adding gated entrance to county road.

Hello, i volunteered to find out if and how we could put up a gated entrance on a county road. The only problem is theres about 10 houses at the rear of our community that use this road to get to their home as this county road cuts through the middle of our community. Our neighborhood was built in 2005-06 and the road was already there. We wanted to become a true gated community and that would require putting a gated entrance on the county road. Were just trying to figure out if this is posssiable and how we could get it done? See the attached picture and where the red box is where the entrance would be. Thankyou

Picture of where the gate would go. https://www.dropbox.com/s/01jnilmqcmqk46v/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-15%20at%209.28.02%20PM.png?dl=0

John,

You specified that it is a County Road.
You did not specify that it is a private road.

Therefore, you need to ask the County and see what needs to happen to make the road a private road (so you can put up a gate) or if they would allow a gate on the public road.

Keep in mind that as a private road, you would be responsible for the maintenance of that road. If there are any properties that utilize this road for ingress/egress, you may not prevent that access. Additionally, you can not force them to share in the cost of maintaining the road or gate if they are not part of your association unless they agree or (I suspect) obtain a court order to add said restriction to their deed.

I'm thinking you're going to fail

I think you'll have an uphill battle. You don't mention what county you're in, by in my county (Orange), there are a very specific set of laws that need to be followed for a gated community. This includes becoming responsible for all road, sidewalk, and storm drainage maintenance and repair, and maintaining sufficient reserves to cover these:
http://orangecounty-fl.elaws.us/code/coor_ptii_ch34_artviii

Other counties might have similar ordinances. It's also possible that the county would not want to give up ownership/control of the road in any case. As mentioned previously, you would still need to allow access to the other homes that use this road.

Can't speak for JohnC61 but in Florida gated communities are perceived to be more desirable. The biggest effect a gate at the entrance has is not enhanced security or privacy, but enhanced property values. There is at least one survey I've seen where potential homebuyers indicate a strong preference for gated communities over un-gated communities. Similar homes in similar neighborhoods will fetch $5,000 to $10,000 more, on average, in a gated community vs an un-gated one.

My numbers might be off but I distinctly recall reading about it 2 summers ago when researching gated community safety considerations. They're really not that much safer. But the homes are worth more anyway.