Mission
The Department of Public Works owns and manages the use of all rights-of-way within the city of Richmond. Any use of or construction within a public right-of-way is called an encroachment and requires authorization. Most encroachment types may be authorized administratively with the submittal of the city's Administrative Approval Process Encroachment Application. In some cases City Council approval may be required. Here's the process for consideration:
Complete an Encroachment Application, with a total of four copies, and submit to Room 110 City Hall,
Permits & Services. The application form will assist you in providing information and a survey plat or plan showing items such as,
but not limited to the following items:
- Length, width, and area of the proposed encroachment
- Extension into the public right-of-way
- Distance from the encroachment to the next side street right-of-way line
- Height above the sidewalk
- Width of the sidewalk at the location of the encroachment
The letter must be accompanied by a $300 check made out to the city of Richmond. This application fee is non-refundable, even if
the request is denied. Any Administrative Approval Process Encroachment Application should include the required liability insurance
certificate with the initial submittal, but no later than 15 working days after submittal of the application to Room 110 City Hall.
In the event the insurance certificate is not received within 15 working days after the submittal, then the application shall
become null and void and the applicant will be required to submit a new application and processing fee for approval considerations.
(Insurance limits enabled by Ord. 2005-49-122 adopted 06.13.05)
Submit Application With Appropriate Materials To:
City of Richmond
Division of Permits & Services
City Hall, Room 110 - Planning and Development Review
900 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
If you need further instructions, please call (804)646-6955.
In the event an encroachment requires considerations through the Council Approval Process, a letter of request must
be accompanied by a $1,000 application and processing fee made out to the city of Richmond and mailed to the
Director of Public Works.
The letter should include a plat and dimensional information as noted above for the administrative process. All application fees are
non-refundable, even if the request is denied.
Letters of application and fees should be sent to:
Director of Public Works
City Hall, Room 701
900 E. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Questions about the Council Approval Process may be directed to the Division of Right-of Way Management
Excavation and Restoration Manual (Version: Dec. 2005)
The city of Richmond provides its Excavation and Restoration Manual in downloadable format
so that developers can easily refer to city requirements for working in the right-of-way. Updates are made regularly, so please
revisit this section in the future to ensure you have the latest version of this important document.
Note: this is a large (6MB) file.
Excavation Reporting (updated: Dec. 2006)
The instructions document for Excavation and Restoration is written to assist customers with complying with
Attachment 3 of the Excavation Manual, which describes the complete GIS format, procedures, and requirements for reporting (
twice yearly) of three-year excavation plans.
GIS data document will help in reporting. Please note that the file is at least 9 MB in size.
Metadata of Geodetic Ground Control Point
Description: The City of Richmond 1999 Geodetic Network conforms to Federal Geodetic Control Committee first order accuracy standards for global positioning system horizontal networks. There are 53 geodetic ground control stations/monuments with survey mark reference and recovery data. If any monument is found to have been disturbed or destroyed, please contact the Surveys Division (804)646-0436 of the Department of Public Works.
Date Created: April, 1999
Vertical Data: North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) (note: the most of elevations are GPS derived)
Horizontal Data: Virginia Coordinate System, South Zone (4502) NAD83 VA HARN
