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Planning raises concerns about driveway-permit inspections and portal tracking
Summary
The planning representative told the Selectboard that driveway permits are sometimes not tracked clearly in the town portal and that the town has no routine field inspections of installed driveways; the planner recommended reviewing RSA 236:13 and asked the board whether it would support researching permit fee and inspection changes.
A planning representative told the Selectboard on Oct. 11 that the town’s driveway-permit process lacks consistent oversight: permits appear in the online portal as "submitted" without a visible approval trail, and the town does not routinely inspect driveways after installation.
The planner said permits for new driveways are routed to the town’s engineer, TEC (Chris Raymond), or to staff when associated with existing homes, but that the portal’s status reporting is inconsistent. “No one ever goes out and inspects the driveway after it's been put in,” the planner said, which has led to instances where culverts or driveway construction may not meet standards.
The planner cited RSA 236:13 as relevant to the board’s authority and suggested the current permit fee ($100) may not reflect the true administrative and inspection cost. He offered to do the research and calculate a proposed permit fee if the board supports the effort.
Town staff said they submit permit requests to TEC and accept payment when needed; TEC handles the technical review. The board did not adopt any changes at the meeting but the planner asked for guidance on whether to proceed with researching changes to permit fees and a more formal inspection protocol.
If the board supports further work, next steps would include staff and TEC confirming portal workflow and statuses, estimating inspection and enforcement costs, and returning to the Selectboard with a recommended fee and procedural changes.
