If it fails: the first hour
What the site contact should do before the technician arrives.
- Cone off or barricade the hazard
- Photograph the damage with a reference object for scale
- Note the exact location relative to a building entrance or drive lane
- Call for emergency patching if the hazard is in an active traffic path
What fails
What a service call includes
- Walk the lot and document every crack, pothole, and drainage issue with a condition assessment
- Prioritize repairs by severity and by liability risk, such as trip hazards near entrances
- Coordinate crack sealing, patching, sealcoating, striping, and sweeping as one scheduled program
- Check drainage flow and flag areas needing grading or catch basin work
- Verify ADA parking count and marking compliance against the lot's current layout
- Provide a multi-year pavement condition plan rather than a one-time repair list
- Recommend when full resurfacing or reconstruction is more cost-effective than continued patching
- Document completed work with dated photos for the property record
Preventive checklist
The items a maintenance program should carry for this system. Build a combined checklist across systems with the checklist builder.
Spring
- Inspect for winter freeze-thaw crack damage
- Clear drains and catch basins of debris
- Schedule crack sealing before summer heat
Fall
- Sweep leaves and debris before they settle into cracks
- Inspect sealcoat condition ahead of winter
- Check striping visibility before shorter daylight hours
Annual
- Full pavement condition assessment and multi-year plan update
- ADA compliance check on accessible spaces and routes
- Drainage flow test during a rain event
What it costs
| item | typical range | what moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Pavement condition assessment | $300 to $800 | Larger lots and multi-building sites cost more due to survey time. |
| Crack sealing (per linear foot) | $1 to $3 | Priced by total linear footage of cracks treated. |
| Pothole patching (per patch) | $100 to $300 | Deeper base failures cost more than surface-level patches. |
| Full-lot sealcoating | $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot | Price depends on lot size, current condition, and number of coats applied. |
| Full resurfacing (overlay) | $2 to $5 per square foot | Reserved for lots where patching no longer keeps pace with deterioration. |
National ranges. Local labor, access, after-hours timing and materials move them. Multi-site programs usually price below one-off calls.
When this is an emergency
A pothole or pavement failure deep enough to damage vehicles or create a fall hazard near an entrance counts as an emergency needing same-day attention.
How to choose a provider
- Ask for a written multi-year pavement plan rather than a single repair quote
- Confirm the provider coordinates or subcontracts striping and sweeping so the program is not fragmented across vendors
- Ask how they document ADA parking compliance as part of the assessment
- Get references for lots of similar size and traffic volume
- Ask about response time for pothole and hazard calls between scheduled visits
Questions
How often does a parking lot need a full condition assessment?
An annual walk-through catches most developing issues. Lots with heavy truck traffic or older pavement benefit from checking twice a year.
Is sealcoating necessary or just cosmetic?
Sealcoating protects the asphalt binder from UV and water damage, which extends the pavement's life. Skipping it accelerates cracking and shortens the time before resurfacing is needed.
When does patching stop making sense compared to resurfacing?
When cracking and potholes cover a large share of the lot or keep recurring in the same areas, the base layer has usually failed and patching becomes a short-term fix rather than a real solution.
Who is responsible for ADA parking compliance, the property owner or the tenant?
This depends on the lease, but the physical pavement and striping compliance is typically the property owner's responsibility even when a tenant manages day-to-day operations.