Concrete · Permits

Concrete permits

Whether a concrete driveway, patio or slab needs a permit depends entirely on your city or county — there is no national rule, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. Check with your local building department before signing, and separately with your public works or transportation department if the work touches the sidewalk, curb or street apron, which is often a different permit from a different office.

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Three separate authorities can have a say, and they don't talk to each other. The building department handles structural and site work. Public works or the transportation department handles anything in the public right-of-way — the apron where your driveway meets the street, curb cuts, and sidewalk replacement. If you're in an HOA, its architectural rules are a private contract that runs alongside, not instead of, the public permits.

The reliable way to find your rules: search for your municipality's name plus "building department permit" and call. Ask three questions — does this specific scope need a permit, is a separate right-of-way or curb-cut permit needed, and is there an impervious-surface or setback limit that applies. Get the answer in writing or note the name and date of who told you.

Licensing is also local. Many states license concrete or general contractors and many do not; some regulate at the county or city level. Look up your state's contractor licensing board directly rather than trusting a logo on a truck, and verify the license number against the board's own search.

For the technical side, the residential reference contractors and inspectors work from is ACI 332, Code for Residential Concrete, which NRMCA cites for exterior slab strength requirements. Local code may adopt, modify, or ignore it — which is exactly why you have to ask locally.

How to choose

Ask who pulls the permit — in writing: If the contract is silent, you are the owner and the exposure lands on you. Make it a contract line, not an assumption.
Treat the street apron as a separate job: Work in the public right-of-way commonly needs its own approval from a different department, on a different timeline.
Be suspicious of "no permit needed, trust me": A contractor who avoids permits is avoiding inspection. Unpermitted work also surfaces at resale and during insurance claims.
Check impervious surface limits before you size the slab: Some jurisdictions cap how much of a lot can be hard surface for stormwater reasons. Find out before you design a bigger patio.
Verify the license at the source: Use your state or county licensing board's own lookup. A license number on an estimate is not verification.
Keep the paperwork: Permit, inspection sign-off, delivery tickets, and the signed scope of work. This is the file you need if there is a dispute or a sale.

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FAQ

Concrete permits — common questions

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Do I need a permit to pour a concrete patio?

It depends on your jurisdiction. Rules vary by city and county and can hinge on size, location, setback distance, and whether the slab is attached to the house. Call your local building department and ask about your specific scope — no online source can answer this for your address.

Who is responsible for pulling the permit?

Whoever the contract says. Commonly the contractor pulls it, but if that is not written down, the property owner is generally the one left holding the problem. Put it in the contract.

What happens if work is done without a required permit?

Consequences are set locally and can include stop-work orders, fees, and being required to expose or remove work for inspection. It also tends to resurface during a home sale. Ask your building department what their process is.

Which code governs residential concrete?

ACI 332, Code for Residential Concrete, is the residential reference NRMCA cites for exterior slab strength. Whether and how it is adopted where you live is a local question for your building department.

Sources

Where these figures come from

NRMCA CIP 2 — Scaling Concrete Surfaces (cites ACI 332, Code for Residential Concrete) · retrieved 2026-07-25