--- title: "How to Build a Driveway: Layout, Base, Paving and the Curb Cut" description: "How to build a driveway step by step, with the widths, setbacks and paving thicknesses real cities publish, the curb cut permit and the public works inspection." url: https://yespermit.com/how-to-build-a-driveway/ updated: 2026-10-13 language: en-US --- # How to build a driveway Lay out the driveway within your city's width and setback limits, get the curb cut or right-of-way permit for the apron, have utilities marked, excavate, compact a crushed stone base, then pour concrete or lay asphalt or pavers at the thickness your city sets. Cleveland Heights, Ohio, for example, requires 4 inches of concrete for the driveway and 6 inches for the apron. *Updated October 13, 2026. Every regulatory fact below links to its official source.* ## Key facts - In Seattle, a new driveway through an existing curb needs a curb cut permit overseen by the Seattle Department of Transportation.[^3] - Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, makes permit holders responsible for contacting Diggers Hotline, the state's one-call service, before any digging.[^7] - On a state highway, PennDOT reviews drainage as part of the permit and warns that if highway drainage is not properly accommodated, driveway repairs may be required at the owner's expense.[^5] - Cleveland Heights writes the base into its code for asphalt driveways: a 4-inch compacted aggregate base under the asphalt.[^1] - Salina, Kansas, requires a concrete paved approach for a garage accessed directly from the street, and says that building a new approach, or widening or repairing an existing one, requires approval and a permit from the Engineering Division of Public Works.[^6] **We handle the permit. You build.** All-in, until approved: $399 (Fall 2026 launch price, valid through November 30, 2026; regular price $499), approved or your money back ([conditions](https://yespermit.com/guarantee/)): [order](https://yespermit.com/all-in/). Prefer to file it yourself? [Permit Kit](https://yespermit.com/permit-kit/), $349. ## Plan the driveway on paper first A driveway is mostly ground work, and most of the expensive mistakes are made before any concrete arrives: a driveway that is too wide for the zoning code, too close to the lot line, too close to the corner, or draining onto the street the wrong way. Draw it to scale on your survey before anything else. Real published limits to plan around: | Rule | Example | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Width on your lot | 12 feet for a driveway serving a garage, with a wider apron for 20 feet in front of the garage doors | Cleveland Heights, Ohio[^1] | | Distance to lot lines | At least 3 feet from the side and rear lot lines, unless neighbors agree to share one on the line | Cleveland Heights[^1] | | Width at the curb | Residential curb cuts at least 12 feet and at most 22 feet wide | Santa Fe, New Mexico[^2] | | Spacing between cuts | At least 25 feet of standing curb between two curb cuts | Santa Fe[^2] | | Corner lots | No closer than 10 feet to the property line of the intersecting street | Santa Fe[^2] | ## Step 1: Get the curb cut or right-of-way permit The apron, from your property line to the street, is public right-of-way. In Seattle, a new driveway through an existing curb needs a curb cut permit overseen by the Seattle Department of Transportation[^3]. In Fairfield, Ohio, the curb cut and driveway permit covers modifying or repairing driveways between the property line and the street, and public works inspects the work[^4]. If the street is a state highway, the state issues the permit: PennDOT asks Pennsylvania owners to apply at least 30 days before they start[^5]. Check the zoning side at the same time. The width, the setbacks and the surface on your own lot are zoning questions, covered on the [driveway permit](https://yespermit.com/driveway-permit/) page. ## Step 2: Have buried utilities marked Excavating for a driveway base cuts into the same few inches where shallow lines run. Have them marked before you dig: Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, for example, makes permit holders responsible for contacting Diggers Hotline, the state's one-call service, before any digging[^7]. Every state has an equivalent you reach by calling 811. ## Step 3: Excavate and grade Strip the topsoil and soft material down to firm ground over the full width of the driveway. Grade it so water runs off the surface and away from the house, not onto a neighbor's lot. On a state highway, PennDOT reviews drainage as part of the permit and warns that if highway drainage is not properly accommodated, driveway repairs may be required at the owner's expense[^5]. ## Step 4: Build the base The base carries the load; the surface only spreads it. Cleveland Heights writes the base into its code for asphalt driveways: a 4-inch compacted aggregate base under the asphalt[^1]. Compact the base in layers rather than all at once, and keep its finished surface parallel to the finished driveway so the paving keeps an even thickness. ## Step 5: Choose and place the surface Cleveland Heights' zoning code is a good example of the minimums a city can set[^1]: | Surface | Minimum in Cleveland Heights | | --- | --- | | Concrete driveway | 4 inches thick | | Residential concrete apron | 6 inches thick | | Asphalt driveway | 4 inches: 2 inches of compacted binder course and 2 inches of compacted surface course, over a 4-inch compacted aggregate base | | Semi-pervious surfaces | Permitted and encouraged: permeable pavers, porous asphalt, porous concrete, grass-crete or gravel-crete | | Gravel or wood chips | Prohibited | Two cheaper layouts are worth knowing. Cleveland Heights allows a driveway of two paved wheel strips, each at least 18 inches wide and 20 feet long, with turf kept between them[^1]. And semi-pervious paving still counts toward each yard's coverage limit, so it does not let you pave more of the front yard[^1]. ## Step 6: Build the apron to the city's standard The apron is the city's concrete, built by you. Salina, Kansas, requires a concrete paved approach for a garage accessed directly from the street, and says that building a new approach, or widening or repairing an existing one, requires approval and a permit from the Engineering Division of Public Works[^6]. In Fairfield, public works inspects driveway aprons, curbs and sidewalks in the right-of-way for conformance with the city's standards[^4]. Do not pour the apron before that inspection if your permit lists one. ## Step 7: Restore the sidewalk and curb If the new driveway crosses a sidewalk, the sidewalk section is rebuilt to the city's standard too. Seattle notes that its curb cut permit does not authorize changes to landscaping in the right-of-way, which need a separate permit from its urban forestry team[^3]. Plan the street trees and planting strip before you mark the cut. ## Step 8: Final inspection PennDOT asks owners to notify the district office when the driveway is finished, for a final inspection against the permit[^5]. Many cities do the same for the apron. Keep the permit until that inspection is signed off. > **Where we stop** > We prepare the drawing and the applications: the curb cut location, the width at the street and on your lot, the setbacks and the surface. We do not design drainage systems or retaining walls; if your lot needs an engineered drainage or grading plan, we tell you at the start. ## Do you need a permit to build a driveway? The same features that make a driveway easy to build, flat open ground near the street, make it easy for the city to see. Fixing it afterward means public works deciding what stays: Santa Fe can require the reconstruction of any nonconforming driveway to city standards at the owner's expense[^2]. The common reasons applications fail are on [why driveway permits get rejected](https://yespermit.com/driveway-permit-denied/). Our All-in offer prepares the drawing and the curb cut or right-of-way application for your address, and follows them until the permit is issued. ## Common questions ### How thick should a concrete driveway be? Follow your city's paving rule. Cleveland Heights, Ohio, requires concrete driveways at least 4 inches thick and residential aprons at least 6 inches thick. Other cities publish their own minimums, often with a thicker apron where the driveway meets the street. ### How wide can a residential driveway be? It is set locally. Cleveland Heights limits a driveway serving a garage to 12 feet, with a wider apron in front of the garage doors. Santa Fe, New Mexico, requires residential curb cuts between 12 and 22 feet wide. ### Can I build a gravel driveway? Not everywhere. Cleveland Heights prohibits gravel and wood chips for driveways, while it encourages semi-pervious surfaces such as permeable pavers, porous asphalt, porous concrete, grass-crete or gravel-crete. ### Can I build the apron myself? Check with public works first. The apron sits in the public right-of-way, so it is built to the city's specifications and inspected by the city. Salina, Kansas, for example, requires a concrete driveway approach for a garage reached directly from the street, and a permit from its engineering division for a new or widened approach. ## Get it done **We handle the permit. You build.** All-in, until approved: $399 (Fall 2026 launch price, valid through November 30, 2026; regular price $499), approved or your money back ([conditions](https://yespermit.com/guarantee/)): [order](https://yespermit.com/all-in/). Prefer to file it yourself? [Permit Kit](https://yespermit.com/permit-kit/), $349. ## Sources [^1]: [City of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Residential Driveway Zoning Information Sheet (Zoning Code 1161.105 and 1161.11(d))](https://clevelandheights.gov/DocumentCenter/View/272/Residential-Driveway-Zoning-Information-Sheet-PDF), checked October 13, 2026. [^2]: [City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Public Works, Instructions and Application for Permit to Access City Right-of-Way (City Code Chapter 23-3)](https://santafenm.gov/media/files/public_works/Application_for_Permit_for_Access_to_City_ROW_Ch_23-3_1.pdf), checked October 13, 2026. [^3]: [City of Seattle, Department of Construction and Inspections, Curb Cut Permit](https://www.seattle.gov/sdci/permits/permits-we-issue-(a-z)/curb-cut-permit), checked October 13, 2026. [^4]: [City of Fairfield, Ohio, Public Works, Permits and Specifications](https://fairfield-city.org/448/Permits-Specifications), checked October 13, 2026. [^5]: [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Driveway Projects Connected to State Highways Require a Permit (District 10, 2024)](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/news-and-media/newsroom/district-10/2024/driveway-projects-connected-to-state-highways-require-a-permit.html), checked October 13, 2026. [^6]: [City of Salina, Kansas, Residential Detached Garage and Carport handout (BLF-307, 12/2017), driveway and approach requirements](https://www.salina-ks.gov/media/Community%20Development/Building%20&%20Neighborhood%20Services/Homeowner's%20Portal/Residential%20Detached%20Garage%20or%20Carport%20Handout.pdf), checked October 13, 2026. [^7]: [City of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Pool permit (Diggers Hotline requirement before digging)](https://www.wirapids.gov/522/Pool), checked October 13, 2026. --- Source page: https://yespermit.com/how-to-build-a-driveway/ ยท YesPermit, sold by LACANGEL GROUP SAS, 1 rue Marguerin, 75014 Paris, France. Prices in US dollars, taxes included. YesPermit prepares permit applications; it is not an architect, engineer or law firm, and the city or county decides on every permit. Site summary for AI assistants: https://yespermit.com/llms.txt