Frequently Asked Questions

National guides put new asphalt driveways at roughly $5 to $12 or more per square foot (HomeGuide) and $7 to $15 per square foot (Angi). HomeGuide lists a 400-square-foot driveway at $2,000 to $4,800. In New Orleans, a thicker base on soft ground, removal of old pavement and permit work add to that, so we price after seeing the site.

Most of the cost is not the asphalt itself. Removal, hauling, stone base, equipment, crew and hot-mix delivery all add up, and contractors often set a minimum charge; HomeGuide notes some minimums of $2,000 or more. On soft ground, the base work is bigger, which is also what makes the driveway last.

If the work connects to a public street, yes. The City of New Orleans requires a Driveway or Curb Cut Permit to install, replace or repair a driveway that meets the street, with a $100 application fee. Other parishes and cities have their own rules, and we confirm which applies to your address.

Build the base thicker, add fabric where the clay is soft, and set slope toward drains or planted areas so water does not sit on the surface. On an older driveway that has sunk, asphalt repair over the low spot rarely lasts unless the base under it is fixed. If the work meets the street, ask who files the city's Driveway or Curb Cut Permit. An asphalt company that plans all of that before paving is planning for ground below sea level.

Both are used. Asphalt flexes a little as soft ground moves and is easier to patch, which suits settling soil. Concrete lasts longer but cracks as the ground moves and costs more. City standards require the apron in the public right-of-way to be concrete, so many asphalt driveways meet a concrete apron at the property line.

Cost guides give asphalt driveways about 15 to 30 years. On low, wet ground, how long yours lasts depends on the base, the drainage and whether it is sealed and crack-filled on schedule.

Usually not. Under the zoning ordinance, most New Orleans neighborhoods limit paving to 40 percent of the front yard. We plan parking pads within those limits.

In Orleans Parish, the City requires a Driveway or Curb Cut Permit to install, replace or repair a driveway that connects to a public street. The application fee is $100. Other jurisdictions have their own rules; we confirm which applies.

Within New Orleans city standards, the apron in the public right-of-way is concrete. The asphalt driveway meets it at the property line.

Usually because the ground below is soft and wet, or the base was too thin. Rebuilding with a deeper stone base, and fabric on very soft ground, is the lasting fix.

Under City of New Orleans standards, a single-lane apron can be up to 12 feet wide at the property line and a two-lane apron up to 24 feet.

Usually a few days for cars, longer in summer heat and for heavy vehicles. We give you timing for your job.

In New Orleans, new development or redevelopment with 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface, or an acre or more of site, generally does, unless it is residential with fewer than six units. Your engineer or the Department of Safety and Permits confirms it at permit submission.

HomeAdvisor puts it at about every 15 to 20 years, with sealing and crack repair in between. Low, wet lots may need attention sooner.

Yes. We pave in sections and keep at least one entrance open.

We lay out accessible stalls and aisles to the 2010 ADA Standards when we stripe the new surface.

HomeAdvisor puts new asphalt lots at about $2 to $4.50 per square foot nationally, or about $10,000 for a 10-space lot and $75,000 for 100 spaces. Soft ground and stormwater work can add to that.

It can, but clay and a high water table mean the stone reservoir does most of the work, holding water while it drains away slowly. Site conditions decide the design, so we work from your engineer's plan.

No. Sealer would close the pores. Vacuum sweeping is the maintenance.

Not by itself. Larger projects must manage the first 1.25 inches of runoff, and porous pavement is one way to do it.

Yes, for a parking pad or driveway, though it costs more than standard asphalt. HomeGuide puts permeable asphalt at about $7 to $15 per square foot.

With vacuum sweeping and no sealcoat, it can last as long as standard asphalt. Clogging from sediment is the main risk, so keeping sand and mulch off it matters.

HomeGuide gives 2 to 10 years depending on product and conditions. Strong sun pushes toward the shorter end. Once the surface turns gray and stone shows, it is due.

Rain on uncured sealer can wash it off. We schedule around the forecast and reschedule if storms are likely.

No. We fill cracks first; sealer is too thin to bridge them.

No. Sealer would close the pores that let water through.

Because the base under them is still wet or broken. Removing that material and rebuilding the base is the lasting fix.

Yes. We remove the surface, rebuild the base and repave to grade so water drains.

If damage is limited to a few areas, repair is usually the better value. If it covers much of the surface, replacement can cost less over time.

Yes. HomeGuide notes typical minimum charges of $100 to $250, so bundling repairs into one visit helps.

When lines are hard to see, and every time the lot is sealcoated. Heavy-traffic lanes wear first.

Sometimes, within the limits of stall and aisle sizes and the accessible spaces the lot requires.

No. We stripe in sections and at off-hours.

Yes, to the 2010 ADA Standards, and we point out signs or slopes that may need a closer look.