Driveway Approaches in Dallas

The City of Dallas paving permit

Dallas treats approaches, public sidewalks and curb and gutter as paving on city property, and that work needs a paving permit. The application goes to the city's permit office in Oak Cliff. Here is what the city wants with it:

• A site plan drawn to scale with a north arrow
• Property lines, the approach width and the radius at the curb
• Nearby utilities, meters and other approaches on the block
• The paving thickness, the material and the size and spacing of the steel
• A tree removal permit if a protected tree has to come out

We draw the site plan, file the application and build to what the city approves. You do not have to go downtown or to Oak Cliff.

Cities around Dallas

Suburbs run their own permits. Garland charges a separate permit for each approach and has its Transportation Department review it, with a 5 foot radius on a front approach and a 5 foot flare on an alley approach. Richardson wants a permit for a new, widened or replaced driveway and a pre-pour inspection. University Park handles work in the street through its right-of-way office and wants a call before concrete is placed. Mesquite lists driveways and approaches among the flatwork it inspects. Our Dallas driveway permits guide goes through each one.

How we build an approach

We saw cut the curb line and the edges, break out the old slab and trim the ground to the right depth. The city sets the thickness and the steel for the approach, and we draw both on the site plan and build to them. Expansion joints go where the approach meets the street and the sidewalk. If a meter box or a cleanout sits in the approach, we form around it so it stays easy to reach.

Approaches carry heavier loads than the rest of the driveway, and we pour them to match. If the approach is the only bad part, we can replace it alone. If the whole thing is failing, see driveway replacement.

Questions about Driveway Approaches in Dallas

Who pays for a broken approach in Dallas?

The homeowner. City ordinance puts sidewalks and approaches on the property owner, and the city's sidewalk cost-share program leaves the approach at 100 percent owner cost. We pull the paving permit as part of our price.

Can I make my curb cut wider?

Sometimes. The city reviews the width and the curb radius on the site plan. We tell you what is likely to pass before we apply.

Do you fix the public sidewalk too?

Yes, where it crosses the approach or runs along your lot. Sidewalk-only work in Dallas still needs a paving permit, though the city skips the site plan for it.