Concrete Driveways in Allen, Texas
Garland Elite Concrete pours concrete driveways in Allen, Texas, for houses and for commercial properties, from new drives and full replacements to the approach where a drive meets the street. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey puts the median year built of Allen's housing at 2003, and the City's parks plan describes Allen as nearing build-out.
The city lies along U.S. Highway 75, with neighborhoods such as Twin Creeks, StarCreek, Montgomery Farm and Shaddock Park, shopping at Allen Premium Outlets, Watters Creek and The Village at Allen, and Eagle Stadium, which seats 18,000. Request a free estimate by phone or form; we'll talk through the drive, the sand and steel under it, and the City's paving permit.
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What the flatwork inspection checks
Allen's 2026 Residential Permit & Construction Packet inspects a driveway as flatwork, alongside sidewalks and patios, and requires 2 inches of cushion sand under all sidewalks and driveways. Rebar must be at least 3/8 inch at 18 inches on center, supported by plastic chairs, and a redwood expansion joint the full depth of the pour is required at the property line. Driveway cuts must sit at least 10 feet from storm inlets.
The radius at the street
The City's own documents differ on the curve where a drive meets the street: the residential packet sets a 5-foot radius, while paving detail SD-P41 shows 10 feet for residential drives and 30 feet for commercial ones. Confirm which applies with the City before the forms go in. Where a drive connects to an existing asphalt street, detail SD-P44 calls for 6-inch, 3600 PSI reinforced concrete.
Slab thickness
Four inches is generally enough for cars and SUVs, while a drive that carries 12,000-pound-plus trucks or large RVs may need 5 or 6 inches.
- Full-depth redwood expansion joint at the property line (City of Allen)
- 4 in. minimum for cars and SUVs; 5 to 6 in. for heavy trucks and RVs (typical guidance)
- 3/8 in. rebar at 18 in. on center, on plastic chairs (City of Allen)
- 2 in. of cushion sand under driveways and sidewalks (City of Allen)
- Black clay, Allen's basic soil type (City of Allen parks plan)
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(945) 441-5958Driveway cuts, spacing and side lot lines
Removing curb and building a driveway in any public right-of-way needs the written approval of Allen's director of engineering. Driveway cuts must be at least 10 feet from the property line for single-family and two-family homes and 20 feet for other uses, measured from the driveway edge, and shared residential driveways are prohibited. No property may have more than two driveway cuts onto any facing street; they must be at least 35 feet apart and at least 20 feet from an intersection.
The City's 2026 residential fence guideline adds a side-yard rule: driveways, other concrete work, pool decks and retaining walls may not be placed within 3 feet of the side lot lines on lots with alleys, or within 3 feet of the side and rear lot lines where there are no alleys.
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(945) 441-5958Commercial drives, fire lanes and parking
Commercial driveways work to a different set of numbers. Allen's return-radius detail allows 30 feet for a commercial drive. The Land Development Code requires all parking lots to be five-inch reinforced Portland cement concrete over a compacted soil subgrade, and every required fire lane to be concrete built to the city's design standards; the fire lane detail shows 3600 PSI concrete on a 6-inch lime-stabilized subgrade, at least 24 feet wide. On a thoroughfare, once curb is saw-cut and removed, the new driveway must be poured within 14 calendar days, or a $500.00 penalty applies for each extra day.
The Allen Economic Development Corporation describes Allen Gateway at Twin Creeks as a 75-acre mixed-use development with a hotel, 65,000 square feet of office and 150,000 square feet of retail planned, and The Farm in Allen as a 135-acre mixed-use development that broke ground on Phase 1 in 2021.
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(945) 441-5958Black clay, shallow limestone and freezes
The City's parks plan gives Allen's basic soil type as black clay, with much of the northeast part of the city on shallow limestone, and names Cottonwood Creek, Rowlett Creek, West Rowlett Creek and Watters Branch as its key natural waterways. Under a driveway, the trouble is that some clays swell when wet and shrink when dry; the usual defenses are good compaction and drainage, plus 2 to 8 inches of crushed rock under a drive on expansive ground.
Cold snaps
DFW Airport averages 29 freeze days a winter, and NOAA's 1991-2020 normals put the median first freeze there on November 24 and the median last freeze on March 8. In February 2021, DFW stayed below freezing for 139 straight hours. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association puts the freezing point of fresh concrete at about 25°F, warns that a freeze can cost it more than 50% of its potential strength, and wants it protected until it reaches 500 psi, which takes about two days.
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(945) 441-5958A railroad town that became a big suburb
The Handbook of Texas says Allen was founded in 1870 by a purchasing agent for the Houston and Texas Central Railway and named in 1872 for Ebenezer Allen, a former attorney general of Texas and a promoter of the railroad. On February 22, 1878, a gang led by Sam Bass held up a train in Allen in what is said to be Texas's first train robbery. Allen still had only a few hundred residents when it incorporated in 1953, then grew from 1,940 people in 1970 to 8,314 in 1980. Since then, U.S. 75, DFW International Airport and the development of Dallas and Plano have driven its growth.
Housing by the numbers
The 2020 Census counted 104,627 residents and 36,962 housing units, 35,491 of them occupied, and the Census Bureau estimates 113,447 residents for July 1, 2025. In its 2020-2024 survey, about 73% of units are single-family detached houses and about 69% of occupied homes are owner-occupied; about 60% were built in 2000 or later, about 7% before 1980, and 2,085 in 2020 or later. A concrete driveway that was installed and kept up properly can last 30 years or more, and once a drive is past about 30 years, full replacement usually makes more sense than swapping out damaged sections.
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(945) 441-5958What a new or replacement drive costs
In 2026 Dallas figures, size-priced driveway projects run $5 to $10 per square foot, and concrete pros charge $35 to $60 per hour per worker. A 12 by 24 foot drive (288 square feet) comes to $1,450 to $2,900, about $2,200 on average. For comparison, national figures are $8 to $20 per square foot to replace a concrete driveway and $3 to $25 to repair one, depending on the type and extent of the damage.
These are typical averages rather than prices from Garland Elite Concrete. Commercial drives are priced on the plans and the site, and every estimate is free.
Call or request a free estimate any time, 24/7.
(945) 441-5958Repairs, aprons and decorative finishes
Beyond new drives, we handle driveway repair and approaches, sidewalks and patios, which Allen inspects under the same flatwork rules, plus retaining walls and commercial paving. Allen's fee schedule sets a retaining wall permit at $150.00, and the wall's final inspection needs an engineer's final letter of acceptance uploaded to the permit file. Stamped and exposed aggregate finishes are options too.
In the towns next door, we also pour stamped driveways in Parker and exposed aggregate concrete in Lucas.
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(945) 441-5958From permit to first drive
General practice from industry sources; your estimate covers your lot and your drive.
Measure and permit
The drive is measured against the lot lines and the curb, and the paving permit is filed before any curb comes out.
Tear-out and subgrade
Soft spots should be dug out and replaced before the base goes down.
Forms, sand and steel
Forms set the slope: Portland Cement Association guidance calls for a driveway to drain toward the street at no less than ⅛ inch per foot. Sand and rebar then go in for the inspection.
Pour, finish and joint
The Illinois Ready Mixed Concrete Association keeps driveway control joints no more than 10 feet apart and requires a centerline joint on drives wider than 12 feet.
Cure, then drive
A driveway reaches roughly 70% of its potential strength about seven days after placement; RVs and large trucks should wait at least 28 days.
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(945) 441-5958Permit questions for driveway owners
Do I need a permit to replace a driveway in Allen?
It depends on where the work is. Allen's code amendments exempt sidewalks, driveways and other flatwork from a building permit if they sit no more than 30 inches above grade, aren't over a basement, aren't part of an accessible route or exit, and follow other city rules. Any curb removal or work in the public right-of-way needs the engineering director's written approval and a Residential Driveway/Sidewalk Construction/Paving Permit, filed since March 3, 2026 through the Right-Of-Way and Residential Paving Permit Application. The City adopted the 2024 ICC building codes effective September 26, 2026, so confirm the current rule with Allen Building & Permitting before you start.
Can a new driveway have cracks at the final inspection?
Not on a new home. Allen's inspection guidelines say no cracks may be present in the driveway or sidewalks at the building final. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association says no concrete is completely crack-free and treats joints as planned cracks, so jointing and curing matter.
What hours can concrete work run in Allen?
The City allows construction from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. All contractors must also register with the City of Allen, at $50 a year.
A free driveway estimate, for a home or a business
Garland Elite Concrete answers every call and estimate request, 24/7, for residential and commercial driveways in Allen and across the Garland area. Let us know the drive's size and what it replaces.