Concrete driveway repair FAQ

Minor repairs — crack sealing, caulking, mudjacking or foam lifting of existing slabs — generally do not require a building permit. Full driveway replacement usually does, since it involves demolition and new concrete work. Rules differ between the City of Fort Pierce and unincorporated St. Lucie County, so verify with the local building department before a replacement project begins. If a replacement contractor tells you "we don't need a permit for this," verify that claim yourself — it's your property and your liability.

Polyurethane foam injection cures in about 15 minutes — the job itself typically takes a few hours and you can usually drive on the slab the same day. Mudjacking needs roughly 24–48 hours before heavy vehicle use. Full replacement is 1–2 days of work plus about 7 days of curing before you should drive on it (28 days for full strength, but 7 is the practical drive-on threshold most contractors use).

A lift lasts as long as the soil underneath stays put. Fix the cause — drainage, washout, compaction — and a lift can last many years. Leave the cause active and any lift, foam or slurry, is a temporary patch. When comparing bids, the contractor who talks about why it sank is more valuable than the one who only talks about how they'll lift it. See why driveways sink.

There are two different warranties and contractors sometimes blur them: a workmanship warranty (we did the job correctly) and a lift/level warranty (the slab stays level). The second is the one you care about. Get it in writing and ask three questions: what exactly is covered, what voids it (new drainage issues? tree roots? further soil movement?), and does it transfer if you sell the house? A long warranty with broad exclusions is marketing; a shorter warranty with clear terms is information.

Look the company up on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) website using their license number — e.g., a Certified General Contractor license like #CGC1514574. Confirm the license is active, in the company's name (not borrowed from someone else), and covers the work being done. Then ask for a certificate of general liability insurance. Both checks take five minutes; skipping them is how horror stories start.

Three, and make them method-specific — "lift these settled slabs" rather than "fix my driveway." Critically, get quotes across methods, not just across companies: at least one lifting quote and (if replacement is on the table) at least one replacement quote for the same driveway. The decision guide tells you which methods deserve a quote for your situation.

• Door-to-door "we have leftover concrete." The classic paving scam. Legitimate contractors don't sell driveways like ice cream trucks.
• Cash-only, no written contract. No paper trail means no warranty and no recourse.
• Can't or won't show a license number. See the DBPR check above.
• Only quotes one method and dismisses the alternative. One-tool contractors sell their tool, not your solution.
• Pressure to sign today. Concrete work is not a limited-time offer.
• Quote treats cracks without mentioning what's under the slab. Cosmetics without diagnosis.

It depends on what the cracks mean, not how they look. Hairline cracks in a flat slab: seal and monitor. Settled-but-intact slabs: lift. Widespread structural cracking, advanced spalling, or a 30+ year-old driveway: replace. The full framework — with a decision tree — is in the repair-vs-replace guide.