# Shared Driveway Maintenance Agreement: What to Include (With a Free Template)

> A shared driveway agreement settles who pays, who decides, and what happens when someone sells. Here's every clause to include, plus a free template.

By John · Published October 12, 2026 · 7 min read

Source: https://www.sharedlot.com/blog/shared-driveway-maintenance-agreement

A shared driveway maintenance agreement is a short written deal between the homes that share a driveway. It answers four questions: who pays for what, who decides, how money changes hands, and what happens when someone sells. Get those four down on paper and most driveway fights never start.

Below is every clause worth including, why it matters, and a free template you can copy.

## Why put it in writing?

Most shared driveways run on a handshake. That works fine. Until it doesn't.

A handshake breaks in three places:

- **The big bill.** Patching a pothole is easy. A $6,000 repave is when people find out they had different deals in mind.
- **The new neighbor.** Your handshake was with the old owner. The new one never shook on anything.
- **Memory.** Five years later, nobody agrees on what was said.

A written agreement fixes all three. It doesn't need to be long. It needs to be clear.

## What should a shared driveway agreement include?

Here's every clause, in the order they usually appear. Skip the ones that don't fit your driveway. Add anything that's caused trouble before.

### 1. Who's in it

Name every home that shares the driveway, by address and owner. Describe the driveway itself: where it starts, where it ends, and what it's made of. If your deed or easement already describes it, point to that.

### 2. How costs are split

This is the clause people fight about, so get it right.

The fairest split is by use, using the [split-by-use method](https://www.sharedlot.com/methods/driveway). Break the driveway into stretches. Split each stretch equally among the homes that drive on it. A home's share is its total feet divided by the full length of the driveway.

Say three homes share a 300 foot driveway. Home A drives the first 100 feet. Home B drives 200. Home C drives all 300.

| Home | Share |
| --- | --- |
| A | 11.11% |
| B | 27.78% |
| C | 61.11% |
| **Total** | **100.00%** |

Write the percentages into the agreement. Then attach the math as an exhibit, so anyone can check it later.

[Get your driveway's shares →](https://www.sharedlot.com/driveway)

### 3. What counts as maintenance

Spell out what the split covers. A simple version:

- **Routine upkeep.** Filling potholes, adding gravel, grading, sealcoating, clearing brush.
- **Repairs.** Fixing damage from weather, age, or drainage.
- **Improvements.** Paving a gravel driveway, widening it, adding lights. These usually need everyone to agree, since they cost more than keeping things as they are.

### 4. How decisions get made

Pick a number. Below it, any home can go ahead. Above it, you need a vote.

For example: any home can spend up to $500 on routine upkeep without asking. Anything over $500 needs a majority. Improvements need everyone. For big jobs, require two or three quotes so nobody's stuck with one contractor's price.

### 5. How and when people pay

Say who fronts the money and how fast everyone else pays them back. Thirty days is common. Some neighbors also set up a small shared fund for repairs, with each home paying in by its share every year.

### 6. Snow removal

If you get snow, it needs its own clause. Say whether you split a plowing contract or take turns, and whether plowing follows the same percentages as everything else. It usually should. The home at the end of the drive gets the most plowing.

### 7. Damage

If one home damages the driveway, that home pays to fix it. Think moving trucks, a dumpster, or a cement mixer for a pool. This is separate from the normal split.

### 8. Parking and access

Nobody blocks the driveway. Say whether anyone can park on it at all, and for how long. Say it now, before someone's guests stay the weekend.

### 9. Selling a home

Say that the agreement passes to whoever buys each home, and that sellers will tell buyers about it. Recording the agreement with your county can make that stick. Ask a local attorney or title company how that works where you live.

### 10. Disagreements

Write down the steps before you need them. Talk first. If that doesn't work, try a mediator. Courts are the last resort, and they cost more than most driveways.

### 11. Changing the agreement

Driveways change. A new home gets built, or a stretch gets abandoned. Say that the shares get recalculated when the driveway or its users change, and that any change has to be in writing and signed by everyone.

## Free shared driveway maintenance agreement template

Copy this, fill in the blanks, and change anything that doesn't fit. It's written in plain language on purpose. Have a local attorney review it before anyone signs.

> **Shared Driveway Maintenance Agreement**
> **Homes.** This agreement is between the owners of the following homes, who share the driveway described below:
>
> Home A: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, owned by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_<br />
> Home B: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, owned by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_<br />
> Home C: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, owned by \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
>
> **The driveway.** The shared driveway runs from \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. It is about \_\_\_\_\_\_ feet long and made of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
>
> **Shares.** Each home pays this share of all maintenance and repair costs, based on how much of the driveway it uses (the split-by-use method). The math is attached as Exhibit A.
>
> Home A: \_\_\_\_\_\_ %. Home B: \_\_\_\_\_\_ %. Home C: \_\_\_\_\_\_ %.
>
> **What's covered.** Shares apply to routine upkeep (potholes, gravel, grading, sealcoating, brush) and repairs. Improvements, like paving or widening, require every owner to agree in writing.
>
> **Decisions.** Any owner may spend up to $\_\_\_\_\_\_ on routine upkeep without approval. Spending above that requires approval from a majority of homes. Jobs over $\_\_\_\_\_\_ require at least two written quotes.
>
> **Payment.** The owner who pays a contractor sends each other owner a copy of the bill. Each owner pays their share within 30 days.
>
> **Snow removal.** Snow removal is split by the same shares. The owners will \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ (hire a plow / take turns).
>
> **Damage.** An owner who damages the driveway, or whose contractors or guests do, pays the full cost to repair it.
>
> **Access.** No one may block the driveway. Parking on it is limited to \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
>
> **Selling.** This agreement passes to future owners of each home. An owner who sells will give the buyer a copy.
>
> **Disagreements.** Owners will first try to settle disagreements by talking. If that fails, they will try mediation before going to court.
>
> **Changes.** Shares will be recalculated if the driveway or the homes that use it change. Any change to this agreement must be in writing and signed by every owner.
>
> Signed: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Date: \_\_\_\_\_\_<br />
> Signed: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Date: \_\_\_\_\_\_<br />
> Signed: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Date: \_\_\_\_\_\_

Need Exhibit A? Trace your driveway in [Driveway Shares](https://www.sharedlot.com/driveway), then print the summary. It shows each home's percentage and the full math behind it.

## How do you get your neighbors to sign?

Don't lead with a legal document. Lead with the numbers.

- **Send the math first.** A share link shows every stretch, who uses it, and how each percentage was worked out. Numbers from a neutral tool feel like a fact. Numbers from a neighbor feel like an opinion.
- **Ask, don't announce.** "Does this look right to you?" goes further than "Here's what you owe."
- **Start before the big bill.** It's easier to agree on a split when nobody's holding a $6,000 invoice.
- **Keep it short.** One or two pages gets signed. Twelve pages gets sent to a lawyer.

## What this template is not

**It's not legal advice.** Easement and property law vary by state and county. A local attorney can tell you what your deed already says and whether to record the agreement.

**It's not a survey.** Shared Lot measures from satellite imagery, so lengths are close but not exact. If you've measured a stretch with a tape, type in the real length.

It is a fair, clear place to start. Most neighbors just want to know the split is fair. Show them the math.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a shared driveway maintenance agreement?

It's a written agreement between the homes that share a driveway. It says how upkeep costs are split, who decides on repairs, how people pay, and what happens when a home is sold.

### Do I need a shared driveway agreement?

You don't have to have one, but it helps. A handshake deal works until a bill is big, a neighbor moves, or people remember it differently. Writing it down settles those questions before they come up.

### Should a shared driveway agreement be recorded?

Often, yes. Recording it with your county can make it bind future owners, not just the people who signed. The rules vary by place, so ask a local attorney or title company before you record anything.

### How should a shared driveway agreement split costs?

By use. Split each stretch of driveway equally among the homes that drive on it, then divide each home's total by the full length. Shared Lot does this math for free and gives you a summary you can attach to the agreement.

### What if a neighbor won't sign the agreement?

Start with the numbers, not the document. Send them a link that shows the math, and ask what they'd change. If you still can't agree, a mediator is usually cheaper than a lawyer. For a real dispute, talk to a local attorney.

### Is this template legal advice?

No. It's a plain-language starting point for neighbors. Laws on easements and shared driveways vary by place, so have a local attorney review it before anyone signs.