Replacing a cracked 1970s driveway or pouring a new patio, slab or footing? We pour it on a compacted base with the steel and joints Santee’s ground needs — and tell you up front where your property ends and the City’s right-of-way rules begin. Free on-site estimate.
CSLB #979389 · C-29 Licensed · Bonded $25,000 · Free on-site estimates
Santee concrete by the numbers
The median Santee home was built in 1979, with 34% of the housing stock dating from that decade, so a lot of the city’s driveways, patios and walks are original. Replacing them is mostly permit-free — Santee exempts driveways and sidewalks on private property that sit no more than 30 inches above grade, with Padre Dam sign-off — but the driveway doesn’t end where most people think. The City’s own engineering handout notes that the street right-of-way “is ten feet from the face of curb” on a typical lot.
That strip is the City’s, and so are its rules. Any replacement, repair or new installation of a driveway in the right-of-way, any sidewalk work and any curb-core drain needs an Engineering encroachment permit, and Santee issues it only to a contractor holding a Class A General Engineering licence. We’re C-29 masons — we build everything on your side of that line and coordinate a Class A partner for the apron so the two pours meet cleanly.
Structural and flat concrete for homes, built by a mason who also lays the block that sits on it. More detail on mixes and finishes is on our county-wide concrete page.
Driveways
Old slab broken out and hauled, subgrade re-compacted, new reinforced driveway poured to the property line with control joints laid out so cracks happen where we put them. Apron coordinated with a Class A contractor under the City permit.
Patios & walks
Broom, smooth, stamped or coloured finishes for back-yard patios, side-yard walks and garden steps, sloped to drain away from the house and off clay that swells when it gets wet.
Footings
Keyed, steel-reinforced footings for retaining walls, block walls and outdoor fireplaces — the part of a masonry job that decides whether it stands for fifty years.
Slabs
Pads for sheds, equipment, spas and outdoor kitchens. A one-story shed up to 120 square feet needs no Santee building permit; its slab still needs a proper base.
Hillside lots
Poured and block-formed stairs up cut slopes, with landings and the retaining walls either side built as one job.
Repair
Cracked or heaved sections cut out and replaced on a corrected base, matched as closely as old concrete allows.
Santee sits on two kinds of ground, and both are hard on flatwork. The north and west hills are Friars Formation, which the Fanita Ranch geology review flags for compressible and expansive soils; the valley floor is San Diego River alluvium. The City is blunt about the clay — its pool plans must “assume expansive soil conditions unless a current soils report is submitted.” We take the same view for slabs: dig out the soft material, compact a granular base in lifts, and reinforce.
The rest is discipline the concrete industry has measured for decades: joints close enough together that shrinkage cracks follow them, curing long enough to reach strength, and acceptance based on the 28-day test, not how hard it looks on day three.
On your own lot, most flatwork is exempt: a driveway or sidewalk no more than 30 inches above adjacent grade, not over a basement or lower story and not part of an accessible route needs no building permit — though the City lists Padre Dam approval as required. Footings for a permitted wall, fireplace or addition are inspected under that permit before the pour.
In the right-of-way, it’s Engineering’s call. The encroachment permit covers the apron, sidewalk, street work and the under-sidewalk drains and curb cores that carry your downspouts to the gutter. Applications go through Santee’s Permitting & Licensing Portal; allow 10 to 15 working days. Questions go to Engineering at (619) 258-4100 ext. 167.
One driveway, two sets of rules. Here’s how a typical Santee driveway replacement splits.
| House to property line | Property line to curb | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | You | City of Santee right-of-way (typically ~10 ft behind the curb face) |
| Permit | None if ≤ 30 in above grade (Padre Dam approval) | Engineering encroachment permit |
| Licence needed | A licensed contractor for jobs of $1,000 or more | Class A General Engineering |
| Standard | Good practice: base, steel, joints, curing | City Amended Driveway Standards |
| Time to permit | — | 10–15 working days |
| Who does it on our jobs | Shaun Bagwell Masonry | A Class A partner we coordinate |
Sources: City of Santee encroachment permits page; list of work not requiring a building permit; Form 019. Our C-29 scope is defined by the CSLB.
Shaun finds the property line and the right-of-way, looks at the soil and drainage, and tells you which parts need which permit.
Padre Dam check for exempt flatwork; encroachment permit through a Class A partner if the apron is in scope.
Old concrete broken out and recycled, soft or expansive soil dug out, granular base compacted in lifts.
Forms set to slope water away from the house, rebar or mesh on chairs, joints planned.
Placed, screeded and finished — broom, smooth, stamped or coloured — and joints tooled or sawn the same day or next.
Kept moist or sealed through the cure; you get a date for foot traffic and a later one for cars.
Planning one? Shaun will walk the site with you and tell you what it needs — free, no obligation.
Call (619) 581-2492Our 2026 county-wide ranges, installed. On older Santee lots, demolition of the original slab and how much soft ground has to come out are the big variables.
| Project | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Standard slab / flatwork (reinforced, 4 in) | $7–$13 per sq. ft. |
| Driveway (standard finish) | $8–$15 per sq. ft. |
| Stamped, coloured or decorative | $11–$23+ per sq. ft. |
| Foundation slab | $6–$14 per sq. ft. |
| Concrete demolition and removal | $1.30–$2.10 per sq. ft. |
Ranges for comparison, not a quote. Right-of-way work by a Class A contractor and City encroachment fees are separate lines.
The ground and the street change the job from one part of town to the next.
The Santee page covers the ground, permits and neighbourhoods across every kind of job. The county-wide pages go deeper on the build itself.
Straight answers before you hire. Anything else — call, and Shaun answers it himself.
Call (619) 581-2492Not a building permit for the part on your property if it stays within 30 inches of grade (Santee lists Padre Dam approval as required). The apron and any sidewalk are City right-of-way and need an Engineering encroachment permit.
No. Santee issues it only to contractors with a Class A General Engineering licence; ours is C-29 masonry. We pour everything on your side of the line and coordinate a Class A contractor for the apron, so you deal with one point of contact.
It varies by lot, but Santee’s engineering handout says the street right-of-way is typically about 10 feet from the face of curb. We confirm the line on site before anything is broken out.
Mostly the ground and the joints. Friars claystone in the hills swells and shrinks with water, and river sand settles if it isn’t compacted. We dig out soft soil, compact a granular base and cut joints every 24–36 times the slab thickness so shrinkage cracks follow them.
Curing runs at least 7 days, or until the concrete reaches 70% of its design strength (ACI 308.1). Design strength is reached at 28 days. We give you a date for foot traffic and a later one for vehicles.
Our 2026 range is $8–$15 per square foot for a standard finish, plus $1.30–$2.10 per square foot to remove the old one. Apron work by a Class A contractor is priced separately.
Yes — California C-29 Masonry licence #979389, bonded and insured. Look it up at cslb.ca.gov under “Check a License.”
Call Shaun at (619) 581-2492 or send the form. He’ll find the property line, check the ground and the permits, and give you a written, itemised price.
