Concrete Driveways & Sidewalks in White Center, WA

Driveways & sidewalks in White Center: what to know

The street end comes first. King County says a private improvement in the public right-of-way takes a Limited right-of-way use permit. Connecting straight from your parcel onto a maintained county road is the exception, provided the connection follows the adopted King County Road Standards. On a Seattle or Burien street, their rules apply instead.

The county’s subarea plan puts about 58 percent of North Highline’s homes before 1969, so many driveways are original slabs. A re-pour counts toward drainage review, where new and replaced surface add together and concrete removed down to base course or bare soil is replaced. The same plan records residents wanting sidewalks and road improvements as development happens.

Permits and rules in White Center

King County Permits handles right-of-way use, building, and grading permits for unincorporated parcels. Driveways and sidewalks no higher than 30 inches above grade are on the county’s no-permit list, though critical areas and impervious lot coverage can bring one back. New impervious surface past 2,000 square feet calls for a grading permit. We look up the road standard and drainage tier for your parcel before any price is given.

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

How we approach it

Confirm whether the street at your apron belongs to the county, Seattle, or Burien
Add new and replaced concrete together before choosing a drainage review tier
Probe the base under an original slab before pouring its replacement
Pitch the slab along the lot’s natural drainage path, not toward a neighbor

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 White Center

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

Questions from White Center homeowners

Do I need a King County permit to replace my driveway in White Center?

A driveway within 30 inches of grade generally falls on the county’s no-permit list, and a direct hookup to a maintained county road needs no right-of-way use permit. Critical areas, right-of-way work, or 2,000 square feet of new surface can change that. We confirm first.

My White Center address is near Roxbury Street. Is my driveway under King County or Seattle?

It depends on the parcel. SW Roxbury Street is Seattle’s southern boundary, and White Center straddles it. County rules apply only to unincorporated parcels, so we read the parcel record and the street’s owner before we quote.

Does replacing a driveway count as new impervious surface in White Center?

Replaced surface counts alongside new surface. King County’s drainage review adds them together, and below 2,000 square feet, with the other conditions met, no drainage review applies. We total the whole project before drawing it.