Butler County engineer briefs Milligan Township on driveway permits, sight‑distance and lot‑split rules

Eric Pottinger, development services manager in the Butler County Engineer’s Office, told the Milligan Township Zoning Commission on April 2, 2025, that safety drives county driveway and access decisions and that driveway permits are reviewed against county and state design standards.

Pottinger said the office’s governing documents include the Butler County Thoroughfare Plan, the county Access Management Regulations, the Butler County Engineer permit policy, Butler County subdivision regulations and the Ohio Department of Transportation location and design manual, and that staff also reference the Ohio Revised Code for enforcement authority. “Safety is the highest, number 1 priority for the office and that relates directly to sight distance,” Pottinger said. He emphasized that the county will not issue a permit where a new driveway does not provide the required sight distance: “We’re not gonna issue a permit for a new driveway. If the traveling public can’t see someone pulling out of the driveway, that too is a problem.”

Why it matters: driveway approvals affect whether a property can be split, where homes can access public roads, whether cross‑access easements are required and who is responsible for maintenance. Pottinger’s presentation tied the technical standards (stopping sight distance, driveway width, pipe sizing) to practical decisions the township and property owners face when pursuing lot splits or new driveway permits.

Most important details

- Sight distance and speed: Pottinger used an example where a 50 mph statutory speed requires a stopping sight distance of 425 feet under the ODOT design manual; the office applies those sight‑distance standards to driveway approvals and to whether a lot can have its own access or must share an access. He noted the standard assumes a driver eye height and object height of 3.5 feet.

- Lot splits vs. major subdivisions: Minor splits (lot‑line adjustments or a simple plat of survey) are reviewed by county staff for access and survey standards and can proceed quickly if requirements are met. Major subdivisions require a preliminary plat, review by the Butler County Planning Commission and construction plans for any public roadway; that process typically takes roughly six months to a year, Pottinger said.

- Cross‑access requirements: Where sight distance is deficient on individual lots Pottinger said the county will require cross‑access easements so multiple lots share a driveway rather than each taking separate access on a county road. In his hypothetical site review of four tracks, he described Tracks 1 and 3 as lacking adequate sight distance and therefore required to share access with adjacent tracks.

- Driveway and pipe standards: Minimum residential driveway width is 10 feet, maximum 30 feet (with limited flaring). Minimum culvert diameter is 12 inches, but the county sizes driveway pipes to handle a 10‑year frequency storm by default and will increase pipe size where watershed or existing conditions require it.

- Maintenance and enforcement: Pottinger explained enforcement options under the Ohio Revised Code for cases where property owners fail to maintain approaches or divert water to public ditches. He said townships have tools that can include ordering repairs by the township superintendent, levying assessments on property owners or pursuing civil action if owners fail to correct drainage or maintenance issues.

- Speed limit changes and studies: A speed reduction is done by segment, not tiny sections; the county’s traffic engineer (Matt Leffler) performs a speed study and forwards recommendations to the Ohio Department of Transportation, which makes the final decision for county roads.

Public and commission questions

Commission members and residents raised common scenarios: a private gravel lane that sheds material onto the public road, how to notify multiple owners on a private lane, and when shared driveways become private streets. Pottinger said for private lanes with multiple users the township should notify every resident and coordinate with the prosecutor’s office as needed; where deeds or HOA documents apportion maintenance responsibility, those documents control. For shared drives in major subdivisions he said zoning rules must be satisfied before a plat is approved and that zoning language can prohibit or limit shared drives.

Resident Scott Price asked about setback and application information for common improvements such as sheds and low landscaping features. Dale, a township staff member, pointed listeners to morgancountship.org and said Article 7 of the township zoning resolution contains setback charts and guidance, and that smaller accessory structures under 200 square feet generally have reduced setback requirements.

Pottinger closed by advising surveyors and property owners to plan cross‑access easements where sight distance is insufficient, to expect county review of legal descriptions and to record maintenance agreements for shared drives prior to plat recording. He left the commission with practical examples of when a minor lot split can proceed and when a full subdivision process is required.

Ending

Commissioners thanked Pottinger for the presentation and said they would use the guidance in upcoming reviews of lot‑split requests and in outreach to residents and surveyors.