WHAT IS A RUSTIC ROAD AND A RUSTIC ROAD PLAN REVIEW?

Chapter 49, Article VII of the Montgomery County Code, and its associated Executive Regulations, classify certain roads in the county as rustic roads and require that special care be exercised whenever any work is proposed within a rustic road right-of-way. A rustic-road plan review or permit review is an additional review of proposed work on or adjacent to a rustic road to assure compliance with the law and the Executive Regulations. In general, this review takes place concurrently with review and approval of the appropriate permit for construction on property dedicated to public use (Driveway Permit, Grading Permit, Paving Permit, Special Use Permit, Utility Permit, etc.).

HOW DO I SUBMIT A PLAN FOR RUSTIC ROAD REVIEW?

The review process is handled in one of the following two ways:

Upon receipt of a permit application, DPS staff determines whether the road is classified as a rustic road and submits the application to the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee for review and comment, if appropriate. Recommendations of DPS staff and the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee are then incorporated into the permit requirements, and the permit continues through the normal process.

On projects which have major impacts on rustic roads, such as County Capital Improvement Program work, major utility construction, or subdivision development adjacent to a Rustic Road, advance coordination is necessary to avoid unnecessary design costs and unacceptable intrusion on the rustic character of the roadway. Applicants obtain copies of the Rustic Road law and Executive Regulations to be sure that their proposals comply with these guidelines. DPS staff and the Rustic Road Advisory Committee work with applicants to arrive at an agreement on the scope and character of the work to be performed. For new subdivisions, this coordination is initiated at, or prior to submission of the Preliminary Plan to the Planning Board.

WHAT IS THE RUSTIC ROAD ADVISORY COMMITTEE?

The Committee is comprised of seven citizen members appointed for three-year terms by the County Executive for the purpose of review and comment on issues pertaining to rustic roads.

WHAT IS THE COST OF A RUSTIC ROAD REVIEW?

There is no additional cost associated with the rustic road review. Generally, the cost of engineering, design and construction is less than the cost for comparable work on a non-rustic road, and therefore, permit and bond fees may be lower.