Site planning
A new Bellevue driveway may also move your mailbox
A driveway is not only a line on the site plan. Its location can affect the curb, drainage, utilities, sight distance, street trees, and sometimes the mailbox.
On this page6 sections
Driveway work reaches into the right of way
Bellevue lists driveway installation, reconstruction, and relocation among residential right-of-way activities. New-house projects often receive this review inside the building permit, while other work may need a separate right-of-way permit.
Check Bellevue’s residential right-of-way permit guidance.
Show the conflicts before construction
- Existing and proposed curb cuts.
- Utilities, drainage structures, street trees, and signs.
- Sight-distance constraints and driveway slope.
- The existing mailbox and proposed replacement location.
Coordinate mailbox changes
Bellevue’s transportation standards call for mailbox moves associated with street work to be coordinated with USPS and Bellevue Transportation. Do not relocate it based only on contractor convenience; get the location accepted first.
Practical homeowner guide
The visible change may cross several approval boundaries
A driveway or mailbox can touch private property, the public right-of-way, drainage, utilities, street trees, sight distance, fire access, and postal-service requirements. Map those boundaries before assuming this is a small landscape project.
Test the entire access route, not only the curb opening
A useful feasibility sketch follows a vehicle from the travel lane to the parking space. It should show the public right-of-way, curb or pavement edge, sidewalk, planter strip, property line, driveway grade, garage approach, retaining walls, drainage path, sight lines, street trees, hydrants, poles, and utility structures. On a constrained lot, moving the curb cut can change the garage location and therefore the whole floor plan.
Coordinate the city, utility, fire-access, and postal questions before construction. These reviewers protect different things, so one approval does not automatically settle the others. Ask who owns the existing curb work, whether a right-of-way permit is needed, how runoff will be handled, whether utility conflicts require relocation, and where the mailbox will remain safely accessible. Then show the accepted location on the same site plan used by the architect and contractor.
Practical worksheet
Put this guide to work
Worksheet updated . This is a planning example. Regulatory sources and data have their own dates.
Test the driveway before fixing the garage floor
Moving a garage door changes the driveway slope, curb opening and relationship to a tree, utility box or mailbox. A driveway that looks short on a plan can still require difficult grading or work outside the property.
- Survey and profile
- Ask the civil designer for a driveway profile tied to street and garage elevations, with transitions, drainage and sight-distance review.
- Public-area conflicts
- Locate utilities, trees, sidewalks, signs, mailboxes and any access easement. Confirm which authority or owner must approve a change.
- Permit sequence
- Identify the building, right-of-way, drainage and utility approvals that apply and who submits each drawing.
- Construction access
- Check where equipment, deliveries and temporary parking can go without damaging retained trees or blocking required access.
Resolve mailbox relocation with the appropriate postal and city contacts before installation. Do not use a relocated mailbox, fence or curb as evidence of the legal property boundary.
Common questions
What homeowners usually ask
Does replacing a driveway always require a Bellevue permit?
The answer depends on where the work occurs and how much excavation or earth disturbance is involved. Work in the public right-of-way, changes to the curb or sidewalk, drainage impacts, or substantial grading can trigger separate review.
Why check street trees before choosing the driveway location?
Roots, trunks, protection zones, and required replacement can constrain excavation and sight lines. Moving the driveway late may force a redesign of the site plan, garage, retaining walls, and drainage.
What should a simple concept plan show?
Show the property and right-of-way lines, existing and proposed curb cuts, driveway dimensions and slope, utilities, drainage, trees, mailbox, hydrants, and nearby intersections. A measured sketch produces a much clearer city answer than a photo alone.
Action plan
Coordinate the driveway before the site plan is locked
- 1
Survey the right-of-way, curb, sidewalk, utilities, drainage structures, trees, signs, and existing mailbox.
- 2
Have the civil designer test driveway width, slope, turning, sight distance, and garage elevation together.
- 3
Confirm whether the driveway is reviewed inside the BS permit or needs a separate residential right-of-way permit.
- 4
If the mailbox must move, obtain an acceptable location from USPS and Bellevue Transportation before construction.
- 5
Show the approved driveway and mailbox location consistently on site, civil, landscape, and addressing plans.
Official resources