Frequently Asked Questions

In Walton County there are four maintenance classifications: (1) State Maintained Roadways, (2) Public Rights-of-Way with roadways that are County Maintained, (3) Public Rights-of-Way with roadways that are Privately Maintained, and (4) Private Rights-of-Way that are Privately Maintained. You can review the County maintained road list posted on our website at https://www.co.walton.fl.us/186/Public-Works-Department or you may contact our Public Works Department at (850) 892-8108.

If the Right-of-Way is classified as private, the roadway is not eligible to be County maintained without undertaking a separate process to dedicate the Right-of-Way to the Public. Contact the Planning Department at (850) 267-1955 for more information on that process. If the Right-of-Way is dedicated to the Public but is privately maintained, the roadway is eligible to be considered for County maintenance pending it meets the County’s standards identified in Chapter 5 of the Land Development Code as well as the requirements specified in the County’s adopted Road Acceptance Policy. https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1365/Policies-and-Procedures

If you live outside the city limits of our three municipalities, call the Public Works Department at (850) 892-8108 to learn about the Dirt to Pave Program. The Dirt to Pave Program considers a number of issues that includes items such as right of way, environmental issues, engineering considerations, and traffic counts.

On April 13, 1999, the Walton County Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 99-22 which provides residents who live on private roads the ability to receive assistance in maintaining their roadways. The Road Department shall inspect the road prior to acceptance of the fee. The recovery cost for grading such roads will be $50.00 for a maximum of one hour, but not less than $25.00 for less than one-half hour of grading on private roads. You may contact the Public Works Department at (850) 892-8108 for additional information.

Immediately after rain events, the County can assess damage to County maintained roads and close roads as deemed necessary. This department does NOT have the ability to repair roadways during a rainstorm nor do we use County equipment to pull a stranded motorist from standing water. If a motorist chooses to cross standing water on a roadway that has been signed "Road Closed" or barricaded, it is the responsibility of the motorist to have the vehicle towed. The Public Works Department coordinates with officers and dispatchers from the Sheriff's Department to make sure that weather related signage is installed and properly placed during extreme weather conditions. Once the weather conditions have improved and access is available, this Department will begin to repair damaged roadways in a timely and effective manner. Natural disasters can destroy roads. Walton County will repair and maintain only the roads on our County Maintained Road list.

If you wish to report a maintenance issue, contact Public Works Office at (850) 892-8108 and we will send the request to the appropriate road department to add to the list of maintenance. 

If there is damage or an obstruction in a public roadway that might pose a hazard to motorist, please contract local law enforcement. If necessary, they will contact Public Works. if the debris or damage does not pose a serious hazard, contact the Public Works Department to make a report at https://www.co.walton.fl.us/FormCenter/Public-Works-12/Public-Works-Service-Request-Form-144.

It is the responsibility of the property owner to contact the Public Works Department to verify the culvert location, size and length. It should be noted that Public Works will verify that the proposed location meets our minimum requirements or determine an alternate location. Public Works does not support an access that extends the entire property limits and effort should be made to minimize the size of the needed driveway. It is the responsibility of the property owner to purchase the culvert and contact Public Works prior to installation.

A permit application is needed for construction activities taking place within a public or County maintained right of way. Right of Way applications must be submitted to Public Works for review and approval and permits obtained before work can be done in the right of way. This would include public utilities, contractors, and individuals. You may contact the Public Works Department to obtain a permit application or visit us at https://www.co.walton.fl.us/1365/Policies-and-Procedures.

The first step to submitting a development of any kind is to call the Planning Department at (850) 267-1955 to schedule a pre-application meeting with staff. No applications will be accepted prior to a pre-application meeting. An abandonment is where a property owner requests the County to relinquish, or give up, their interest and rights for the public in a particular easement, alley, roadway, rights of way, or dedicated area. Most dedications are provided on plats and deeds recorded in the public records of the Clerk of Court for Walton County, Florida. When a property owner is encumbered by an easement or road that is not in use or maintained by the County Public Works Department, the owner "petitions" the County for relief by abandoning their right to use the area in the future. The Florida Statutes speak directly about the different kinds of abandonment, but in each case, the owner must petition the County for the relief. There must be public hearing to allow adjacent property owners to comment, the owner is required to notice their neighbors by mail and public sign, and the decision of the Commission is memorialized in a resolution recorded with the Clerk of Court. A meeting with County personnel is recommended before petition is made to the Department.

A missing regulatory sign is an urgent matter and Public Works will replace it as soon as possible. If you encounter this problem, please contact the Public Works Department at 850-892-8108.