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Donald R. Huff,
Chairman
Eugene S. Fleming, Vice Chairman
Jack Demming, Member
Michael A. Roper, Managing Director
Robert M. Tholl, Office Manager |
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Permits
The Road Commission issues permits which are needed to put in a
driveway, erect a sign, put in a pipeline or utility line and to move an
overweight or overwidth load on the right-of-way. The use of permits
came about for safety and also to protect the roads. Any county with
heavy logging or oil well traffic will usually have a permit system to
protect against damage to the roads. The charge for the permit in most
cases is to help defray the cost of someone going out to check on the
permit and for damage to the roads.
Moving permits are issued for loads that are overweight, overwidth or
overlength. Generally Otsego County enforces the same restrictions as
are established on the State Highways. In general, any load over 8 1/2
feet wide or over 65 feet long requires a permit. Mobile homes up to 13
feet wide are allowed to move without a permit on County Roads only. The
load limits in Michigan depend on axle weight and on the tire size as
well as how far apart the axles are. Trucker's maps are available from
the State Department of Transportation that have charts giving the
maximum loads per axle. Annual "CAB" permits are available for
loads up to a total of 100,000 pounds but are not valid during the
Spring Frost Laws.
If driveways are put too close together, too close to an intersection or
too high in relation to the road they can cause a hazard. A driveway put
in on a hill generally must have a culvert for proper drainage. If you
were to pave your driveway and make it higher than the shoulder of the
road, we could hit it with a plow and damage the plow or worse - have an
accident. These are all reasons for us to require driveway permits and
why we want to go out and check each one.
If you have a business and wish to put a sign in the right-of-way,
Zoning and Building requires that you get a permit from them and you are
also required to get one from us. There are many reasons for us to
require a permit for signs, the main reason is for safety. Some hazards
are: signs that block the view from a driveway or road, signs that are
in the way when snowplowing and signs that detract from a drivers
attention.
Seismic lines, overhead power and telephone lines, buried cable and
pipes and tree clearing on the right-of-way all require permits. In
general, if you want to do something in the right-of-way it is advisable
to give us a call as it may prevent problems later. Moving and Seismic
permits are issued during our regular office hours. All other permits
are approved by the Board at their regular meetings after being reviewed
by our permit department.
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