Seattle neighborhoods: what a removal job looks like by area
We are a Seattle concrete removal referral service. Tell us what needs to go and we'll connect you with one local concrete removal company — not five.
Seattle is one permit system but not one kind of job. A patio on a bluff above Alki is different work from a cracked driveway on a flat block, though both answer to the same three city departments.
Those three are SDOT for anything in the street, sidewalk or planting strip, SDCI for grading and work on steep or slide-prone ground, and Seattle Public Utilities for where the broken concrete is allowed to go. This page explains how each one shows up in practice, then points you to the neighborhood pages for the local detail. When you're ready, tell us about the job and we'll pass it to one local concrete removal contractor. It costs you nothing.
Local facts for Seattle
- Slide-prone ground
- 8.4% of Seattle's surface is mapped as slide-prone under the Environmentally Critical Areas Ordinance. Source: Seattle Office of Emergency Management: Landslides
- Where slides cluster
- The Seattle Landslide Study found the highest density of landslides in Southwest Magnolia, Southwest Queen Anne, Madrona, Interlaken and Alki. Source: City of Seattle: Seattle Landslide Study
- Grading permit threshold
- SDCI requires a grading permit in steep slope and landslide-prone areas once excavation, fill and other land disturbance together exceed 25 cubic yards, compared with 500 cubic yards on ordinary ground. Source: SDCI: Grading Permit
- Sidewalk responsibility
- Seattle property owners are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk and planting strip next to their property, and unpaved alleys beside it. Source: SDOT: Property Owners' Responsibilities
- Dumpsters in the street
- A residential dumpster in the public right-of-way needs an SDOT Street Use permit before delivery, placed at least 30 ft from intersections, 10 ft from driveways and 15 ft from hydrants. Source: SDOT: Storage Container and Residential Dumpster Permits
- Disposal
- Seattle's transfer stations list concrete under construction and demolition waste that must be taken to a recycler. Source: Seattle Public Utilities: Transfer Stations
Hillside neighborhoods: the grading limit is much lower
About 8.4% of Seattle's surface is mapped as slide-prone under the city's Environmentally Critical Areas rules. The city's own landslide study found the densest clusters of slides in five places: Southwest Magnolia, Southwest Queen Anne, Madrona, Interlaken and Alki.
That matters for concrete removal because of how SDCI counts earth. On ordinary ground, a grading permit generally starts at 500 cubic yards of soil moved, or at 50 cubic yards combined with a grade change of more than 4 feet. In steep slope and landslide-prone areas the threshold drops to 25 cubic yards of excavation, fill and other disturbance combined. The slab itself is rarely the issue. Digging out the base, regrading afterwards or cutting into a bank for access can be.
Water is the other hillside issue. SDCI's landslide guidance says most Seattle slides are shallow and influenced by human activity such as stormwater. When a slab comes up, the water it used to shed goes somewhere new, so ask how the site will drain between removal and whatever replaces it.
- Check whether your lot sits in a mapped critical area on the SDCI GIS map before you get quotes.
- Don't let anyone build a rockery or retaining wall as part of the job without a permit. SDCI lists that as a don't on slide-prone land.
Street-front jobs: the sidewalk is yours, and SDOT permits the fix
In Seattle the property owner maintains the sidewalk and planting strip next to the lot, and any unpaved alley beside it. So when a driveway job reaches the curb, the apron and sidewalk panels are right-of-way work.
SDOT sizes the permit by area. Under 100 square feet is a Right-of-Way Maintenance Permit, under 2,000 square feet is a Right-of-Way Construction Permit, and 2,000 square feet or more needs a Street Improvement Permit. If a street tree is lifting the panels, cutting roots 2 inches or more across needs a separate pruning permit.
Getting the debris off the property
A dumpster parked in the street needs an SDOT Street Use permit before it's delivered. For residential use the city wants it in the parking lane in front of your property, at least 30 feet from an intersection, 10 feet from a driveway and 15 feet from a hydrant. Construction-project containers need a different permit, so ask the contractor which one they'll pull.
The bigger surprise is where the load can go. Broken concrete isn't accepted at either Seattle transfer station, and King County's stations don't serve Seattle residents, so it ends up at a private recycler. Our guide to dumping concrete in Seattle lists the yards that take it.
Using the neighborhood pages
The rules above apply everywhere inside Seattle's limits. The neighborhood pages below cover access, ground conditions and the jobs that come up locally. If yours isn't listed, this page still applies.
Services in Seattle
Concrete Driveway Removal in Seattle
Breaking out and hauling away a cracked, heaved or failing concrete driveway — down to clean, compacted subgrade ready for whatever comes next.
Read more →
Concrete Hauling & Disposal in Seattle
Concrete already broken out and sitting in a pile — loaded and taken to a recycler.
Read more →Questions about concrete removal in Seattle
Do I need a permit to remove a concrete driveway in Seattle?
It depends on where the concrete is. The part in the right-of-way, meaning the apron and any sidewalk it crosses, needs an SDOT permit sized by area. On your own lot, the test is SDCI's grading thresholds. A typical driveway is a few cubic yards of concrete, well under the 500-cubic-yard general threshold, but in a mapped steep slope or landslide-prone area the limit is 25 cubic yards of earth disturbance, and regrading can reach that.
Who is responsible for sidewalk repair in front of my house in Seattle?
You are. SDOT says property owners maintain the sidewalk and planting strip next to their property, and the repair needs an SDOT permit before work starts.
Can I take broken concrete to a Seattle transfer station?
No. Seattle Public Utilities lists concrete among the construction materials that must go to a recycler, and King County's stations don't serve Seattle residents. Private recyclers are the option.
Do I need a permit for a dumpster in front of my house?
Yes, if it sits in the street or elsewhere in the public right-of-way. SDOT requires a Street Use permit before the container is delivered.
Near Seattle
Sources
- Seattle Office of Emergency Management: Landslides
- City of Seattle: Seattle Landslide Study
- SDCI: Seattle Landslides, What You Need to Know (Dec 2023)
- SDCI: Grading Permit
- SDOT: Property Owners' Responsibilities
- SDOT Applicant Guide 1011: Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair
- SDOT: Storage Container and Residential Dumpster Permits
- Seattle Public Utilities: Transfer Stations
- King County: Solid Waste Facilities (service area)
Get a price for Seattle
Send a few details and photos if you have them. We come back with a price range, then pass your details to one local concrete removal company. It costs you nothing.