Concrete Contractor in West Palm Beach, FL - Driveways and Slabs Built on a Solid Base

Yes, the city requires a permit for a driveway, and that holds even under its newer small-job exemption, whatever the work costs. Permits go through the city's Building Division, and when your job needs one, we handle the filing and the inspections and tell you at the estimate if we need anything from you, like a survey or your parcel number. Work done without a required permit can bring a penalty fee, daily fines and a lien that makes the house hard to sell or refinance.

It might, but only if the work is on a single-family house, comes in under $7,500, and the property isn't partly or fully in a flood hazard area, and you or your contractor have to ask the city for it in writing. Driveways and structural work need a permit at any cost, and a bigger job can't be split up to stay under the line. The city's list doesn't settle whether a patio or walk needs a permit at all, so we ask the Building Division before we start instead of guessing.

Look up your address on the Flood Information page of the city's Development Services site, which is there so owners can check whether a property sits in a flood zone. The city says its flood maps keep changing, so check again even if you looked before. For concrete it matters twice, because a flood zone rules out that small-job exemption and because I'll want to know how water moves across your lot before we set the slope.

It depends on what I find on site, so I'd rather give you a written price after I've seen it than a number over the phone. What moves it is the size, tearing out and hauling the old slab, how much base work the ground needs, rebar, the permit and the finish you pick. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or decorative work.

You can usually walk on it well before you can park on it, because concrete keeps curing and gaining strength long after it looks dry. Driving on it too early is how edges crack, so once it's poured I'll tell you when it's ready for feet and when it's ready for the car. How long you're without the driveway also depends on tear-out and any permit inspections, which I'll go over at the estimate.

Ask for what the city wants before a contractor can pull permits here: a state or county license, a current city business tax receipt, and insurance certificates for general liability and workers' comp. The city requires that business tax of anyone doing business in West Palm Beach, paid every year, and if you aren't doing the work yourself, it expects you to hire licensed contractors. We're fully licensed and insured, so ask me about it at the estimate.