What Does Driveway Repair Cost?
Driveway repair costs $175 to $6,000 or more, averaging around $1,870, depending on the repair type and the extent of damage. The dividing line is whether the problem is on the surface or in the base underneath it.
| Repair | Cost | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Crack filling | $175 to $300 per service call | Cracks up to 1/2 inch, base sound |
| Edge repair | $200 to $650 | Crumbling asphalt or concrete edges |
| Pothole patching | $100 to $600 per patch | Localized holes, base sound |
| Resurfacing | $2,400 to $5,400 | Surface deteriorated, base sound |
| Mudjacking | $2,400 to $6,000 | Concrete intact but sunken |
| Polyjacking (foam) | $3,000 to $8,000 | Same, with faster cure and less disruption |
Ranges here are national ballpark figures, not quotes. Actual pricing varies by region, home condition, materials, and contractor. How we source cost data.
Crack and Edge Repair: $175 to $650
Filling cracks and repairing crumbling edges is the most common and most affordable driveway work. For asphalt, crack filling uses hot-pour or cold-applied filler that seals the crack against water infiltration; for concrete, it uses flexible caulk or epoxy injection depending on the width and the cause. Professional crack sealing runs $175 to $300 for a service call, or $3 to $5 per linear foot applied professionally versus $0.15 to $0.25 per linear foot for DIY filler. DIY crack filler materials cost $20 to $50. (For more on this, see DIY Driveway Repair: What You Can Do Yourself.)
Edge repair means cutting back to sound material and patching with hot mix or concrete, at $5 to $15 per square foot, or $200 to $650 depending on the linear footage of crumbling edge. Both repairs assume the surface and base are otherwise sound and the damage is localized.
Prompt crack filling is the single most cost-effective driveway maintenance investment. Water that gets through a hairline crack undermines the sub-base and turns a $200 job into a structural failure.
Pothole Patching: $100 to $600
Professional hot-mix patching runs $250 to $600 per patch area, and a small individual pothole repair can run $100 to $400 per hole. Cold patch from a bag costs $10 to $20 and can be placed by a homeowner, but it is a temporary fix that rarely lasts a full season.
Resurfacing: $2,400 to $5,400
Resurfacing applies a new wear surface over an existing structurally sound base. For asphalt, that means milling or cleaning the existing surface and laying a new 1.5 to 2-inch layer of hot mix, though some specifications call for 2 to 3 inches. For concrete, a bonded overlay creates a new surface without removing the slab. Asphalt resurfacing runs $2 to $5 per square foot and concrete overlay $3 to $7 per square foot, putting a 600-square-foot driveway at $1,200 to $4,200 for asphalt, and $2,400 to $5,400 for a standard two-car driveway across material types. Resurfacing costs roughly 40 to 60 percent of full replacement.
It is appropriate when the surface has deteriorated through surface cracking, raveling, pitting, or oxidation but the base is still sound. It is not appropriate when the base has failed, when there is widespread alligator cracking or significant settling, or when cracking extends through the full depth.
Slab Lifting: $2,400 to $8,000
Mudjacking, also called slabjacking or concrete lifting, injects a pressurized cement-soil slurry through small drilled holes to raise a sunken concrete section back to grade. It applies when the concrete itself is sound but has settled from soil erosion or compaction loss underneath. Cost runs $3 to $6 per square foot: a 10-by-10-foot sunken section is $300 to $600, while a full driveway with multiple sunken sections is $2,400 to $6,000. Mudjacking typically costs 30 to 50 percent less than full concrete replacement for the same area and can often be finished in a few hours.
Polyurethane foam injection is the newer alternative. The foam weighs about 2 pounds per cubic foot, cures in 15 minutes, and reaches smaller voids than slurry does. It costs more per square foot, at $3,000 to $8,000 for residential applications, in exchange for the faster cure and less disruption. Neither method repairs the cause of the settling.
Repair or Replace?
Repair when the damage is localized, the base is still sound, and the repair costs less than 30 to 40 percent of replacement. Replace when widespread alligator cracking indicates base failure, when repairs no longer hold, when multiple failure modes are present at once, when the asphalt is over 20 years old or the concrete 35 to 40 years old with widespread deterioration, or when the repair cost approaches replacement cost. (For more on this, see Repair or Replace Your Driveway: How to Decide.)
Signs the Base Has Failed
Alligator cracking, an interconnected pattern resembling alligator skin, is the clearest signal: the asphalt is bending under load because the sub-base no longer supports it. It cannot be fixed by surface patching or resurfacing and requires excavation and base repair or full replacement. Other signs are multiple sunken or heaved sections, cracks that widen significantly during spring thaw, and areas that sound hollow when tapped. Confirm the base condition before committing to any surface-only repair.
What Repair Quotes Leave Out
Drainage correction, base reconstruction, and full replacement sit outside the repair scope and are quoted separately after a site assessment. If water is pooling on or running under the driveway, fixing that is what determines whether the repair lasts. Emergency or same-day repairs carry a 25 to 50 percent premium over scheduled work, so anything that can wait for a normal appointment should. (For more on this, see What Affects the Cost of Driveway Repair?.)
Comparing Quotes and Timing the Work
Two quotes on apparently identical scope often differ by 20 to 40 percent, usually because of different material grades, different preparation specifications, different labor rates, and different assumptions about what is included versus priced separately. Before comparing prices, confirm each quote covers the same repair method, the same dimensions, the same preparation specification, and removal and disposal handled the same way. A low bid that does not explain why it is lower should be scrutinized for omitted scope.
Treat the firm quote issued after a site inspection, not a phone estimate, as the basis for your decision, since soil conditions, access, existing surface condition, and drainage all move the final number. If the work is not urgent, note that spring and early summer are peak demand for driveway work while fall often brings shorter lead times and better scheduling flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
$175 to $6,000 or more, averaging $1,870. Crack and edge repair runs $175 to $650, pothole patching $100 to $600 per patch, resurfacing $2,400 to $5,400, and mudjacking a sunken slab $2,400 to $6,000. The right repair depends on what is failing and whether the base is sound.
$175 to $300 for a professional service call, or $3 to $5 per linear foot applied professionally against $0.15 to $0.25 per linear foot for DIY filler, with materials at $20 to $50. It is worth doing for cracks under 1/2 inch: prompt filling prevents the water infiltration that undermines the sub-base and turns hairline cracks into structural failures.
$2,400 to $5,400 for a standard two-car driveway. Asphalt resurfacing runs $2 to $5 per square foot and a concrete overlay $3 to $7, so a 600-square-foot asphalt driveway lands at $1,200 to $4,200. It costs roughly 40 to 60 percent of full replacement and only works when the base is sound.
$3 to $6 per square foot, which puts a 10-by-10-foot sunken section at $300 to $600 and a full driveway with multiple sunken sections at $2,400 to $6,000. It runs 30 to 50 percent less than full concrete replacement and can often be completed in a few hours.
Both lift a sunken slab by injecting material through drilled holes. Mudjacking uses a heavier cement-sand-water slurry with a slower cure. Foam weighs about 2 pounds per cubic foot, cures in 15 minutes, and reaches smaller voids, at $3,000 to $8,000 for residential work. Neither addresses the cause of the settling.
Repair when the damage is localized, the base is sound, and the repair costs less than 30 to 40 percent of replacement. Replace when widespread alligator cracking indicates base failure, when the asphalt is over 20 years old or the concrete 35 to 40 years old with widespread deterioration, or when repair cost approaches replacement cost.
Look for alligator cracking, an interconnected pattern resembling alligator skin that means the surface is bending under load because the sub-base no longer supports it. Multiple sunken or heaved sections, cracks that widen during spring thaw, and areas that sound hollow when tapped are the other signs. None of these can be fixed with surface repairs.
Yes, emergency or same-day work carries a 25 to 50 percent premium over scheduled repairs. Drainage correction, base reconstruction, and full replacement are also outside the standard repair scope and are quoted separately after a site assessment.