Concrete in Longmont, CO

Concrete work in Longmont splits into two separate approval tracks the moment it touches more than the middle of a private slab. Apollo Construction starts every driveway, patio, walk, or repair by asking where the private property ends and the public right-of-way begins, because Longmont regulates those two zones through different offices with different paperwork.

Two Different Permit Paths for Longmont Concrete

Longmont requires a building permit for any addition, alteration, repair, or demolition to a main or accessory structure, and the city’s own guidance for additions lists patios among the covered work. A separate, published threshold for a plain driveway or patio replacement that stays entirely on private property is not posted on the city’s site, so we confirm scope-specific requirements with Building Services before pricing a job that sits close to that line.

What is published clearly is the other track: any work in the public right-of-way, including curb, gutter, ramp, driveway-approach, and sidewalk repairs or new installations, requires a Work in the Right-of-Way Permit from Public Works Engineering. That permit is separate from, and in addition to, any building permit the private portion of the job might need.

The Right-of-Way Permit Covers the Public Edge

The right-of-way permit carries its own fee schedule: plan review is $25 for the initial 60-minute review and $25 per hour for any additional review time, and inspections run $30 for up to three inspections with $25 per hour beyond that. Applicants submit a traffic control plan built to MUTCD standards and a certificate of insurance with minimum limits of $350,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence.

Applications go through the Citizen Portal online or in person at the Development Services Center on Kimbark Street, where in-person right-of-way permitting hours are limited to Tuesday and Thursday mornings and early afternoons. Once documents are approved, processing typically runs 24 to 48 hours. The contractor is responsible for notifying the city inspector one business day before work starts in the right-of-way and calling for a final inspection when the work is complete.

Mix Approval Before the Public Portion Is Placed

Longmont’s public improvement design standards require that concrete mix designs proposed for covered right-of-way surface work be approved by the Engineering Division before placement, and the city may call for third-party testing during or after the pour. That review applies to the curb, gutter, sidewalk, and approach segments reviewed under the right-of-way permit. We submit mix information for that portion of the job as part of the permit package rather than treating it as a formality settled after the truck arrives.

We keep the private and public portions of a driveway job on separate tracks for exactly this reason. A residential slab does not need Engineering Division mix approval, but the few feet of approach that cross into the right-of-way do, and mixing the two conversations tends to slow both of them down.

The 50/50 Driveway Cut Cost Share Program

Longmont offers a program that cost-shares an ADA-compliant driveway-approach replacement between the city and the property owner. Eligibility depends on site-specific conditions the city evaluates directly: existing landscaping, property frontage, current driveway width and location, available right-of-way, and the slope of the existing approach. The city has not published the exact dollar caps or cost-share mechanics beyond the 50/50 split on its program page, so homeowners interested in the program should confirm current terms with Public Works before counting on a specific savings figure.

We flag this program during early conversations about a driveway-approach replacement, because it can change both the scope and the paperwork if the city ends up performing part of the work.

Utility Locates Before Any Excavation

Before forms come out of the truck, any excavation for base removal, footings, or grading needs a utility locate. Longmont’s general permit guidance tells applicants to contact the state’s one-call utility notification service and allow three working days for lines to be located and marked before digging starts. We build that window into scheduling rather than treating it as a delay the crew has to absorb on pour day. Request the locate through Colorado 811 rather than calling any published phone number directly.

Frost Depth and Site Drainage Shape the Design

Any concrete work tied to a footing, such as a porch, stoop, or step attached to the house, is designed against Longmont’s published frost line depth of 30 inches. That figure comes from the city’s structural design criteria, not from an assumption carried over from a warmer climate, and it affects how deep a footed element has to be poured even on an otherwise simple concrete job.

Drainage is addressed at the site-plan stage for any project reviewed as an addition, where the application requires the site plan to show drainage and grading. Longmont has not published a separate stand-alone drainage permit specific to a driveway or patio replacement, so for concrete-only projects we treat drainage as a design responsibility handled during layout rather than as its own permit line item, and we grade every new slab to move water away from the foundation regardless of what the permit paperwork requires.

How We Sequence a Longmont Concrete Project

We start by mapping the job against the property line: what stays private, and what touches the approach, sidewalk, or curb. For any right-of-way portion, we file the Work in the Right-of-Way Permit with its traffic control plan and insurance certificate, and we ask whether the driveway cut cost-share program applies. For any portion that meets the city’s addition or alteration definition, we confirm the building permit path with Building Services rather than guessing at an unpublished threshold.

Before excavation, we request a utility locate and hold the required waiting period. Base removal and compaction follow, with footed elements set to the 30-inch frost depth. Forms, reinforcement, and joint layout are set next, mix information is submitted for any right-of-way portion, and placement is scheduled once the inspector has been notified. After the pour, curing and protection carry through until the concrete can accept traffic, and we close out with the final right-of-way inspection where one was required.

Common Questions

Does a driveway replacement in Longmont need a permit?
It depends on which part of the driveway is being replaced. The portion in the public right-of-way, including the approach and any curb or sidewalk work, needs a Work in the Right-of-Way Permit from Public Works Engineering. A published threshold for permitting a private driveway that stays off the right-of-way is not posted by the city, so we confirm with Building Services for a project close to that line.

What does the right-of-way permit cost?
Plan review is $25 for the first 60 minutes and $25 per hour after that, and inspections are $30 for up to three inspections with $25 per hour beyond that. A traffic control plan and a certificate of insurance are also required.

What is the 50/50 driveway cut program?
It is a city program that cost-shares an ADA-compliant driveway-approach replacement with the property owner, based on site conditions like frontage, existing width, available right-of-way, and slope. Exact cost caps are not published, so we confirm current terms with Public Works.

How deep do footed concrete elements need to go?
Longmont’s published frost line depth is 30 inches, which governs footings for any concrete element tied to the structure, such as a porch or stoop.

Talk to Us About Your Project

Tell us what is being replaced or added, whether it touches the sidewalk or approach, and what condition the existing concrete is in. We will sort out which portions need a right-of-way permit, which need a building permit, and how the 50/50 cost-share program might apply before we build a planning range for a Longmont concrete project.