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AfterHow Much Does Driveway Replacement Cost in Los Angeles?
Driveway replacement in Los Angeles typically costs $5,900 to $16,520 for a standard two-car residential driveway in 2026. Most homeowners in neighborhoods like Sherman Oaks, Silver Lake, and Woodland Hills land between $8,000 and $12,000 for a full concrete pour with demo and haul-away included. The final number depends on material choice, driveway size, site access, and whether your existing slab needs structural repair before the new surface goes down.
At Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles, we give you a written price before any work starts. Not a ballpark. Not a range that shifts once the crew arrives. A written number you can hold us to, backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if something fails inside the first year, we come back and fix it at no charge.
Call (213) 277-6578 for a free estimate. A live person answers, 24/7.
Driveway Replacement Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s how the numbers actually break down in the Los Angeles market. These ranges reflect what we see across the city in 2026, from Atwater Village to Westchester to the foothills of La Cañada Flintridge.
| Line Item | Typical Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition & haul-away of old driveway | $800 – $2,400 | Concrete break-up, loading, dump fees. Thicker slabs cost more. |
| Site grading & preparation | $600 – $1,800 | Drainage correction, base compaction, root removal if needed. |
| Concrete pour (4" slab, standard broom finish) | $2,800 – $7,500 | Material, rebar or wire mesh, finishing labor. Around $7 – $12 per sq ft installed. |
| Paver installation (Belgard or Unilock systems) | $4,000 – $11,000 | Higher material cost, but better drainage and easier repair, which matters more after heavy rain seasons. |
| Asphalt paving | $2,600 – $6,500 | Lower upfront cost, shorter lifespan, needs sealing every 2 – 3 years. |
| Permit fees (City of L.A.) | $200 – $600 | LADBS permits for driveway work in most neighborhoods; some hillside zones cost more. |
| Expansion joints, borders, decorative finishes | $500 – $2,500 | Stamped concrete, exposed aggregate, or paver borders push costs up fast. |
What moves the price up or down more than anything else is access. In Los Angeles, narrow hillside streets, tight property lines, and limited staging areas can add 15 – 20% to a job that would be straightforward on a flat suburban lot. A driveway in Eagle Rock with wide frontage and easy street access will land on the lower end; a hillside driveway in Mount Washington with a 30-foot elevation change and no curb cut approval yet will land at or above the top of the range.
We source pavers and hardscape materials from Belgard and Unilock, which carry their own manufacturer warranties alongside our 365-Day Done Right Promise. That’s two layers of protection on any surface we install.
What Affects Driveway Replacement Pricing in Los Angeles
- Material choice. Concrete is the most common in L.A. because it handles heat and sunlight better than asphalt. Pavers cost more upfront but stand up better to the freeze-thaw cycles you get in foothill communities like Tujunga and Sunland, and they are easier to patch if a tree root lifts a section.
- Driveway size and shape. A 20-by-20 two-car pad is one price. A 60-foot-long approach with a turnaround or a motor court pushes square footage up fast. Curves, slopes, and unusual angles mean more cutting and more labor.
- Slope and drainage requirements. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety requires proper drainage so runoff doesn’t flood the sidewalk or your neighbor’s yard. On sloped properties, we often install a channel drain across the apron, which adds $500 to $1,500 to the job. In heavy rain seasons, this is the difference between a driveway that lasts and one that cracks at the low corner within two years.
- Subgrade and soil condition. Los Angeles has expansive clay soils in parts of the Valley that swell and shrink with moisture. If the subgrade under your old driveway has shifted, we need to over-excavate and rebuild the base before pouring. That’s an extra $1,000 to $3,000, but skipping it means your new driveway cracks inside the first wet season.
- Existing concrete condition and thickness. If your old driveway was poured 40 years ago at 6 inches thick with rebar, demolition takes longer and dump fees go up. If it was a thin 3-inch pour with no reinforcement, it comes out faster and costs less.
- Permits and curb work. Most driveway replacements in the city require an LADBS permit. If your existing curb cut needs modification or your driveway apron crosses a public sidewalk, those inspections and fees add to the total. We handle the paperwork and schedule the inspections.
How to Save on Driveway Replacement
You don’t save money by finding the cheapest bid. You save money by not paying twice. The homeowners we work with across Los Angeles have usually been burned before, by a contractor who showed up late, hit them with a change order on day two, or disappeared six weeks after the pour when the first hairline crack appeared.
Here’s what actually saves you money:
- Get the written price first. At Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles, you receive a written price before any work starts. The number on day one is the number on the invoice. That’s the Kingswell standard, and it’s been in place since 2004. No verbal ballparks, no surprise add-ons.
- Fix drainage at the same time. If you know water pools at the corner of your current driveway, address it during the replacement instead of pouring new concrete over the same problem. Adding a channel drain now costs $500 to $1,500. Ripping out a cracked corner and repouring it in three years costs more.
- Choose the material that matches the property. If you’re in a flat, sandy-soil neighborhood with no trees near the driveway, a standard broom-finish concrete slab gets you the best lifespan per dollar. If you live under mature California live oaks with aggressive roots, the long-term math often favors pavers because individual sections can be lifted and reset without replacing the whole driveway.
- Don’t skimp on the subgrade. The most expensive driveway is the one that cracks in year two because the base was never rebuilt. Spending $1,000 to $3,000 on proper over-excavation and compaction now is cheaper than a full re-do later. We have seen this exact failure pattern in neighborhoods like Pacoima and Sylmar, where expansive clay under old slabs has been shifting for decades.
- Ask about the guarantee in writing, before you sign. Every project we do includes a written guarantee and a free second visit if the repair fails. That’s not a promotional line. It’s a standing commitment. If the driveway develops a problem inside the guarantee period, we come back and make it right at no charge. You shouldn’t have to negotiate that after the fact.
If you’re not sure which direction makes sense for your lot, call (213) 277-6578 for a free estimate. We’ll walk the site with you, explain what we’re seeing, and put the number in writing before you commit to anything.
Concrete vs. Pavers vs. Asphalt: Which Costs Less in Los Angeles?
The honest answer is that asphalt is the cheapest upfront, but it’s rarely the cheapest over ten years in this climate. Here’s the comparison.
Concrete Driveway
$5,310 to $14,160 for a standard residential pour in Los Angeles. Concrete handles the inland heat well, doesn’t soften in summer like asphalt, and lasts 30 to 40 years with basic care. The downsides: it cracks with soil movement, and repairs are visible unless you pay for a full texture match, which is hard to pull off cleanly.
Paver Driveway
$8,260 to $21,240 depending on the paver line and edge detailing. We install Belgard and Unilock systems, which are engineered for California sun exposure and residential load. The segmental design means pavers flex with soil movement instead of fighting it. When something shifts, you lift the affected section, re-grade the base, and reset the pavers. No demolition, no full replacement.
Asphalt Driveway
$4,130 to $10,620 installed. Asphalt is softer in high heat, which means it can scuff and develop depressions in a Los Angeles summer, especially on south-facing slopes in Studio City or Valley Glen. It needs sealcoating every two to three years at $295 to $825 per application. Over a 15-year window, the maintenance cost closes most of the gap between asphalt and concrete.
FAQs – Driveway Replacement Cost
How much does it cost to replace a 2-car driveway in Los Angeles?
Most 2-car driveway replacements in Los Angeles land between $7,000 and $12,000 for a standard concrete pour with demolition, haul-away, subgrade prep, and a broom finish. Pavers add $3,000 to $8,000 to that number depending on the paver line and the driveway’s slope and shape. Every project we quote gets a written price before work begins, so you’ll know your exact number after the site walk. Call (213) 277-6578 for a free estimate.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a driveway in L.A.?
If the damage is isolated, such as one cracked panel or a small area of spalling, patching and resurfacing usually runs $800 to $2,500 and buys you several more years. But if you have alligator cracking, settled sections, or standing water after rain, replacement at $5,900 to $16,520 is the financially sound move. Patching a failing base is money spent on a surface that will crack again. We’ll give you an honest read on which path makes sense, and the price is in writing either way.
How long does a driveway replacement take in Los Angeles?
Most residential driveway replacements take 4 to 7 working days from demolition to a finished, cured surface. Concrete needs about 24 to 48 hours before foot traffic and 7 days before vehicle traffic. Paver driveways are often drivable sooner because there’s no cure time. Permits can add a few days at the front end depending on LADBS scheduling. We give you a defined arrival window and a written schedule before the work starts, and we keep to it.
Do I need a permit to replace my driveway in Los Angeles?
Yes, in most cases. The City of Los Angeles requires a permit through LADBS for driveway replacement, and any work where the apron crosses the public sidewalk involves an additional inspection. If your job is in a hillside zone, there may be grading requirements too. We handle the full permit process for you, and permit fees are included as a line item in your written estimate, typically $200 to $600. Never work with a contractor who tells you to skip the permit; if the city catches it, the fines are yours to pay.
Can you replace my driveway the same week I call?
In most Los Angeles neighborhoods, we can be on your driveway for a site walk and written estimate within 1 to 3 days, and with permits moving quickly, many replacements start within 1 to 2 weeks of the signed agreement. If you have an emergency situation, like a failed section that is a trip hazard or a driveway that is blocking access, call (213) 277-6578 and a live person will answer, day or night, and we’ll tell you exactly how soon we can get there.
Why Los Angeles Homeowners Choose Penhallow Remodeling
We are not the cheapest driveway contractor in Los Angeles, and we won’t pretend to be. We are the contractor that gives you a written price before any work starts, shows up in the window we promised, leaves the job site cleaner than we found it, and stands behind the work with a written guarantee. That’s been the Kingswell Way since 2004, and it applies to every Penhallow Remodeling location, each independently owned and operated.
Trevor Nash leads our Los Angeles team. Every technician who walks onto your property is background-checked and in uniform. You’ll always know exactly who is on site and what they’re doing. When you call, a real person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail maze, no callback window.
For homeowners weighing a driveway replacement in Los Angeles, the decision usually comes down to trust. You’ve been burned before. We understand that. That’s why we don’t ask you to take anything on faith. We give you a written number, a written guarantee, and a written promise that if something fails inside of 365 days, we come back and fix it at no charge. The work either holds up, or we do it again. That’s the deal.
We’re proud to be part of the Kingswell family of companies, and we hold to that standard on every project, from a simple driveway pour to a full home exterior overhaul. If you’re considering a broader project, our team works on kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, and whole-home remodels across the city, all under the same written-price, written-guarantee standard. Start at our home page to see everything we do.
Get a Free Driveway Replacement Estimate in Los Angeles
If your driveway is cracking, sinking, or just looking like it has served its time, we would be glad to walk the property with you, explain exactly what we’re seeing, and put a price in writing before you decide anything. No pressure, no follow-up calls that feel like a sales pitch. Just a real number, a real schedule, and a real person you can call anytime.
Call (213) 277-6578 today for a free estimate. A live person answers 24/7, and the estimate costs you nothing.
Pricing reflects the Los Angeles market as of 2026. Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles offers free estimates – call (213) 277-6578.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner at Penhallow Remodeling Los Angeles, serving the Los Angeles area since 2004.
What Our Customers Say
"Primary bath remodel. They gave me a schedule and hit it, called me for every decision, and kept the dust contained with plastic. Beautiful tile work."
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