Highway Department

The Baldwin County Highway Department manages a large network of county-maintained roads and provides services related to road maintenance, infrastructure construction, driveway access, highway permits, subdivision development, road notices, transportation planning, and stormwater studies. This article explains which Highway Department office handles different requests, how the county’s three maintenance areas work, where residents can verify county-maintained roads, how driveway and other highway permits are handled, and which official county resources can help prevent requests from being sent to the wrong office.

Highway Department Responsibilities

The Baldwin County Highway Department is responsible for administering, maintaining, and constructing more than 1,600 miles of dirt, gravel, and paved roads under county control. Its stated responsibility is to construct and maintain infrastructure under its control in a reasonably safe condition for travel.

Much of the department's public-facing work involves county-maintained roadways. Day-to-day maintenance can include grading dirt and gravel roads, repairing potholes, and removing limbs and vegetation when necessary to maintain adequate sight distances. The department also has responsibilities involving subdivisions, driveway and turnout permits, utility permits, turn lane permits, maintenance agreements, setback appeals, and other highway-related matters.

A key distinction for residents is that the Highway Department's responsibility is tied to infrastructure under Baldwin County's control. A road located geographically inside Baldwin County is not automatically a county-maintained road. The county's maps distinguish county-maintained roads from other road classifications, including private roads and roads within incorporated areas. Checking the responsible road system before reporting a problem or filing a permit request can prevent delays.

Three Highway Maintenance Areas

Baldwin County divides its road-maintenance operations into three areas. Each area has its own maintenance barn, supervisor, assistant supervisor, office staff, and crews. Those crews perform the routine maintenance work assigned to county-maintained roads in their respective portions of the county.

The county's Highway Services page brings together access to the maintenance barns, subdivision regulations, driveway permit information, Permit Division materials, and Road Division information. Residents dealing with a physical roadway problem should pay particular attention to the maintenance-area system because the county instructs people reporting road problems to contact the appropriate Area Maintenance Barn facility.

Area 100 in North Baldwin

Area 100 covers the northern part of Baldwin County. According to the Highway Department, this includes territory north of Interstate 10 on the west side of State Highway 59 and territory north of Truck Trail 17 on the east side of State Highway 59.

The Area 100 Maintenance Barn operates Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. During holiday weeks, the stated operating hours are 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.

Area 200 in Central Baldwin

Area 200 covers the central and western portions of the county. Its service area includes the territory south of Interstate 10 on the west side of State Highway 59 down to County Road 36, the west side of County Road 36, the west side of Fish River, and the area south of Truck Trail 17 on the east side of State Highway 59 down to County Road 36 and the Blackwater River.

Area 200 follows the same published schedule as Area 100: Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Holiday-week hours are 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.

Area 300 in South Baldwin

Area 300 is responsible for the southern portion of Baldwin County, including the Fort Morgan peninsula. Residents with county-road maintenance concerns in southern Baldwin should direct the issue to this maintenance area rather than automatically contacting Highway Department administration.

Its published operating hours are Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. During holiday weeks, the stated hours are 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.

Choosing the Correct Maintenance Barn

Identifying the correct maintenance area matters when reporting potholes, vegetation that affects sight distance, maintenance concerns on dirt or gravel roads, or other problems involving a county-maintained roadway. Baldwin County specifically directs road-problem reports to the appropriate Area Maintenance Barn.

For locations near maintenance-area boundaries, relying only on a city name or general mailing address can be misleading. The Highway Department publishes a 2026 General Highway Map showing Area 100, Area 200, and Area 300 together with county-maintained roads and other road information. The map provides a more precise way to determine which maintenance operation covers a particular part of the county.

The map also distinguishes paved and unpaved county-maintained roads and displays other road classes, such as primary, secondary, local, private, ramp, service drive, trail, vehicular trail, and alley. It also marks Baldwin County's incorporated municipalities and census boundary. Those distinctions can help a resident determine whether a problem appears to involve the county road system before calling a maintenance barn.

County-Maintained Road Verification

One of the most common sources of confusion in road-service requests is the difference between a road's location and its maintenance responsibility. The Highway Department's 2026 county-maintained-roads map identifies roads maintained by Baldwin County and distinguishes paved roads from unpaved roads.

This matters because the Highway Department describes its maintenance duties in terms of roadways under county control. Before reporting routine maintenance, residents can use the county's highway mapping to determine whether the road is included in the county-maintained network. A road may appear on a general county map without necessarily being maintained by the Highway Department.

When reporting a roadway issue, having the road name and a sufficiently specific location available can make it easier to direct the concern to the correct maintenance area. For problems near an intersection, bridge, or maintenance boundary, identifying that nearby feature may also help distinguish the location.

Road Problems and Notices

The county maintains an official Road Notices page for Highway Department information. The page instructs residents to report road problems by calling the appropriate Area Maintenance Barn facility.

Road notices and routine road-problem reporting serve different purposes. Maintenance requests concern conditions that may require attention from an area crew, while the Road Notices page provides county-posted information concerning roadway conditions or closures when notices are issued.

Because the county's road-notice information can change, residents looking for a current Highway Department notice should rely on the official page instead of older copied notices. The page also links to the map of county-maintained roadways, which is useful when responsibility for a road is uncertain.

Driveway Permit Responsibilities

Driveway permits are an area where choosing the correct county department is especially important. Baldwin County centralizes applications for driveway and turnout permits on roads and streets under county maintenance through its CitizenServe Portal. New portal users must register before submitting an application.

The type of driveway determines which department processes the request. The county's Residential Driveway Permits page defines the categories and identifies the responsible department.

Minor Residential Driveways

A minor residential driveway provides access to one single-family lot or unit with no more than two legally permitted dwelling units and connects to a publicly maintained street. This type of application is processed by the Highway Department.

Applicants should distinguish a single-lot residential driveway from a shared access serving several lots. The number of lots or units served changes the permit classification and can change which county department reviews the application.

Agricultural Driveways

An agricultural driveway or access serves a farmyard, cultivated or uncultivated field, timberland, or undeveloped land that is not used for industrial, commercial, or residential purposes and leads to or from a publicly maintained street. The Highway Department processes this category as well.

Major Residential Driveways

A major residential driveway serves two or more but fewer than five residential lots or units through a single drive leading to or from a publicly maintained street. Baldwin County assigns these applications to the Planning and Zoning Department rather than the Highway Department.

Commercial Driveways

A commercial driveway includes a private entrance, exit, ramp, tunnel, bridge, side road, or other vehicular passageway serving commercial property or five or more residential lots or units and leading to or from a publicly maintained street. These applications are processed by the Planning and Zoning Department.

Temporary Construction Access

A temporary driveway may be approved for temporary construction access after the permanent driveway permit has been approved. Baldwin County states that a temporary driveway must satisfy county requirements and Alabama Department of Environmental Management requirements for a temporary construction entrance.

Approved temporary driveway turnouts are permitted for 180 days. Once the permanent driveway permit has been issued, the applicant may request temporary construction access from the Planning and Zoning Department. This means temporary construction access should not be treated as a substitute for obtaining the permanent driveway approval first.

Permit Division Functions

The Highway Department Permit Division was created in May 2006 to oversee subdivision development and enforce Baldwin County Subdivision Regulations. Its responsibilities have expanded beyond subdivision matters.

The Highway Permit Division identifies the following areas within its scope:

Subdivision development and enforcement of Baldwin County Subdivision Regulations.
Commercial turnout permit approvals.
Turn lane permit approvals.
Utility permit approvals.
License and maintenance agreements.
Highway Setback Appeal requests.
Adopt-A-Mile requests.

These responsibilities should not be confused with routine maintenance-barn work. A pothole or vegetation issue belongs with the appropriate maintenance area, while permit, development, access, or agreement matters may belong with the Permit Division or another county department identified by the applicable permit category.

Forms and Applications

The Highway Department also maintains an official Forms, Permits, and Applications page. The page includes Highway Department-related forms and references subdivision application forms, Planning and Zoning forms, and the Alabama Adopt-A-Mile Program.

Some county forms are provided as PDF documents. Baldwin County states that its PDF forms are created with Adobe Acrobat Reader products and recommends the official Acrobat Reader so the documents display and function as intended. Applicants working with downloadable forms should use the version supplied through the official county website rather than relying on a previously saved copy whose contents may no longer match the current county material.

Subdivision and Development Matters

Subdivision-related highway work is broader than ordinary road maintenance. Through the Permit Division, the Highway Department oversees subdivision development and enforcement of Baldwin County Subdivision Regulations. This is why a development-related question should not automatically be sent to one of the three road-maintenance barns.

The county's Highway Services section separately identifies Baldwin County Subdivision Regulations, Driveway Permit Applications, Permit Division materials, and Road Division information. That structure reflects different functions within the larger Highway Department.

Property owners, developers, contractors, and others dealing with access or subdivision work should first identify the type of request involved. For example, a minor residential driveway is processed by the Highway Department, but a major residential driveway or commercial driveway is processed by Planning and Zoning. Treating all driveway requests as Highway Department applications can result in contacting the wrong office.

Transportation Projects and Planning

The Highway Department's work also includes planned road and bridge improvements. Baldwin County's FY 2026 County Transportation Plan identifies road improvement projects on County Road 32 and County Road 48 and a bridge replacement project on Scenic Highway 98 over Point Clear Creek.

The plan identifies approximately 9.14 miles of road projects, excluding the bridge project from the mileage total. It also provides project descriptions, estimated project costs, funding information, and the geographic beginning and ending points used for the plan.

The FY 2026 plan was approved by the Baldwin County Commission on August 19, 2025. Residents reviewing a planned improvement should distinguish a transportation-plan project from routine maintenance. A road may be scheduled for a larger capital improvement while still receiving ordinary maintenance through its assigned area barn.

Stormwater Study Information

Highway Department material also includes official stormwater studies. The published documents include the Fish River and Magnolia River Watershed Study and the Wolf Bay Watershed Study.

These studies are separate from everyday requests such as pothole repair, road grading, driveway permits, or vegetation removal. Residents looking for technical watershed material can use the study documents without treating the maintenance barns as the source for the published reports.

Department Administration

Highway Department administration is based at Baldwin County Highway Department Central Annex II in Robertsdale. The department's published administration staff includes the County Engineer, Assistant County Engineer, Pre-Construction Manager, Operations Manager, Construction Engineer, Maintenance Manager, Geospatial Operations Manager, Chief Accountant, and MPO Director.

The administrative office is distinct from the three Area Maintenance Barns. For routine county-road maintenance concerns, the county directs the public to the appropriate maintenance barn. Department administration is therefore not necessarily the first contact for a pothole, dirt-road grading concern, vegetation issue, or similar maintenance problem.

Common Highway Service Mistakes

Several distinctions in the county's published information can help residents avoid sending a request to the wrong office or using the wrong process.

Assuming every road is county maintained: Baldwin County's maps distinguish county-maintained roads from other road classifications. Confirm the road system before requesting Highway Department maintenance.

Calling administration for routine road problems: The county directs road-problem reports to the appropriate Area Maintenance Barn.

Choosing an area by city name alone: The maintenance areas are defined by geographic boundaries involving Interstate 10, State Highway 59, Truck Trail 17, County Road 36, Fish River, and Blackwater River. The county's area map is more precise.

Submitting the wrong driveway category: Minor residential and agricultural driveway applications are processed by the Highway Department, while major residential and commercial driveway applications are processed by Planning and Zoning.

Treating temporary access as the permanent permit: Temporary construction access may be requested after the permanent driveway permit has been approved.

Using maintenance crews for permit questions: Subdivision development, utility permits, turn lane permits, maintenance agreements, setback appeals, and similar matters fall within permit-related functions rather than routine area maintenance.

Relying on an old road notice: Current roadway notices should be checked through the county's official Road Notices page.

Preparing a Road Service Request

For a maintenance issue, first determine whether the roadway is maintained by Baldwin County and which maintenance area covers the location. The county maps provide the most relevant official reference for those two questions.

Residents should then contact the appropriate Area 100, Area 200, or Area 300 Maintenance Barn. Because the department's crews are assigned geographically, selecting the correct area helps put the issue in front of the staff responsible for that roadway.

A request should be tied to a specific roadway location. The road name, nearby intersection, or another clear location reference can help distinguish the affected section, particularly on long county roads or near area boundaries. The Highway Department's stated maintenance functions include pothole repairs, dirt and gravel road grading, and removal of limbs and vegetation for adequate sight distance, so these are examples of issues that fit the area-maintenance structure.

Final Department List

Baldwin County Highway Department
Central Annex II, 22070 Highway 59, Robertsdale, AL 36567
Mailing: Post Office Box 220, Silverhill, AL 36576
251-937-0371 / 251-972-6897 / 251-990-4635

Area 100 Maintenance Barn - North Baldwin
203 Dickman Road, Bay Minette, AL 36507
251-937-0211

Area 200 Maintenance Barn - Central Baldwin
15605 Silverhill Avenue, Silverhill, AL 36576
251-972-8509

Area 300 Maintenance Barn - South Baldwin
20764 County Road 24, Foley, AL 36535
251-972-8530

Highway Department FAQs

How current are Baldwin County highway maps?

Baldwin County publishes dated highway maps, which is useful when you need to confirm that you are looking at the county’s latest mapped road information rather than an older saved copy. The 2026 County Maintained Roads map is dated April 30, 2026. The separate 2026 General Highway Map, dated April 29, 2026, displays the three Highway Department maintenance areas. Checking the date printed on the map is especially worthwhile if you previously downloaded a copy.

Who supervises each highway maintenance area?

The county publishes current staff assignments for each maintenance barn. Area 100 lists Adam Harville as Area Supervisor and Jeremy Howell as Assistant Supervisor. Area 200 lists John Lundy as Area Supervisor and Dylan Carlisle as Assistant Supervisor. Area 300 lists Jeremy Ringler as Area Supervisor and Douglas Acker as Assistant Supervisor. Residents can verify staff assignments through the Highway Department’s official maintenance barn and administration page, since personnel assignments can change over time.

Where should I check if another road agency may be involved?

If the issue appears to involve more than Baldwin County government, avoid assuming that the county Highway Department is the responsible agency. Baldwin County maintains an official highway-related agency links page that directs users to government organizations including the Alabama Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Alabama Emergency Management Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Alabama Department of Environmental Management. This is particularly useful when a concern involves a state highway, federal transportation matter, emergency-management issue, or environmental requirement rather than a county-maintained roadway.