Driveway repair across Phoenix and its suburbs that starts with the cause underneath: clay that swells and shrinks, monsoon water that undercuts the base, and afternoons that pass 100°F on 111 days a year. Homes and commercial lots.
Price it with the cost estimator Check your driveway's condition
Each of these has a different cause underneath, and the cause, not the look of the surface, decides the repair.
Concrete shrinks as it cures, so a few hairline cracks are normal. A crack that opens, steps up on one side or comes back after it was filled means the slab is still moving, often on clay that swells when wet and shrinks as it dries. In USDA soil samples, Gilbert and Chandler show moderate or higher shrink-swell at more than three of every four points.
A settled panel holds water at the garage lip and leaves a trip edge where the drive meets the walk. In Phoenix, City Code makes the owner of a lot next to a sidewalk responsible for keeping it in repair, and if a defect isn't fixed after notice, the City can do the work and add the cost to the property tax roll.
Normal summer lows at Sky Harbor stay between about 78°F and 85°F, so dark pavement barely cools between hot days. The binder oxidizes and turns brittle and gray, tires scuff the surface when wheels turn in place, and parked weight leaves ruts. Sealcoat protects a sound surface; it doesn't rebuild one that has failed.
Sky Harbor sees only about four days a year with half an inch of rain or more, so the water that matters arrives in a few heavy bursts. Gravel washes off the drive, edges undercut and silt lands at the street. Phoenix also requires parked vehicles to sit on a dust-free surface; on a single-family lot, bordered gravel at least 3 inches deep can qualify.
Sundial Driveway Repair is a service company offering and managing driveway repair, resurfacing and replacement across Phoenix and its suburbs, for homes and commercial properties; the work is fulfilled by licensed and insured contractors. Services are grouped by the surface you have, the street edge, and commercial lots, and each service page explains why Valley driveways fail that way before it explains the repair.
Concrete driveway repair in Phoenix matched to the cause: cracks, spalling, broken edges and sunken panels, with local price ranges and rules.
Driveway replacement in Phoenix: when a drive should be rebuilt, how base, slope and reinforcement are set, City rules and local price ranges.
Asphalt driveway repair in Phoenix for potholes, alligator cracking and crumbling edges: saw-cut, infrared and crack-fill methods and ranges.
Driveway crack repair in Phoenix for concrete and asphalt: dormant vs working cracks, filling vs sealing, and when a crack points to the base.
Most-requested repairs, shown above with photo plates.
A crack filled over a moving base opens again, and a resurfacing coat over a sunken panel sinks with it. Base, subgrade and drainage are looked at before a method is chosen, because they decide between a fill, a lift, a new section or a new driveway.
Typical Phoenix-area and national budgeting ranges are published on this page and in the cost estimator, each with what it covers and what moves it. They are not quotes, but they give you a number to plan around before the first visit.
Where the drive meets the street, local rules shape the job: the 10.5-foot roll-curb allowance, 6-inch Class A concrete in the right-of-way, an accessible cross slope where the sidewalk crosses the drive, and right-of-way permits that differ from one city to the next.
Sealcoating isn't resurfacing, and resurfacing doesn't fix a base that has failed. Each option is described by what it can and can't do, so the smallest repair that deals with the cause is easy to recognize. A new patch is never promised to match the color of old concrete.
Sundial Driveway Repair offers and manages the work, and licensed and insured contractors carry it out. Any Arizona contractor's license and classification, such as R-9 for residential concrete or R-13 for residential asphalt paving, can be checked on the Registrar of Contractors website.
The day runs the way the sun does: an early start, the real work while the light is right, and time to cure before anyone drives on it.
Describe the surface, what changed and roughly where the property is. Photos of the damage and the street edge help. The published ranges give you a budget to think about before any visit.
The visit looks at more than the damaged spot: the slab or asphalt, the joints and edges, where water runs, and the transitions at the garage, sidewalk and street. The damaged area is measured, and anything found that changes the scope, such as soft base or caliche, is explained in the estimate.
Hot-weather practice from the American Concrete Institute caps concrete at 95°F at discharge for general work, so summer pours are planned for the cooler part of the day. Where the job crosses into the street right-of-way, the city's permit is part of the scope.
How long the car stays off depends on the material and the temperature. That wait is set out before the work starts, so you can plan around it.
Fill, lift, or a new slab? Start with an estimate.
Send the surface and the problem and ask for an estimate. Not ready yet? Run the condition assessment first and see which signs point to which repair. Open the condition assessment
These are typical budgeting ranges, each marked Phoenix area, national, or city fee. They are not quotes: the measured area, the base under it and access set the real number.
$0.50 to $5
per linear foot
Cleaning, filling and sealing cracks in a concrete driveway. Small jobs usually carry a minimum service charge.
Typical Phoenix-area range$6 to $11
per sq ft for the new pour
A standard broom-finish concrete driveway. Removing and hauling off the old slab adds about $1.20 to $1.90 per sq ft, and site grading can add more.
Typical Phoenix-area range$100 to $415
per pothole
Patching a single pothole. Larger saw-cut repairs that rebuild the base underneath are priced by the square foot instead.
Typical Phoenix-area range| Repair | Range | What it covers | Range type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replacing a damaged concrete section | $10 to $15 per sq ft | Breaking out and repouring one section, including haul-off. Very small sections often price as a minimum job. | Phoenix area |
| Mudjacking a settled slab | $4 to $10 per sq ft | Lifting a sound slab on pumped cement slurry. Most jobs carry a minimum charge of several hundred dollars. | Phoenix area |
| Polyurethane foam lifting | $8 to $25 per sq ft | Lifting a sound slab with injected foam. A minimum job charge is common. | National |
| Resurfacing sound concrete | $5 to $10 per sq ft | A bonded overlay on a slab that is level and solid. Decorative overlays cost more. | Phoenix area |
| Asphalt crack filling | $0.50 to $3 per linear foot | Filling cracks in a sound asphalt driveway, usually with a minimum service charge. | National |
| Paver cleaning and sealing | $1 to $3.50 per sq ft | Cleaning and sealing an existing paver driveway. | Phoenix area |
| Phoenix right-of-way permit | $195 minimum per residential single-lot permit | The City of Phoenix minimum for work in the street right-of-way. Concrete and paving permits add a $195 as-built review. | City fee |
Try the driveway repair cost estimator for a budget range without a phone call.
Ranges are general budgeting context for the Phoenix area or the U.S., not rates for a specific job. An estimate after measuring replaces them.
The real choice on most Valley driveways is between these four. The right one depends on what is happening under the surface, not on how bad the top looks.
| Option | What it fixes | What it can't fix | Right when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fill and seal cracks | Keeps water out of the base through cracks and joints | A slab that is still moving, or widespread alligator cracking on asphalt | Cracks are narrow, level on both sides, and the base is sound |
| Lift (slurry or foam) | A sound panel that settled, with the voids under it filled | Broken or crumbling panels, or soil that keeps washing out | The panel is in one piece and the cause of settling can be dealt with |
| Resurface | Worn, scaled or stained surfaces on concrete that is otherwise sound | Settlement, a failed base, or active cracks, which come back through | The slab is level and solid and only the surface has aged |
| Replace a section or the drive | Failed slabs and base, rebuilt from the subgrade up | Color match with older concrete next to a new section | Cracking runs across panels, the base has failed, or several sections are broken |
The same heat falls on every driveway in the Valley, but the soil, the age of the homes and the office that issues right-of-way permits change from one city to the next. Each service-area page covers the local rules and conditions that shape driveway work there.
| Area | Permit office for right-of-way work | Homes built before 1980 | Soil points with moderate or higher shrink-swell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa | City of Mesa | 29.0% | 46.2% |
| Scottsdale | City of Scottsdale | 28.8% | 56.4% |
| Gilbert | Town of Gilbert | 4.1% | 78.4% |
| Arcadia and Camelback East | City of Phoenix | 57.2% | 31.1% |
| Tempe | City of Tempe | 41.2% | 61.4% |
| Chandler | City of Chandler | 9.8% | 76.9% |
| Glendale | City of Glendale | 35.4% | 29.2% |
| South Phoenix | City of Phoenix | 37.1% | 42.6% |
| Central Phoenix | City of Phoenix | 48.3% | 50.0% |
| Paradise Valley | Town of Paradise Valley | 41.8% | 11.4% |
| Surprise | City of Surprise | 2.8% | 52.0% |
| Peoria | City of Peoria | 9.5% | 46.2% |
| Maryvale | City of Phoenix | 52.1% | 66.7% |
| Queen Creek | Town of Queen Creek | 3.1% | 17.9% |
| Avondale | City of Avondale | 12.0% | 18.4% |
Homes: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Phoenix neighborhoods use their urban village. Soil: share of sampled USDA NRCS soil survey points. Soil maps describe an area, not a specific lot.
All service areasHeat does the most harm while concrete is new. Fresh concrete placed in hot, dry, windy weather loses water fast and can develop plastic shrinkage cracks and a weak surface, which is why hot-weather practice caps concrete at 95°F at discharge. On a cured slab, daily heating and cooling opens and closes the joints, which is the movement joints are cut to take.
Repair when the base is sound and the damage is local: a few cracks, one settled panel, a worn surface. Replace when cracking runs across panels, the base has failed or washed out, or several sections are already broken. Resurfacing only suits a sound slab; it doesn't fix settlement or a failed base, and the cracks underneath come back through.
Work entirely on your lot often needs none, but the right-of-way is different. On streets with roll or ribbon curb, Phoenix treats up to 10.5 feet of concrete drive in the right-of-way as part of the on-site work, with no separate driveway permit; longer runs need one, and the concrete there is 6-inch Class A. Each suburb runs its own right-of-way permits.
In Phoenix, City Code makes the owner of a lot next to a sidewalk responsible for keeping it in repair. If a defect isn't fixed after the City gives notice, the City can do the work and add the cost to the property tax roll. Other Valley cities set their own rules, so the answer is confirmed per address with the city where the house sits.
It depends on the repair. Typical Phoenix-area ranges run about $0.50 to $5 per linear foot to fill and seal concrete cracks, $100 to $415 to patch one asphalt pothole, and $6 to $11 per square foot for a new concrete driveway, plus $1.20 to $1.90 per square foot to remove the old one. Base damage, access and minimum charges move the number.
No. Sealcoat is a thin protective coat for a sound surface: it slows oxidation from the sun and keeps water out of fine cracks. It doesn't bridge open cracks, rebuild a soft base or fix alligator cracking from fatigue, and it isn't resurfacing. Those need crack filling, patches that remove the failed material, or an overlay on a sound base.
Asphalt is held together by a binder that softens as it heats, and Phoenix pavement rarely cools off: normal summer highs at Sky Harbor run from about 100°F to 106.5°F, with lows near 80°F. Soft asphalt scuffs when wheels turn in place and ruts under parked weight, most of all on a fresh or thinly built drive.
Phoenix requires parked vehicles to sit on a dust-free surface such as concrete or asphalt. On a single-family or duplex lot, a smooth layer of gravel at least 3 inches deep inside a permanent border also qualifies, and rear yards are exempt. That rule is why many dirt parking areas end up as bordered gravel, concrete or pavers.
Caliche is a cemented layer of calcium carbonate in desert soil. It doesn't crack a driveway by itself, but it makes digging out a failed base or regrading for drainage slower, and it can slow water draining down through the soil. USDA soil surveys flag cemented layers mostly along foothill and desert edges, such as parts of Peoria and Paradise Valley.
Often, if the panel is still in one piece. Mudjacking pumps cement slurry under the slab and foam lifting injects expanding polyurethane; both raise a sound panel and fill the void below it. Neither fixes a broken or crumbling panel, and if water keeps washing soil out from under the edge, the drainage has to be corrected or the slab drops again.
Sundial Driveway Repair is a service company that offers and manages the work; licensed and insured contractors carry it out. In Arizona, a contractor generally needs a Registrar of Contractors license when a job tops $1,000 in labor and materials or needs a permit, and you can look up any license and its classification on the Registrar's website.
Tell us the surface, what changed and the nearest cross streets. Photos of the damage and the street edge make the estimate more useful.