Concrete Overlays in Kent, WA

Concrete overlays in Kent: what to know

Kent grew by annexation as much as by building. Panther Lake joined in 2010 and added about 5 square miles and roughly 24,000 residents, so slabs in one subdivision may have been poured under King County and the next under the city. A slab that has settled, heaved, or opened wide cracks carries those faults through a new surface, whatever its history.

Thickness matters at the edges. An overlay adds height at the garage door, at a porch step, and where the driveway meets the sidewalk apron, which sits in the city’s right-of-way. In Kent, work in the sidewalk or street edge is a street use permit item, so we finish the overlay at the right-of-way line unless the Permit Center approves more.

Permits and rules in Kent

An overlay keeps the footprint and the grade, so building permit review rarely comes into it. Two other rules can. Kent’s critical areas code exempts normal maintenance and repair of residential structures that do not grow the footprint, with a notice step. And it is not clear that resurfacing counts as new or replaced hard surface under the 2,000 square foot drainage threshold. Before quoting, we confirm with the Permit Center how it treats resurfacing on your slab.

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

How we approach it

Tap-test the slab and mark heaved or settled panels for replacement
Keep buildup thin where the slab meets garage doors and steps
Stop at the right-of-way line unless the Permit Center approves more
Note any creek, lake, or steep-slope buffer near the slab

For the full process, see our Concrete Overlays page.

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

Our concrete overlays work, serving Kent

Examples of our work. We build concrete overlays in Kent and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Kent homeowners

Can I resurface the apron where my Kent driveway meets the street?

Probably not without the city. The apron, the stretch between sidewalk and street, is public right-of-way, and work there runs through Kent’s street use permit. We can stop the overlay where the right-of-way begins and leave the apron untouched.

Is an overlay worth it on a settled East Hill driveway in Kent?

Not if the slab has moved. An overlay follows whatever is under it, so settled or heaved panels get replaced and the base fixed first. If the slab is flat and the cracks have stopped moving, resurfacing the whole driveway can even out old patches.

Do I have to tell Kent before resurfacing a slab near a creek or lake?

Possibly. Inside a critical area or buffer, the code exempts normal maintenance and repair that does not grow the footprint, but it asks for 14 days’ notice to the director first. We check the maps for your lot and tell you whether that notice applies.