Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in Vashon Island, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in Vashon Island: what to know

The apron is where county paperwork can start. A drive that joins a maintained county road straight from a neighboring lot requires no right-of-way permit, provided it keeps to county road standards. A separate permit covers any other private job in the right-of-way, and a limited permit runs out a year after issue. Sidewalks, decks, and drives that sit 30 inches or less above grade, with no basement or story beneath them and no part in an accessible route, appear among the exemptions listed in King County code section 16.02.240.

Paved area is tallied for the entire parcel, and the county’s residential drainage guidance counts driveways, patios, and parking areas as non-structure impervious surfaces. Cut and fill for the apron and its base are logged against the 100 cubic yard total, and a cut of five feet or more, or a fill of three feet or more, in any one location can each trigger a clearing and grading permit.

Permits and rules in Vashon Island

Before a pour date is booked, the apron is measured against the road frontage, and we confirm whether the joint is a direct connection. The parcel’s paved total is then set beside the 2,000 square foot figure. Any apron that touches a maintained county road goes to King County in writing, and the pour waits for that reply. Trucks are scheduled around the ferry timetable so the concrete arrives inside its working window.

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

How we approach it

Measure the apron against the county road frontage first
Total the parcel’s paved area before the pour date
Hold the apron until King County has answered in writing
Book trucks inside the ferry timetable window

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 Vashon Island

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

Questions from Vashon Island homeowners

Is a Vashon Island driveway apron a county permit matter?

Joining a maintained county road straight from the neighboring lot is exempt from the right-of-way permit, but only when the joint keeps to county road standards. A separate permit covers any other private job in the right-of-way, and a limited permit runs out a year after issue, so we confirm the joint with King County before the apron is formed.

Does replacing a driveway on a Vashon Island lot bring in drainage review?

It can. Driveways are counted with patios and parking areas when the county totals a parcel’s impervious area, and the total is compared with the 2,000 square foot figure. The drive is then added to the patio and walk figures, and that sum is confirmed with King County before the layout is fixed.

How tall can a Vashon Island driveway sit before county rules take over?

Height is the test: a walk, deck, or drive no higher than 30 inches off grade, and not built over a basement or story, belongs to the county’s exemption list in code section 16.02.240. Anything taller, or built over a space below, is measured again and put to King County before the forms go in.