Repair & Patching
Asphalt repair and patching across Sonoma County. Potholes, cracked sections, crumbling edges and crack sealing on driveways and parking lots.
Asphalt resurfacing puts a fresh driving surface on a driveway or lot in Petaluma without a full tear-out. The old pavement stays in place and carries the load, and a new layer goes over the top. We mill where the new surface has to tie in, cut out the failed spots and patch them. Then the paver lays 1.5 to 3 inches of hot mix asphalt and the rollers compact it. Some people call it re-asphalting or a top coat, and it is the same job.
Resurfacing works when the base under the asphalt is still sound. We check the cracking pattern, how the surface drains and how thick the existing asphalt is. Failed areas get cut out and patched before any new asphalt goes down. If the base has gone soft, paving a driveway from the base up is the right call. Commercial lots follow the same test, and paving a lot from scratch costs more than an overlay for a reason.
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The base underneath decides whether resurfacing will hold. Asphalt Coatings Company draws the line at 25 to 35 percent of the surface showing structural distress. Below that an overlay holds up, and above it the pavement needs replacing. Alligator cracking is fatigue in the base layers, so new asphalt over it cracks again. Ponding that will not clear means the base is saturated. Both point to a rebuild.
When the base is sound, the numbers favor resurfacing. Rose Paving puts resurfacing at 30 to 50 percent below a full depth replacement. Asphalt Coatings Company gives an overlay 8 to 15 years and a replacement 20 to 30. So an overlay buys most of the life for about half the money on a sound base. Our guide on resurfacing against replacing a lot walks through the same call for commercial property.
Most jobs start with asphalt milling. Our cold milling machine grinds the old surface down. Its conveyor loads the millings straight into a truck or our dump trailer. On a driveway we usually mill only the edges, at the garage apron, the gutter and any doorway. That lets the new surface tie in flush at every edge. On a lot with real depth problems we mill the whole surface before paving.
After milling, the failed spots come out and get patched, then we spray a tack coat. The paver lays 1.5 to 3 inches of hot mix and steel rollers compact it while it is hot. The work includes milling, haul off, patching, tack coat, new asphalt and rolling. It does not rebuild the base or fix a drainage problem. Published phasing guides give new asphalt 24 to 48 hours before a section reopens. Seal coating the finished surface waits about 30 days so the new asphalt can cure.
The paving window here is the dry half of the year. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Petaluma Airport station show 0.28 inches of rain in June. July, August and September together add up to well under a quarter inch. Hot mix goes down and compacts best on dry, warm pavement, so most resurfacing here runs late spring through early fall. Winter is the season to plan the job and book it.
The ground moves here too. The USDA's Clear Lake clay series, mapped in this county, cracks as deep as 48 inches when it dries. Sonoma County's grading ordinance exempts resurfacing an existing, lawfully built private road or driveway from a grading permit. The length, width and design capacity have to stay the same. Work that reaches the public right of way at the street needs an encroachment permit from Permit Sonoma. Rules differ inside city limits, so check with your city before you start.
Yes, by working the lot in zones. The standard approach phases a lot in halves, quarters or lanes, starting at the low traffic areas and the outer perimeter. Each zone gets repaired, paved, given its 24 to 48 hours and restriped before the next one closes. We run lots that way for winery tasting rooms, apartment complexes, business parks and HOA property. That covers Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Novato and San Rafael, and we travel for East Bay lots.
Resurfacing changes the ADA picture. The US Access Board counts resurfacing as an alteration, so the restriped lot has to meet current accessible parking scoping. That means one accessible space for a lot of 1 to 25 spaces and four at 76 to 100. At least one in every six accessible spaces has to be van sized, and access aisles start at 60 inches. We plan the new layout with the compliant striping layout before the paver moves. You can ask for a resurfacing estimate once you know which zones matter most.
Clear written estimates across Petaluma, Santa Rosa & the Bay Area.
(707) 217-0835From the first site visit to the final pass of the roller, here is how it goes.
We come see the site: the old surface, the ground under it, how water moves, and what the job really takes. No blind quotes over the phone.
You get a written estimate with a real number and a real timeline. It covers what is included, from grading and base rock to the finished surface, and it holds unless the scope changes.
Our own crew and equipment show up when we said and build the job the way we quoted it. Base first, then the surface, compacted and finished right.
Before we call a job done, we walk it with you. Clean edges, solid compaction, water running where it should. Done means you say it is done.
Common questions about resurfacing & overlays across Petaluma, Santa Rosa & the Bay Area. Don't see yours? Give us a call.
Asphalt repair and patching across Sonoma County. Potholes, cracked sections, crumbling edges and crack sealing on driveways and parking lots.
We sealcoat asphalt driveways and parking lots across Sonoma County. A fresh seal coat restores the black finish and slows sun and water damage.
Commercial paving for parking lots at offices, apartment complexes, retail centers, business parks and wineries, including striping and ADA layout.
Rich's Paving is a third generation family paving company. The family name is on the work, and the family runs the crew on every job.
Most companies do one or the other. We install both, so you get a recommendation based on your property, not on the only material a contractor happens to sell.
Paver, rollers, dump trucks and compaction equipment, run by our own crew. The schedule and the quality stay in our hands from grading to the last pass.
Clay soils that swell in the winter rain and shrink all summer. We have paved on this ground since 1988, and we build the base for what it does.
How to tell if a commercial parking lot needs resurfacing or full replacement: the base test, cost ranges per square foot, ADA triggers, and how phased paving works.
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What an asphalt driveway costs in Sonoma County in 2026: Bay Area price ranges per square foot, what drives the number, and where the money actually goes.
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When driveway paving needs a permit in Sonoma County, Petaluma and Santa Rosa: repaving vs new entrances, encroachment permits, grading limits and fire rules.
Read more →A driveway past its best years, a parking lot due for new stripes, or a gravel road that needs real grading? Call or send the form. We will come look at the job and put a clear estimate in your hands, from the family that has paved Sonoma County since 1988.
Tell us about your project and we will get right back to you.