I'm thinking of dubling the size of my driveway

[cat const.]

I have a single car driveway i'm on long-island Islip township.Will enlarging my driveway to handle 4 vehicles, increase my taxes

[DerbyDad03]

As far as I know, there aren't too many people in this ng that are familiar with the assessment of private properties in the township of Islip, NY.

Perhaps you can find the answer under the Driveways category in the on-line version of your township's code:

BTW, it might not be just a "tax" question. Many towns limit the percentage of a lot or front yard allowed to be nonvegetative material. I'll bet that percentage is in the town code. Maybe it will be found in § 68-420.8 Driveways and Parking of your town's code. Just maybe...

[Ed Pawlowski]

Probably. In most towns you need a permit to do it and that tips off the tax assessor.

[Paintedcow]

How are we supposed to know? Call your town or county.

Wanna tell me how much a steak costs here in my town?

[gfretwell]

It really depends on what the assessor's rules are. The size of a driveway is not in our assessment (Florida), only the material. It will just say "concrete driveway". As for the permit, the main thing is for that part that you DON'T own. In most places the first 10' or so still belongs to the county DOT (the Right of Way) along with the road. You need a permit from them to do anything there and it will be a DOT inspector who comes out, not the building inspector. I got around that in Maryland by angling my driveway expansion so the ROW was not changed. I did the DOT there in Florida. Just be sure you know what they want before you start. Call the "locate" people, even if you don't think you are digging. There are usually utilities in the ROW

[Paintedcow]

Since you're from Dublin. (Spelled with an extra "g"). Why not just put a Roundabout in your yard.

[Customer]

Roger Cook (This Old House) recently featured the construction of a grass driveway. Grab a bag of popcorn and take a look:

[Tony Hwang]

In our city you can't make the drive way wider without permit. One thing they consider is water drainage with rain in summer or snow in winter. Tax? afraid of paying tax? Shouldn't do anything then.

[trader_4]

+1

I would think that would be the case on Long Island. But if it does get increased, it should be minimal. Houses there aren't cheap to begin with. Adding the cost of a larger driveway shouldn't be that much and you'd have the paid bill to argue what it cost, if necessary.

[Frank]

You have to check local rules. If you need a building permit to do it then taxes might increase as it adds to your assessment.

I widened mine by 2 feet when I had it repaved a few years ago and permit was not required, but, I live in DE and rules there may be entirely different.

[Tony Hwang]

2 feet is nothing compared to 3 vehicle width, LOL!

[FrozenNorth]

Here the rule is it must be less that 1/3 of the width of your lot. That will obviously vary from region to region.

[DerbyDad03]

Just because something needs a permit doesn't mean it adds to your assessment.

For example, you may need a permit to rip-up and replace an old septic system, but if the new system is merely a like-kind replacement of the old, many municipalities will consider it "general maintenance".

A permit may be required so that the municipality feels confident that the job is done right but it may not be considered an "improvement" in terms of the value of the property for tax purposes.