Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Renton, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Renton: what to know

Along the street frontage, Renton caps a driveway at 9 feet for a single-loaded garage and 16 feet for a double-loaded one, terms we confirm against your garage layout. On the lot itself the driveway may widen, provided it meets the street at 45 degrees or better and stays within 40 percent of the frontage. A side lot line gets 5 feet of clearance unless two lots share one driveway.

Grade is capped too. A single-family driveway tops out at 15 percent, and anything steeper than 8 percent needs a slotted drain at its low end. A two-track driveway with a pervious center strip cuts hard surface, but the code says it buys no extra width.

Permits and rules in Renton

Construction in the public right of way, from the apron to the sidewalk, takes a Renton right-of-way permit, and an approved traffic control plan has to come before work in the street. Separately, the city’s permit page says a civil permit may apply when a project adds or replaces more than 500 square feet of impervious area. We look up with Development Engineering which of these your apron and walk trigger.

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

How we approach it

Measure frontage first, since driveway width is capped against street frontage
Set the apron to meet the curb line at 45 degrees or better
Hold grade under 15 percent and add a slotted drain where it passes 8
Total new and replaced concrete against the city’s 500 square foot civil permit line

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 Renton

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

Questions from Renton homeowners

How wide can I make my driveway in Renton?

Along the street frontage the code caps it at 9 feet for a single-loaded garage and 16 for a double-loaded one. On the lot it can widen if it meets the street at 45 degrees or more and stays within 40 percent of frontage. We confirm how the city counts your garage.

Do I need a permit to replace my Renton driveway apron?

The apron is public right of way, and Renton requires a right-of-way permit for construction there, plus an approved traffic control plan before work starts. Development Engineering is the city’s contact. A slab entirely on your own lot is a separate question we confirm first.

Who maintains the strip between the curb and sidewalk at my Renton house?

As we read Renton’s street standards, the adjacent owner is responsible for planting strip landscaping unless the city agrees otherwise. The standard for a new residential access street is a 5-foot sidewalk with an 8-foot strip. Concrete work in that strip is right of way and needs a permit.