Senate committee hears bill to set 90‑day target for driveway permit reviews, DOT warns on safety and scope

Senator Mark McConkie, District 3, told the Senate Transportation Committee he introduced Senate Bill 153 to shorten and standardize the time it takes to issue permits for altering driveways that exit onto public ways, saying “time is money” for developers and that permit delays can stall housing projects.

The bill would set a 90‑day threshold for the permit process once a completed application is filed. McConkie said some regions process applications quickly while others take much longer, creating uncertainty for builders and developers.

Alan Hanscomb, state highway maintenance engineer for the Department of Transportation, told the committee the driveway permitting process is a “complicated engineering effort” that may require an approved traffic impact study, engineered plans and mitigation tied to the specific use and location. He cautioned that the bill as drafted would start the 90‑day clock at receipt of a completed application and would cover time the applicant spends responding to review comments.

“As it’s written, it says the department shall issue the permit,” Hanscomb said when pressed on whether the bill would allow DOT to deny unsafe applications. He and other department witnesses argued that the department controls only part of the overall timeline: applicants often take 30 to 60 days to revise plans after receiving DOT comments, and some projects require lengthy engineering work or signal/intersection improvements.

Hanscomb said DOT has implemented an online permit portal capable of tracking which party is responsible for elapsed days and that the department is preparing a flowchart and timeline expectations for applicants. He added that imposing deadlines likely would require additional engineering and administrative staff, or use of expensive on‑call consultant contracts, to meet firm review timelines for large, multifaceted projects.

Nick Taylor, director of Housing Action New Hampshire, and representatives of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association told the committee they support streamlining and predictability in permitting. Taylor said developers face financing and scheduling pressures when permit approvals stretch for months. A Home Builders Association witness told the committee that some projects can take as long as 18 months to clear DOT permitting and said the sponsor’s intent was not for the department to be forced to issue unsafe permits.

Committee members voiced support for accelerating straightforward, low‑risk applications while preserving a pathway to address safety concerns on complex projects. Hanscomb suggested if the legislature adopts deadlines, the time limit should apply only to DOT’s review days, not the full applicant–department cycle.

The committee closed the hearing on SB 153 with agreement to continue work with stakeholders and the department on language to preserve safety review while improving predictability for applicants.