Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Des Moines, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Des Moines: what to know

The city’s street standards put a single-family driveway approach between 12 and 24 feet wide, with one access point per parcel unless the Public Works Director approves more. A driveway also has to sit 25 feet from a local street intersection and 35 feet from an arterial or neighborhood collector. Adjacent residential approaches need 10 feet between them.

Where the slab crosses the curb and sidewalk, the approach runs from the curb to the back of the walk in Portland cement concrete. Runoff may not discharge straight onto the street or the sidewalk. On the blocks that fall toward the Sound, that decides the slab’s cross-slope and where a trench drain sits.

Permits and rules in Des Moines

The apron is right-of-way. Before an approach is built, altered, or put to heavier use, the city requires a right-of-way permit from Public Works, and its Permit Center sorts that work into types by whether it disturbs the surface and how long it lasts. The city’s building-permit handout says nothing about driveways on private land. Before pricing, we confirm with the city what your apron needs and whether the slab behind it has any review of its own.

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

How we approach it

Measure approach width against the 12 to 24 foot range before drawing the slab
Pour the curb-to-sidewalk section in concrete and request each right-of-way inspection ahead
Schedule excavation and concrete deliveries inside the city’s allowed work hours
Pitch the slab to an on-lot outlet so nothing sheets across the sidewalk

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 Des Moines

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

Questions from Des Moines homeowners

How wide can I make my driveway in Des Moines?

The city’s street standards allow a single-family approach between 12 and 24 feet wide. Wider approaches for oversized vehicles need a deviation request, and a second access point on the same parcel needs Public Works Director approval. We measure your frontage and street type first.

Does my Des Moines driveway need a permit just to replace the concrete?

The apron between sidewalk and street is right-of-way, and the city requires a permit before an approach is built or altered. Work wholly on your own lot is a separate question the city’s handouts do not settle, so we ask Planning, Building and Public Works.

Can driveway runoff or downspouts drain onto the sidewalk in Des Moines?

No. The city’s street standards bar direct discharge from a driveway onto the roadway or sidewalk, and downspouts cannot drain across a sidewalk, walkway, or road. On sloped lots we route that water to an outlet on your property or to an approved connection.