Morris County Division of Engineering & Transportation

County Road Opening / Driveway Permit (Work in a Morris County Road Right-of-Way)

Rule 1 of the county's road opening rules states that it is unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or municipality to excavate or tear up the surface of any roadway or road right-of-way under the jurisdiction of the County of Morris without a written permit from the County Engineer, and the 2025 application states that construction permits are required for road openings for utility work, road improvements, driveway construction, test pits, borings and bridge work. Land Development Standards §807 states that after Planning Board approval of a development application, and 10 days before construction at the site, the developer must apply to the County Engineering Division for a permit to perform work within the County right-of-way for any proposed construction of driveways, roadway or utilities. The $200.00 non-refundable figure is the one printed on the county's 2025 Road Opening Permit application form (published February 18, 2025), labelled "FEE FOR UTILITY CO/DEVELOPER". Under Rule 7, a cash deposit per opening is set by the County Superintendent of Road Inspection unless a municipal or utility agreement covers it, and the rules charge out-of-hours inspection at $100 per hour (Rule 14). The form requires commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate with the County of Morris named as additional insured, and the permit must be countersigned by the County Superintendent of Road Inspection. Contact the Division of Engineering & Transportation at (973) 285-6749.