Grading & Driveway Preparation · Lake Oconee Parkway
Grading and driveway preparation for sites on Lake Oconee Parkway, Georgia State Route 44, where any entrance onto the highway needs a GDOT permit.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What permits does grading a driveway onto Lake Oconee Parkway need?
Lake Oconee Parkway is Georgia State Route 44, so any new driveway or work in its right-of-way needs a GDOT permit first: residential through the District Area Office, commercial through District Access Management. Greene County's land-disturbance rules cover the pad. A Class Septic Services grades pads, builds compacted entrances and sets side-drain pipe to the permit.↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
The Lake Oconee Parkway story
Every Parkway driveway ends on a state route
Georgia 44 runs from Eatonton across the Lick Creek arm on the Tom C. Hallman Memorial Bridge, crosses into Greene and heads north to I-20 at Exit 130. Along the Greene stretch it is Lake Oconee Parkway, lined with the places the lake depends on: Lake Oconee Village at 6350, St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital at 5401, the academy and the turns toward Reynolds.↗↗↗
For a grader that changes the job. A driveway onto a county road is a site decision; a driveway onto GA 44 is an encroachment on state right-of-way, and GDOT requires a permit before any construction or non-routine maintenance there. Side-drain pipe under a new entrance is designed for the 25-year storm unless the upstream pipe feeding that ditch is sized smaller.↗↗
The pads behind those entrances are getting bigger. Greene's September 2025 rezonings moved 96.20 acres on the Parkway to B2 commercial and 162.10 acres to RM multifamily, which means building pads, parking subgrade and internal drives on a scale the corridor has not seen before.↗
On the record
- St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital sits at 5401 Lake Oconee Parkway, with its lot reachable from GA 44 or Carey Station Road.↗
- GDOT sends residential and temporary driveway applications to the District Area Office and commercial driveways to the District Access Management Office.↗
- GA 44 crosses the Lick Creek arm of Lake Oconee on the Tom C. Hallman Memorial Bridge and meets I-20 at Exit 130.↗
Permits · GDOT District office (right-of-way) and Greene County (land disturbance); Putnam County on the Eatonton end
Sequence for a Parkway pad and entrance
- 01
Apply for the GDOT driveway or encroachment permit before touching the right-of-way.↗
- 02
Get the Greene land disturbance permit and ES&PC plan where the site triggers them, and file the EPD NOI.↗
- 03
Call Georgia 811; locates are valid for 30 days, and private lines on developed parcels need a private locate.↗
- 04
Install erosion controls, strip and stockpile topsoil, then cut and fill the pad in compacted lifts.↗
- 05
Set the side-drain pipe and build the entrance to the GDOT permit, then lay base and stabilize slopes.↗
More about Lake Oconee Parkway
Pads that leave room for the septic, when there is one
Not every Parkway parcel gets Piedmont sewer. Where it does not, the septic system needs its ground set aside before the grader shows up, because Georgia voids a system's approval if later grading or fill may affect it. Greene's lot ordinance asks for 0.75 acre on public water with room for the replacement field, and it caps flow at 1,200 gallons per acre per day.↗↗
Lots that reach the lake add Georgia Power's line: no mechanical clearing, grubbing or change in land contour inside its 25-foot vegetative buffer or on its project land without written approval. Grading stops well short of the shore.↗
Not every Parkway parcel gets Piedmont sewer.
What it costs
Grading and drive cost context
Grading and leveling
$1-$2 per square foot
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Gravel Driveway Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026), 2026
Gravel driveway
$500-$3,500
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Gravel Driveway Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026), 2026
Cut and fill
$1-$12 per cubic yard
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Excavation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Dirt removal
$8-$25 per cubic yard
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Excavation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Pad size and cut-fill balance
- 02Side-drain pipe and entrance spec under the GDOT permit
- 03Hauling surplus clay off site
- 04Erosion controls during grading
FAQ
Parkway grading and driveway questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Do I need GDOT's permission for a driveway onto Lake Oconee Parkway?
Yes. GA 44 is a state route, and GDOT requires a permit before construction in its right-of-way.
Source: GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 1
Where do I apply for a commercial entrance?
Commercial driveways go to GDOT's District Access Management Office; residential ones go to the District Area Office.
Source: GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 2: Permit Procedures
What size pipe goes under the new entrance?
GDOT designs driveway side-drain pipe for the 25-year storm, unless the upstream pipe feeding the ditch is designed for less.
Source: GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 2: Permit Procedures
Does grading a pad in Greene need a county permit?
If it disturbs over an acre, sits within 200 feet of state waters or is in a post-2000 common development, yes: an ES&PC plan, LDP and EPD NOI.
Source: Greene County, GA: Erosion Control Permit Requirements
Can you grade over a septic area to enlarge the parking lot?
No. Georgia voids a system's approval if later grading or fill may affect it, so the septic area is fenced off first.
Can a Parkway lot that backs onto the lake be graded down to the water?
No. Georgia Power bars mechanical clearing, grubbing or changes to the land contour in its 25-foot vegetative buffer or on its project land without written approval, so the pad and lawn grading stop short of that line.
How long is a Georgia 811 ticket good for?
A normal locate request is valid for 30 calendar days after its effective date.
Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
- 1GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 1
- 2GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 2: Permit Procedures
- 3Wikipedia: Georgia State Route 44
- 4United Community Bank: Lake Oconee Village branch
- 5St. Mary's Health Care System: St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital
- 6Greene County Board of Commissioners: September 9, 2025 meeting minutes
- 7Greene County, GA: Erosion Control Permit Requirements
- 8Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
- 9Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
- 10Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
- 11Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines
- 12HomeAdvisor: Gravel Driveway Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026)
- 13HomeAdvisor: Excavation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Ready when you are
New entrance on GA 44? Permit first, then the pad.
Bring the GDOT permit or let us walk the site with you before you apply. We grade the pad, set the side drain and build a compacted entrance and drive that hold up to trucks. Military and first responders get 10% off.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620