Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Carnation, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Carnation: what to know

Carnation’s standards set a single-family driveway at a minimum of 10 feet and a maximum of 18 feet wide, subject to exceptions in Carnation Municipal Code chapter 15.96. No portion of the driveway may sit within 5 feet of a side property line unless two parcels share it, so a drive that runs close to the lot line is a width question before it is a paving question. Grade has its own limit: the change in grade may not exceed eight percent within any ten feet on a crest, or ten percent within any ten feet in a sag vertical curve.

Where the new slab meets the street, a cut into the sidewalk or the road requires a right-of-way permit under the standards, and we ask Public Works to confirm how that applies at your frontage. Whether a driveway slab that sits above a basement or story needs a permit depends on its height and what lies below it, so we confirm both before the pour.

Permits and rules in Carnation

We confirm the right-of-way permit with Public Works before we price a new approach or sidewalk cut, since the standards require one for every road and sidewalk cut. We check the width and side setback against the standards, and we measure the grade across the slab before the forms are set. The standards defer some driveway rules to chapter 15.96, so we check that chapter for your address too. We confirm the building side and the schedule for your parcel with Carnation’s Planning and Permits staff.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Set the drive between 10 and 18 feet wide on a single-family lot
Keep the paving at least 5 feet off the side property line unless parcels share it
Hold the grade change to eight percent over any ten feet on a crest
Secure the right-of-way permit ahead of any cut into the sidewalk or road

For the full process, see our Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks page.

Building in the cold months? See our guide to winter concrete pours.

Our driveways & sidewalks work, serving Carnation

Examples of our work. We build driveways & sidewalks in Carnation and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Carnation homeowners

What width range applies to a single-family driveway in Carnation?

The standards set a single-family driveway at a minimum of 10 feet and a maximum of 18 feet, with exceptions in chapter 15.96 of the city code. Multi-family and non-residential uses have their own ranges in the same section, so we check the use before we set the width.

Can a Carnation driveway run along my side property line?

Not within 5 feet of that line, unless two parcels share the paving there. The City Engineer can shrink the setback in limited cases, such as built-out lots where a garage or carport has no other workable access, so we review the placement against your survey before we pour.

Does a Carnation driveway apron need a city permit?

Yes, when the work cuts into the sidewalk or the road. The standards require a right-of-way permit for every road and sidewalk cut, so we ask Public Works how that applies to your frontage before the estimate is final.