Asphalt Paving in Fort Collins, CO

Asphalt paving in Fort Collins starts with knowing what the city requires before anyone touches the street edge. Fort Collins issues a Sidewalk and Drive Approach Permit for work on sidewalks or driveway approaches and an Excavation Permit any time cutting is done in city right-of-way. Contractors doing that work need a City-issued Right-of-Way Contractor's License for the specific work category. The drive approach permit is $25 for up to 15 feet plus 30 cents per additional foot; excavation permits carry a $45 application fee plus inspection fees.

What that means for a driveway project

Most driveway replacements stop at the back of the sidewalk or the edge of the existing concrete approach, and the permit is not triggered. If you want the approach widened, a second curb cut, or the sidewalk section across your driveway replaced, it is. We sort out which side of the line your project falls on at the estimate.

Weather and soil

Fort Collins averages 51.4 inches of snow and 15.88 inches of precipitation a year, and the all-time record low is 41 below. Semi-arid air and strong sun dry asphalt out, while snowmelt and refreeze crack it. The city sits at the base of the northern Front Range foothills, and many neighborhoods are built on the same swelling clays the Colorado Geological Survey describes across the corridor. A thick, well-compacted base and good drainage do more for a Fort Collins driveway than any topcoat.

Water moves fast here

In late July 1997, 10 to 14 inches of rain fell over about 31 hours, the heaviest rainfall on record for an urban area in Colorado, and Spring Creek flooded. It is an extreme example, but it shows why drainage belongs in every paving plan: where does the water go when a summer storm drops an inch in an hour? We grade driveways and lots so water leaves the pavement quickly and does not sit along an edge.

Rentals, HOAs and commercial lots

With Colorado State University as the city's top employer and a population of 169,810 in 2020, Fort Collins has many rental properties, HOA communities and busy retail lots. We quote overlays, patching, crack sealing, sealcoating and restriping on schedules that suit property managers, and we lay out accessible stalls to the 2010 ADA Standards when lots are restriped.

Along College Avenue

US 287 becomes College Avenue inside the city and is its busiest street. Lots along it see constant turning traffic, which scuffs and shoves softer asphalt in summer. Thicker surface courses at entrances and full-depth repairs where the base has failed hold up better than thin patches.

Older neighborhoods near Old Town

Fort Collins doubled in the decade after World War II, so blocks around Old Town and the university have driveways and alleys laid down decades ago and patched many times since. On those, we often recommend removing the old pavement and building a proper base rather than adding another layer. Overlays on worn-out alleys tend to shove and crack within a couple of seasons.

Call (970) 717-1592 or

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