engineer currently administers the permit process enforcing county standards to issue and/or inspect driveways at the township’s request for the following townships:
Berkshire, Concord, Delaware, Liberty, Marlboro, Orange, Oxford, Radnor, Thompson, Troy and Village of Ostrander
Other townships not listed, please contact them directly.
Ditch modification or other work on township roads or streets:
Ditch Modifications due to new subdivisions are subject to Delaware County Engineer Subdivision Standards.
For ditch modifications or improvements unrelated to new Subdivisions, the Delaware County Engineer issues permits at the township’s request for the following townships:
Berkshire, Berlin, Concord, Delaware, Harlem, Liberty, Marlboro, Orange, Oxford, Radnor, Thompson, Troy, Village of Ostrander
For other townships, please contact them directly. The Township has a right to also review and/or inspect the ditch modifications for new subdivisions however; the County Engineer will issue final approval.
You may apply for any of the permits above at the following email address: dceopermits@co.delaware.oh.us. Please submit the permit application with accompanying forms and proof of payment for approval.