Driveway Approaches and Encroachment Permits: What Bay Area Cities Ask For

The concrete between a garage and the street looks like one continuous driveway, but it isn’t all the homeowner’s to redo without asking. The section that crosses the sidewalk and ties into the curb — the “approach” or “apron” — sits in the public right-of-way. That is why replacing, widening or relocating a driveway approach usually means a separate encroachment permit from the city, on top of (or sometimes instead of) any building permit for the driveway itself. The exact trigger, paperwork and review time are different in every city.

Where the city’s property starts

A standard residential lot ends at the property line, usually somewhere behind the sidewalk. From there to the street — the planting strip, the sidewalk and the curb — is the public right-of-way. Dublin’s public works department describes that right-of-way as typically extending about 8 feet from the face of the curb. A homeowner’s driveway approach has to cross that entire strip to connect the private driveway to the street, which puts a chunk of “the driveway” under city jurisdiction even though no one but the homeowner parks on it.

Because that strip belongs to the city, altering it — a new curb cut, a wider apron, a relocated approach — is treated as encroachment on public property, separate from whatever permit covers the private part of the driveway.

Four cities, four different processes

We checked how four cities in our service area handle a driveway-approach encroachment permit (checked October 17, 2026). Processes change, so confirm with the city before you schedule work.

Two patterns stand out. First, every city except San Jose treats any approach work — even a straight repair in the same footprint — as encroachment requiring a permit. Second, review time is not uniform: Dublin states a formal 30-working-day window for a decision, while Pleasanton issues many encroachment permits over the counter once the paperwork is complete. Build the permit timeline into the project schedule before committing to a start date.

San Jose’s same-footprint exception

San Jose’s Public Works Development Services Division issues Driveway/Sidewalk permits for new driveways and sidewalks at single-family homes — the kind of permit triggered by a new curb cut. But for a straight swap, removing and replacing an existing driveway in the same location with no change to the curb cut, the city generally points homeowners to the Department of Transportation instead of the encroachment process. That is a meaningfully different path (different department, different review), so it is worth confirming which one applies before assuming “replacing my driveway” means the same paperwork as “adding a new one.”

Either way, San Jose’s driveway applications ask for the proposed driveway width and the distance from the face of curb to the property line, with a minimum of about 8 feet or a dedication may be required. Other cities in our service area don’t offer a comparable same-footprint exception — Concord, Dublin and Pleasanton all route approach work through their standard encroachment permit regardless of whether the footprint changes. Confirm directly with each city before assuming San Jose’s rule applies elsewhere.

What these departments ask for

The forms differ, but the documents cities want for right-of-way work are similar across our service area:

1. A site plan or sketchPleasanton’s application asks for three copies of the proposed-work plans, at minimum a Google overview map with a sketch of the work.
2. Liability insurancePleasanton requires a copy of liability insurance with endorsements naming the City of Pleasanton as additional insured, plus a waiver of subrogation. Confirm the equivalent requirement with each city.
3. A traffic control planNeeded when the work affects the sidewalk or street. Pleasanton allows 48 hours to approve a traffic control plan once submitted.
4. Compliance with city standard plansConcord requires work to follow its Standard Plans and Specifications; most cities reference their own standard details for concrete thickness, slope and curb-cut geometry.

None of this replaces a city-specific call before work starts. A five-minute conversation with the Engineering or Public Works counter is the fastest way to confirm which permit applies, what the current fee is, and how long review is taking right now.

Before you apply

If any answer is “not sure,” call the city before concrete gets ordered. An encroachment permit pulled after work starts can mean a stop-work notice, not just a fine.

Questions homeowners ask

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