Maintenance Guidelines

Routine Maintenance Guidelines

An Airport Sponsor receiving an FAA or North Dakota grant has a legal and binding obligation to keep all aspects of its airport in a safe operating condition. This includes all pavement areas as well as areas adjacent to the active pavements such as shoulders, safety areas, overruns, Runway Protection Zones, and so on.

It is recommended that the following strategies be considered for a successful airport maintenance program:

  1. Regularly inspect all paved areas of the airport and document all inspection activity.

  2. Provide a method of tracking all maintenance activities that occur as a result of your inspections. These need to be reported to the FAA and North Dakota. This is important as this information is used to update the APMS records and is required to remain in compliance with Public Law 103-305.

  3. Conduct an aggressive campaign against weed growth through timely herbicide applications and/or mowing programs for the paved areas. Vegetation growing in pavement cracks is very destructive and significantly increases the rate of pavement and shoulder deterioration.

  4. Implement a periodic crack sealing and joint sealing program. Keeping water and debris out of the pavement system by sealing cracks and joints is a proven method for cost-effectively extending the life of the pavement system.

  5. Ensure that dirt does not build up along the edges of the pavements. This can create a "bathtub" effect, reducing the ability of water to drain away from the pavement system.

  6. Closely monitor the movement of heavy equipment, such as construction equipment, emergency equipment, and fueling equipment, to make sure that it is only operating on pavement designed to accommodate the heavy loads this type of equipment often applies. Failure to restrict heavy equipment to appropriate areas may result in the premature failure of airport pavements.

  7. Other maintenance necessities include keeping all pavement markings well painted, keeping safety signage clear of debris and weeds, ensuring the continuous operation of lighting systems (bulb replacement), and the frequent removal of any debris found in any of the operating areas. In addition, failed pavement areas should be patched as necessary.


These recommendations are only a portion of the responsibility each sponsor has in maintaining an airport. Each airport sponsor must provide regular airport maintenance to all its aviation facilities both in the aircraft movement areas and all adjacent areas supporting aviation. It is particularly important to be vigilant in repairing pavements where conditions can pose a hazard to safe operations. For further information on pavement maintenance techniques, refer to the FAA AC 150/5380-6B, Guidelines and Procedures for Maintenance of Airport Pavements, presented in the adjacent tab.