The Bureau’s Road Acceptance Program allows a community to petition the county to accept an established private roadway into the County’s’ road maintenance system. The roadway must meet several requirements before being accepted (excerpts from Section 13-2-203 of the Anne Arundel County Code): - The roadway must meet all applicable laws, regulations, and the County’s Standard Specification and Details for Construction.
All owners of property abutting the private roadway, including those with an easement or other property interest must agree to the acceptance and sign the petition. In addition, each owner must be willing to dedicate the road to public use by deed without cost to Anne Arundel County. The road must serve a public convenience. For each mile petitioned at least five dwellings or commercial units must exist. The road petitioned must connect to a State or County owned road.
To apply to the County for road acceptance, a Road Acceptance Petition must be completed for each road requested. After the petition has been received and validated, not later than six (6) months after the date of the petition, the petitioners will be advised as to whether or not the petition, as submitted, is valid for further consideration by the county. If the petition is not valid, petition spokesperson will be advised what steps are necessary in order to make the petition administratively acceptable. The County will arrange to have the roadway inspected to determine compliance with Anne Arundel County Standard Specifications and Details for construction. This field inspection will determine if the roadway visually appears to meet minimum construction standards, allowing the petition process to go forward. If the roadway fails the visual inspection, the spokesperson for the petitioners will be notified of the reasons. At this point the petitioners have the option of withdrawing the petition. For the petition to move forward, it becomes the responsibility of the petitioners to have an assessment performed detailing the extent of work needed for the roadway to meet County standards. Based on the assessment and cost estimate, the petitioners must decide whether to proceed with the petition. If the decision is made to proceed, the County will review the construction plans to confirm compliance with County standards. Once all necessary construction has been completed, the County will begin the procedure to transfer fee simple ownership to Anne Arundel County. The County will not maintain any road until the entire right of way has been turned over to the County, accepted and so recorded. If you have any questions regarding the road acceptance petition or process, please contact the Bureau of Highways Administration Offices at 410-222-7321 | 
