Permits: confirm which authority covers your address
If your address is in unincorporated Sacramento County, the county process applies. Confirm that with the county before you plan anything, since we could not verify Antelope's status for you.
- A driveway approach in the county right-of-way needs an Encroachment Permit from SacDOT, obtained by the property owner or their representative before construction. County Improvement Standards govern placement and design. Confirm fees and any contractor-license requirement with SacDOT.
- The county building permit exemption list is in the county's Administrative Code, and the county form GI-21, Work Exempt from Permit, gives details. Read it for your job.
- The California Building Code baseline exempts driveways and sidewalks not more than 30 inches above adjacent grade, not over a basement or story below, and not part of an accessible route. Exempt work still has to meet code and setbacks.
- Retaining walls: the state baseline is a permit above 4 feet from footing to top. The county may be stricter, so read GI-21 before you plan a wall.
Valley soil: clay and hardpan are common
The county's soil documents describe cemented hardpan (duripan) a few feet below the surface and claypans in many valley soils, and some soil series have high shrink-swell potential. We have no lot-level data for Antelope. The practical point is that subgrade preparation and base rock matter, so ask each contractor how they plan to prepare your lot, how thick the slab will be (4 inches is the usual residential driveway minimum) and where joints will go (about 8 to 12 feet apart for a 4-inch slab).
Heat is the other local factor. A normal July high in the Sacramento area is about 93 to 94 F, with 20 or more days a year at 100 F or above, so ask how fresh concrete will be kept moist for its first 7 days or so.
Common jobs and rough national costs
- Concrete driveways and driveway replacement: plain broom finish runs about $6 to $12 per square foot installed (typical national range)
- Concrete patios: about $5 to $18 per square foot
- Walkways and sidewalks: about $6 to $14 per square foot
- Concrete repair and leveling for cracked or sunken slabs
These are national ranges, not Antelope quotes. Local pricing comes only from contractor quotes.
Send your request through the contact form. It costs nothing, and a licensed contractor can visit to measure and quote. Verify the license at cslb.ca.gov before signing.
What to have ready before you send a request
- Your address, so the right permit authority can be confirmed, and whether the work touches the curb, gutter or sidewalk at the street.
- Rough size of the area, or a photo with a tape measure in frame, plus what is there now (old slab to remove, bare soil, or a slab to repair).
- The finish you have in mind: plain broom, stamped, exposed aggregate or colored. Decorative finishes cost more than plain, with national add-on ranges of about $2 to $6 per square foot for color and $3 to $8 for exposed aggregate.
When a contractor visits, ask who pulls any permit, what base and thickness they propose, and how the existing slab will be removed and hauled away. California caps a home improvement down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract, whichever is less, and gives you three business days to cancel in most cases (five if you are 65 or older). Sacramento Crest Concrete does not quote, take payment or warrant the work; those are between you and the contractor.
Main guide: concrete contractors in Sacramento.