Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Tacoma, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Tacoma: what to know

The stretch of a driveway between your property line and the street falls under Chapter 10.14 of the city code, and it gets specific. A driveway has to be at least 9 feet and no more than 30 feet wide, all the driveways for one owner together can’t exceed half the street frontage, and a new driveway is supposed to come off an alley when a usable one exists. On a 50-foot lot, the half-frontage cap is 25 feet.

Where the slab crosses the sidewalk it is set at the established sidewalk grade, and the code does not allow water to run across the sidewalk. On a steep block, that decides where the slope breaks and where a trench drain has to sit.

Permits and rules in Tacoma

Tacoma’s tip sheet treats a residential driveway on private property as exempt from a building permit, but a site development permit applies once new or replaced hard surface reaches 2,000 square feet. The apron, curb, and sidewalk are public right-of-way, which takes a right-of-way construction permit from Planning and Development Services and a city bond. Paving the planting strip needs special permission. Before we quote, we check which of these your address triggers.

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

How we approach it

Pull the Chapter 10.14 width, frontage, and grade limits before drawing anything
Set the slab at established sidewalk grade and patch the walk to match
Dig out soft or filled ground and compact crushed rock in lifts
Slope water to a legal outlet, never 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 Tacoma

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

Questions from Tacoma homeowners

Can I widen my Tacoma driveway to fit a second car?

Only within the city’s limits: no wider than 30 feet, and all driveways on the lot together under half the frontage. A driveway already over those limits can be made to conform when it is altered or repaired. We measure your frontage first.

Who pays to fix the cracked sidewalk in front of my Tacoma house?

The abutting owner, under state law and city code. Tacoma flags sections that are sunken, lifted, or badly cracked, not ones that merely look worn. Reconstruction needs a right-of-way permit, and street tree roots are a common cause of lifting.

Can I pave the grass strip between the curb and sidewalk in Tacoma?

Not freely. Parking on planting strips is prohibited, and paving the outer strip takes special permission from Public Works. It is not allowed where there is no concrete sidewalk and curb. Where approved, the code names specific surfaces, including pervious concrete.