Can a cracked driveway or patio be repaired, or does it need replacing?

It can be repaired when the slab is still level, still draining the right way and still in one piece on each side of the crack. Sealing the crack and patching chipped spots buys years. If sections have sunk, tilted toward the house, broken into loose pieces or been lifted by roots, the damaged sections need to be cut out and repoured.

What counts as a trip hazard on a walkway?

The federal accessibility standard (2010 ADA Standards, section 303) is a useful yardstick: a change in level up to 1/4 inch may be vertical, 1/4 to 1/2 inch has to be beveled, and anything over 1/2 inch has to be ramped. A lifted edge taller than 1/2 inch is the kind that gets ground down or replaced.

Do I need a permit to repair the sidewalk or driveway approach?

Yes for work in the public right-of-way. Repairs to the sidewalk, curb or driveway approach need a Public Works excavation permit, (818) 238-3950, with a $1,000,000 liability certificate naming the City and a DigAlert ticket before the permit issues. Any cut sidewalk has to be replaced to the nearest score line, in sections of at least 5 by 5 feet.

Can you lift a sunken slab instead of replacing it?

Slab lifting (mudjacking or foam injection) is a different trade and isn't offered here. Burbank Concrete Pros repairs the surface of concrete that is sound underneath, and cuts out and repours sections that have sunk or broken.

What about a parkway tree whose roots are lifting the sidewalk?

Parkway trees in Burbank sit in the City's right-of-way, and residents may not trim them themselves. The City's Forestry staff handle parkway tree work, including root pruning, and uplifted sidewalks are reported through Our Burbank 311 or Street and Sidewalk Maintenance at (818) 238-3800. Excavators also have to notify Parks and Recreation when work could damage a street tree.

Concrete Repair in Burbank CA

Concrete repair in Burbank CA: what can be fixed

The first job on any repair is deciding whether the concrete is worth saving. Concrete that is still level, still draining away from the house and still in one piece on each side of a crack can usually be repaired. Concrete that has sunk, tilted, broken into loose pieces or been heaved by roots needs those sections replaced.

Cracks

Hairline shrinkage cracks are normal and mostly cosmetic. Cracks that are opening, letting weeds through or letting water under the slab get routed out and filled with a flexible sealant so they stop growing. A crack with one side higher than the other isn't a sealing job anymore; it's a trip edge.

Spalls, flaking and a worn top

Where the surface has chipped or flaked but the slab under it is solid, spalls are cut back to sound concrete and patched, and a worn surface can take a bonded overlay. The driveway resurfacing page explains when an overlay works and when it just copies the damage.

Trip edges

The 2010 ADA Standards (section 303) give a clear yardstick for walking surfaces: up to 1/4 inch of rise can be vertical, 1/4 to 1/2 inch must be beveled, and more than 1/2 inch must be ramped. A small lifted edge on a sound panel can be ground to a bevel; a panel lifted well past that, or rocking, gets replaced.

Sections lifted or broken by roots

Grinding a root-lifted edge only lasts until the root grows again. The lasting fix is to cut out the lifted panel, deal with the root, rebuild the base and repour. For a tree in the parkway, root work belongs to the City; for a tree on your own lot, an arborist should decide how much root can come out safely.

Tree roots lifting and breaking a section of sidewalk beside a trunk — Roots lifting a sidewalk panel into a trip edge.

Signs a section needs replacing, not patching

The slab rocks or sounds hollow when you step on it.
One side of a crack sits higher than the other by more than about 1/2 inch.
A section has tipped toward the house or the garage door.
Roots are visible at the edge, or the crack keeps reopening after it's sealed.
The concrete has broken into loose pieces you can lift by hand.

The sidewalk in front of your house

In Burbank, the property owner is responsible for keeping the sidewalk in front of the lot from endangering people or property (BMC 7-3-501). The code's definition of "sidewalk" reaches further than the walk itself: it includes the curb, the parkway, the driveway approach and retaining walls between the property line and the street (BMC 7-3-502). If the City posts a notice, the owner has five days to repair before the City can do the work and make the cost a lien on the property (BMC 7-3-505 and 506).

Because that strip is public right-of-way, the repair itself needs a Public Works excavation permit ((818) 238-3950). Before the permit issues, the contractor needs a $1,000,000 general liability certificate naming the City and a DigAlert ticket. Burbank's permit conditions then require the new concrete to match the existing finish, run to the nearest score line in sections of at least 5 by 5 feet, and keep the cross slope to the curb at 2 percent or less, which can mean replacing a neighboring panel too. The full rules, and how parkway trees fit in, are in the Burbank sidewalk repair and street trees guide, and the work itself is on the curb, gutter and sidewalk in Burbank page.

Why concrete in Burbank cracks

Burbank's valley floor is sandy, gravelly alluvial soil with a low shrink-swell rating, so the classic clay-soil heave seen elsewhere in California isn't the usual culprit. The causes here are more ordinary: slabs poured on loose fill, base washed out by a downspout or a sprinkler, roots, slabs poured too thin or without joints, and concrete that dried too fast on one of the 53.9 days a year the airport station records at 90°F or hotter. The Burbank soil, faults and flood map guide covers the ground in detail.

Freshly poured sidewalk panel between wood forms, with a board laid across it — A new sidewalk panel, just poured between its forms.

How a repair is done

1
Find the cause first
A crack from a downspout washing out the base, a root, a missing joint or a heavy truck each needs a different fix. Patching without fixing the cause just repeats the repair.
2
Pick patch, grind or replace
Sound concrete gets sealed or patched; a small lifted edge gets ground; sunken, broken or root-lifted sections get cut out.
3
Cut to clean lines
Replacement sections are saw-cut at existing joints or score lines so the repair reads as a full panel, not a patch.
4
Fix the base, then repour
Washed-out or loose base is dug out and compacted, roots are dealt with (by the City for parkway trees), and new concrete is doweled or tied in where it meets old.
5
Cure and seal the joints
New sections cure before traffic, and joints and cracks are sealed so water stops getting under the slab.

Worked example

A lifted sidewalk and cracked apron on a tree-lined Burbank street

A parkway tree has lifted two sidewalk panels and cracked the driveway approach in front of a 1940s house. The owner reports the tree through Our Burbank 311, and the sidewalk and approach are cut out and repoured under a Public Works permit once the tree work is settled.

Behind the property line, the private driveway has one sunken panel by the garage. That section is cut out at its joints and repoured at the same time, so the new approach and the driveway meet at the same height.

Trip edge measured on the sidewalk	3/4 in, past the 1/2 in point where a ramp would be needed
Who handles the parkway tree roots	The City's Forestry staff (residents may not trim parkway trees)
Permit for the sidewalk and apron	Public Works excavation permit, (818) 238-3950
Size of the replacement	Out to the nearest score lines, at least 5 x 5 ft
Cross slope to the curb	2 percent or less
Driveway behind the property line	Private work; Building and Safety at (818) 238-5220 if any part needs a permit

A worked example of how the City's rules apply, not a past job or a quote.

When a repair turns into a replacement, see concrete driveway replacement or concrete patios, or start from the concrete contractor in Burbank page.