Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

Department of Transportation

Major Access Permits

Overview

An access permit allows for the construction, maintenance, closure, and use of a driveway or street that provides State highway access for a lot, a site, lot subdivision or lot consolidation with frontages along the State highway system. It also gives the ability to use, maintain, repair, and perform replacement of a driveway or street with frontages along a State highway and/or site.

Property owners seeking traffic access to or from State highways or roadways that fall under the jurisdiction of the State must submit an access application to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), Major Access Permits Unit through the Major Access Permit (MAP) E-Permitting portal.

Major Access E-Permitting is a web based, automated GIS-enabled application developed to manage, track, and document all aspects of the Major Access Permit process. MAP E-Permitting offers secured, tiered access for all users.

All improvements made to a State highway shall conform to the requirements found at N.J.A.C. 16:47 Appendix E.


Permit Categories

Permit categories are based on traffic generated on a site, trips that utilize a State highway, highest average weekday and weekend trips of the site, and highest average A.M., P.M., or weekend peak hour trip generation of the site (deductions can be made for internal trips but not for pass-by trips).

Required for driveway removals, emergency driveways, and any site with less than 500 daily trips between it and a State highway.

Required for any site with greater than or equal to 500 daily trips between it and State highway.

Required for any site with greater than or equal to 500 daily trips and greater than or equal to 200 new trips in peak hours between it and a State highway.

Before submitting an access application for development within the Pinelands Area, the Highlands Region, or the Hackensack Meadowlands District, a site owner must give required notice to the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, the New Jersey Highlands Council, or the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission as appropriate. This notice will be indicated in the application. Applicants undertaking more than one activity that requires an access permit should submit a separate application for each activity. Only one application fee (the highest applicable) will be required (N.J.A.C. 16:47-9.8).


Processing Office $ Application Fees $ Permit Fees $ Extension Fee
Application Checklist Plan Checklist Pre-Access Plan Checklist Final Access Plan Checklist


Pre-Application Process

Pre-application meetings provide a site owner with guidance on the access application process, familiarize NJDOT with the proposed development, and identify issues. A pre-application meeting is mandatory when applying for a major with planning review permit, a permit for a new street, and when a new traffic signal is proposed. A pre-application meeting is not required when applying for a major permit but may be held if requested. Meetings are not normally necessary when applying for a minor permit

All pre-application meetings require the following:

A meeting request must be emailed to dot-bmap.permits@dot.nj.gov

Submission of the information specified in the pre-application checklist.


Notification of a professional who will be preparing the access application 7 days before the scheduled meeting and copies of these notifications and all material submitted to NJDOT. Site owners may request a traffic impact study of the proposed study area to be completed by the Department before a pre-application meeting or after a pre-application meeting, but prior to submitting an access application. The request for Traffic Impact Study Review will cost $1,000, which will be credited toward the application fee. Applications must be submitted within 12 months of the pre-application meeting. If not, another pre-application meeting must be held before submitting an application.



One Step Application should include:

  • A Completed and signed application form
  • The applicable fee as described at N.J.A.C. 16:47-9.8
  • All required application checklist items found at N.J.A.C. 16:47 Appendix H-2
  • All required plan checklist items found at N.J.A.C. 16:47 Appendix H-3
  • Documentation of permission from an affected lot or site owner when site traffic is routed through another lot or site not the subject of the application; and
  • Designated contact Person


Two step application should include:

  • A completed and signed application form
  • The applicable fee as described at N.J.A.C. 16:47-9.8
  • All required application checklist items found at N.J.A.C. 16:47 Appendix H-2
  • All required preliminary access plan checklist items found at N.J.A.C. 16:47 Appendix H-4
  • Documentation of permission from an affected lot or site owner when site traffic is routed through another lot or site not the subject of the application; and
  • Designated contact person





Application Process

Applications should reflect current conditions and include any State, county, municipal, or private projects advertised for construction or awarded in the proposed area. NJDOT projects currently advertised, planned for advertisement, or already awarded can be found on the Construction Service page.



PERMIT

A site owner must apply for and obtain an access permit before undertaking any of the following activities:



  1. Constructing one or more driveway(s) or street(s) intersecting a State highway including emergency driveways.
  2. Changing any existing driveway or street intersecting a State highway, whether within or outside the State highway ROW including, but not limited to, addition of a traffic signal, street closures, changing the number of lanes, driveway removals, changing the width of a driveway, changing the location of a driveway, and changing one-way/two-way operations.
  3. Expanding the land use on a lot or site having one or more existing driveways or streets connecting to a State highway, to the extent that a significant increase in traffic results.
  4. Changing the use on a lot or site having one or more existing driveways or streets connecting to a State highway, to the extent that a significant increase in traffic results.
  5. Subdividing a lot fronting on a State highway, or consolidating two or more lots at least one of which tfronts on a State highway.
  6. Constructing a temporary driveway fronting on a State highway.
  7. Initiating any activity that may interfere with the free and safe movement of traffic on a State highway.
  8. Increasing the number of trips between a State highway and a private street to the extent that a significant increase in traffic results.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

All applicants, except major with planning review, shall follow the one-step application review process (N.J.A.C. 16:47-9.7). Major with planning review permit applicants can follow the two-step application review process (N.J.A.C. 16:47-9.7).



Waivers

NJDOT may issue an access permit that does not meet one or more of the application requirements if compliance is not reasonably attainable at the time of application submission or if denial of the application would leave the site without reasonable access to the general system of streets and State highways.

  • Existing substandard conditions.
  • Existing social, economic, or environmental constraints.
  • Unreasonableness of strict application process.
  • Location within an urban enterprise zone.
  • Conflict between the application requirements and the requirements of:
    • - The New Jersey Pinelands Commission or the Pinelands Protection Act (N.J.S.A. 13:18A-1 et seq).
    • - The Coastal Area Facility Review Act (N.J.S.A. 13:19-1 et seq).
    • - The Freshwater Wetlands Act (N.J.S.A 13:9B-1 et seq).
    • - The Stream Encroachment Act (N.J.S.A 58:16A-50 et seq).
    • - The Federal Flood Hazard Zone regulations
    • - The Delaware River Basin Commission
    • - The Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission
    • - The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission
    • - The New Jersey Highlands Council
  • Imposition of conditions by a municipal, county, or other approving agency beyond the control of the lot or site owner, and acceptable to NJDOT.
  • Low or moderate-income housing, proposed pursuant to the Fair Housing Act (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-301 et seq) or under court settlement.

NJDOT will not grant waivers for fees or the spacing distance requirement (N.J.A.C. 16:47-5.1 (f)). To obtain a waiver, a site owner must submit a request on Waiver Form MT-159. If a waiver is granted, it applies to specific conditions of a permit and does not guarantee application approval.




For assistance please call 609.649.9395 or email us at dot-bmap.permits@dot.nj.gov






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