Asphalt Paving in Prior Lake, MN

Asphalt paving in Prior Lake comes with clearer written rules than in many cities. The city's driveway handout requires a permit approved by the city engineer before any driveway is replaced, altered or added to, and charges a double fee for work started without one. It sets the minimum surface at 1.5 inches of bituminous paving on a suitable base, and it does not accept Class 5 gravel alone as a finished surface. Those standards, plus the lakes themselves, shape almost every project here.

The numbers that matter

• Residential access width no more than 24 feet at the right-of-way line
• Driveways at least 5 feet from the side property line
• Maximum vertical slope of 10 percent
• At least 30 feet of corner clearance from the street right-of-way line to the driveway edge
• In the Shoreland Overlay District, impervious surface on a residential lot capped at 30 percent, documented by survey

We build to these as minimums. For most driveways, we pave thicker than 1.5 inches over a deeper base, because frost and spring thaw are hard on thin pavement.

Lake lots and impervious limits

Prior Lake is built around Upper Prior Lake, about 354 acres, which drains through a channel into Lower Prior Lake, about 810 acres, with Spring Lake just to the south. Lake lots often sit in the shoreland district, where the 30 percent impervious cap can limit how much driveway and patio a lot can have. If you are planning to widen a driveway or add a parking pad, the first question is whether the lot has room under that cap. We check with you before quoting.

Growth since the 1970s

Prior Lake had 1,114 residents in 1970 and 27,617 in 2020, with upgrades to Highway 13 a major reason commuters moved in. Many driveways date from the 1980s through the 2000s and are now in the maintenance or replacement window.

Permits and paperwork

Because the city requires a permit for driveway replacement, we build the permit step into the schedule. We provide the dimensions and materials the application needs and plan around the city's review.

Lake access and steep lots

Many Prior Lake homes sit on lots that drop toward the water, with driveways that climb from the lake side or descend from the street. The city caps driveway slope at 10 percent, so steep sites sometimes need a curved layout or a flatter landing at the garage. We lay out the driveway to meet that limit before paving.

The 30-foot corner rule

On corner lots, Prior Lake requires at least 30 feet from the street right-of-way line to the driveway edge. When homeowners want to add a second driveway or move one, that rule often decides where it can go. We measure it on site.

Free estimates

We visit, measure, check the base, slopes and lot coverage, and send a written quote. Call (651) 677-2476 or

Get a Free Estimate

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