Residential Driveway Width: 10 Important Facts to Know! -

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1. What Width Should a Driveway Be?

The residential driveway width should be as under:

	Minimum Width	Ideal Width
Single-Car Driveway	10’	12’
Double-Car Driveway	20’	24’
Three-Car Driveway	30’	36’

Local Building Authorities often require you to obtain a permit to build a driveway. You must comply with the code. The minimum & maximum width of the driveway permitted is specified.

Quite often the driveway can only be 20′ wide where it meets the curb. However, the driveway apron will be required to be wider to enable easy ingress and egress of vehicles.

Driveway Width means the width of the driveway as measured perpendicular to the direction of travel upon such driveway.
Law Insider

The length of the driveway should be 18’ – 20’ to accommodate standard cars, SUVs and trucks. Increase this length to 22’ – 24’ if you intend to park full size pickups with extended cabs and oversized minivans on your driveway.

Residential Driveway Width: 10 Important Facts to Know!

2. How Wide Are Most Cars and Trucks?

Here is a Table of Dimensions of Popular Cars & SUVs:

Classification	Representative Model	Width Range	Length Range
Mini Car	Smart Fortwo	5’ 9”	8’ 10”
Compact Car	Honda Civic	5’ 9” – 6’ 8”	13’ 5” – 15’ 7”
Mid Size Car	Toyota Camry	6’	15’
Full Size Car	Nissan Altima	6’	16’ 5”
Compact SUV	Honda CR-V	6’	15’
Large Size SUV	Chevrolet Traverse	6’ 6” – 7’	16’ 6” – 17’

3. How to Deal with a Long Driveway?

A driveway can, of course, be much longer than the minimum requirement, depending on how far the house or garage is from the curb.

A long single-car driveway must provide for a turnaround area near the garage or the house. Without such an arrangement reverse driving will be extremely challenging; especially at night or in trying weather conditions.

A long driveway should ideally have 2 lanes so that vehicles can pass each other without one needing to back up all the way to the end.

4. What Is the Narrowest a Driveway Can Be?

A short single-car driveway can be as narrow as just 9 feet, provided it does not violate the local building authority specifications. This width is enough to accommodate most mid size cars that are typically 6’ in width.

5. What is Typical Residential Driveway Width?

A typical single-car driveway is 10’ – 12’ wide and 20’ long. This area allows a standard car to be parked comfortably on the driveway. Compared to this the parking space in most malls and public utilities is 8’ wide and 16’ – 18’ long.

If the driveway is only 10’ wide you will be stepping out onto the grass or dirt alongside the driveway, when you get down from the car. That is certainly unpleasant. It can even be dangerous. Women with high heel shoes could lose their balance and sprain their ankle.

Extend the width of the driveway to 12’ and you have ample room. You can then step out onto the firm & stable driveway rather than grass or dirt. The extra width also gives ample space for pedestrian and bike traffic.

The length of 20’ is sufficient for most popular cars and SUVs. However, increase the driveway length to 24’, if you plan to park full-size pickup trucks.

If space permits, add an additional 3’ – 5’ to the length. You will have enough space for walking around the cars.

A long driveway need not be extra wide on its entire length. Build a wide parking pad near the garage or the house. This arrangement will save you some money without any inconvenience to you, your family and your guests.

6. How Wide Is a Double-Car Driveway?

A double car driveway should be a minimum of 20’ wide. However, a width of 24’ is preferable, as only then two cars can park side-by-side and the doors can be opened simultaneously, without hitting the other car.

The length of the driveway should be a minimum of 20 feet to accommodate the length of a standard car or SUV.

Quite often 20′ may be the maximum width permitted by your local building code.

7. What Is a Three-Car Driveway Width?

Using the same logic as that for a single-car or a double-car driveway, the width of a three-car driveway can be 30’ – 36′. A width of 36’ is more appropriate. This width will allow for three cars to be parked side-by-side, even if all the doors are open.

However, many local building authorities have a limit on the driveway width where it meets the curb. This may be limited to only 20′. So do check the code carefully and get the permit to build the driveway.

Once again the length of the driveway should be a minimum of 20’ to accommodate the length of a standard car or SUV.

8. What Is a Circular Driveway?

Larger lots that are at least 60’ wide give you the option of a circular, horseshoe or free form driveway.

A circular driveway loops and makes a circle in front of the house. The entry from and exit point are the same but vehicles do not have to back up or turn around. A circular driveway is an impressive landscape feature of larger homes.

A horseshoe driveway has a separate entry and exit. It forms a semicircle in front of the house. While not as impressive as a circular driveway, it does have the benefit that vehicles do not have to pass each other as they come in and go out.

9. How Many Feet Is a Circular Driveway?

The radius of the full circle or the semicircle has to be large enough so that standard cars and SUVs can go around with ease. The driveway itself should be a minimum of 10 feet wide.

Circular and Horseshoe driveways need to comply with the local building authority code specifications. Often the code will set a minimum and maximum for the width of the driveway and the radius at the curve.

10. What Is the Minimum Radius for a Circular Driveway?

The American Institute of Architects recommend that the minimum inside radius should be as under:

Vehicle Type	Minimum Radius
Sports Car	12’
Sedan	15’
SUV	19’
Trucks	22’

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