Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Sammamish, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Sammamish: what to know

The city’s 2016 Public Works Standards set a residential driveway at 10 to 24 feet wide on a non-arterial street, and 20 to 24 feet on an arterial street, measured at the right-of-way or property line. Grade in the right-of-way is capped at 15 percent, and the change in grade is limited to 8 percent per 10 feet over a crest and 12 percent per 10 feet in a sag. Those limits decide whether an apron can be poured as planned on a steep frontage.

Where the drive cuts into a slope on the lot, the clearing and grading rules apply. Cut and fill slopes cannot exceed 2 horizontal to 1 vertical unless the Director approves, so the excavation is set before the layout is marked. The apron is built in concrete or asphalt under the standards, and it is reviewed as public work apart from the private slab.

Permits and rules in Sammamish

The street connection and the apron are reviewed as public work under the city’s Public Works Standards. Cuts into a slope are reviewed under the clearing and grading rules, and a Clearing and Grading Permit or Site Development Permit is needed unless SMC 16.15.050 exempts the work. We check the apron grade and any slope cut for your address before we quote, so the two reviews are scoped together.

Sammamish’s clearing and grading page says a Clearing and Grading Permit or Site Development Permit is required before site work unless SMC 16.15.050 exempts the work. It caps cut and fill slopes at 2 horizontal to 1 vertical unless the Director approves, and it says work within critical areas or their buffers cannot be exempted, except on publicly owned land. Rules change, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Measure the approach width at the right-of-way or property line
Check the apron grade against the 15 percent right-of-way cap
Hold any cut slope at 2 horizontal to 1 vertical or flatter unless approved
Build the apron in concrete or asphalt to the city’s standard

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 Sammamish

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

Questions from Sammamish homeowners

How wide can a Sammamish driveway be?

Under the city’s 2016 Public Works Standards, a residential driveway runs 10 to 24 feet wide on a non-arterial street and 20 to 24 feet on an arterial street, measured at the right-of-way or property line. We measure your frontage before we set the width.

How steep can a Sammamish driveway apron be?

The standards cap grade in the right-of-way at 15 percent, and they limit the change in grade to 8 percent per 10 feet over a crest and 12 percent per 10 feet in a sag. A steep frontage can change the apron design, so we survey it first.

Does a driveway cut on a Sammamish slope need extra review?

It can. Cut and fill slopes are capped at 2 horizontal to 1 vertical unless the Director approves, and the clearing and grading rules apply to the excavation. We confirm those rules before the layout is marked.