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Serving San Rafael, CA and surrounding areas. (628) 277-0007
San Rafael Asphalt Paving has served homeowners across San Anselmo with driveway paving, asphalt repair, and crack sealing since 2018. Our crews know the town's older Craftsman and wood-frame homes, hillside lots, and the clay soils that crack driveways season after season.
Many San Anselmo homes were built in the early to mid-1900s, and their driveways - where they were paved at all - have been through decades of Marin County wet winters and dry summers. Our driveway paving work starts with removing the old surface and building a proper compacted base that accounts for the local clay soils and any slope your lot has, so the new surface actually lasts.
San Anselmo driveways crack for two main reasons: clay soil movement and tree roots from the mature oaks and redwoods that line many residential streets. When the underlying cause is addressed, repairs hold. When it is not, the same cracks return within a season or two - we assess the root cause before recommending any repair approach.
In a town where wet winters bring San Anselmo Creek flooding risk and saturated hillside soils, small cracks in a driveway surface become pathways for water to reach and weaken the base. Sealing cracks early - before a San Anselmo wet season rather than after - extends pavement life considerably in this climate.
San Anselmo sits in a valley with a documented flood history along San Anselmo Creek, and even properties not directly on the creek can see drainage backup during heavy storms. Proper driveway grading and channel drain installation protect the pavement base and keep water moving away from garages and foundations on both flat lots and hillside parcels.
San Anselmo's long dry summers bring sustained UV exposure that oxidizes and dries out asphalt surfaces faster than many homeowners expect. Sealcoating every few years after a new installation slows that oxidation, helps the surface shed rain when it does arrive, and keeps a paved driveway looking well-maintained on older Craftsman-era properties.
Hillside lots in San Anselmo's upper neighborhoods often have driveways that slope toward the garage rather than away from it - a drainage problem that shortens pavement life and risks water intrusion. Proper grading and excavation corrects the slope and sets up any new surface for long-term performance on these challenging lots.
A large share of San Anselmo's homes were built in the first half of the 20th century, and the original driveways - where they were paved - have been working against the local environment ever since. Clay-heavy Marin County soils are the primary culprit. They swell when they absorb winter rain and contract again during the long dry summer, putting stress on asphalt from below through every season. A contractor who lays asphalt without accounting for that soil behavior will produce a surface that starts cracking within a few years. Proper base preparation - right depth, right compaction, right drainage grade - is what breaks that cycle.
The town's mature tree canopy adds a second challenge that is less common in newer developments. Oaks, redwoods, and ornamental trees on established San Anselmo lots grow root systems that crack driveways, lift sidewalks, and work under retaining walls over time. Any paving or repair work near established trees requires an honest assessment of how roots are affecting the base, and sometimes root bridging or removal is part of the job. San Anselmo's valley location also creates localized drainage patterns - particularly near San Anselmo Creek and its tributaries - that mean drainage grading cannot be treated as an afterthought on any project here.
Our crew works throughout San Anselmo regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect asphalt paving work here. When a project in San Anselmo involves work near a town-maintained street or requires modifications to a curb cut, we coordinate with the Town of San Anselmo for the necessary approvals, so that step does not catch homeowners off guard mid-project. The town's tight residential streets, particularly the hillside roads above the valley floor, also affect what equipment we can bring onto a job site and how we plan access before any crew arrives.
San Anselmo sits along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, which connects the town to neighboring communities in the Ross Valley and out to US 101 to the east. The downtown corridor along San Anselmo Avenue is the commercial and community heart of the town, and the surrounding neighborhoods range from valley-floor parcels near San Anselmo Creek to hillside streets with views toward Mount Tamalpais. We serve all of those neighborhoods. We also work regularly in Fairfax, the next town west along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and in San Rafael to the east.
Call us or fill out the estimate form and tell us what you are dealing with - a cracked driveway, a failed repair, a new installation, or something else. We respond within one business day and get you on the schedule for a site visit.
A crew member walks your property, checks the slope, assesses the base condition, and looks at any drainage concerns. We give you a written estimate covering scope, materials, and timeline. If a permit or town approval is needed, we flag it here - not after work has started. Cost is addressed directly at this stage so there are no surprises.
We remove the old material, grade the base for drainage, and compact it to the depth San Anselmo's clay soils require. On hillside lots or properties with tree root intrusion, this step takes more care than a flat suburban driveway - and we do not rush it.
Hot asphalt is laid, rolled, and finished with clean edges and proper drainage grades. Before we leave, we walk the completed surface with you, explain the 24-to-48-hour curing period, and give you guidance on when to schedule a sealcoat - typically six months to a year after installation.
We serve the whole town, from the valley-floor streets near downtown to the hillside roads above Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. No obligation, no pressure - just a straight answer about what your driveway needs.
(628) 277-0007San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, sitting in a valley about 1.5 miles west of San Rafael and roughly 20 miles north of San Francisco. The population is around 13,000, making it one of the smaller and more tight-knit communities in the county. The town grew quickly after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when many displaced residents made their summer homes here permanent, which is why so many properties date to the early 1900s. Craftsman bungalows, Victorian-era cottages, and older wood-frame houses are common throughout the town's neighborhoods. San Anselmo Creek runs through the center of the valley, shaping both the character of the downtown area and the town's well-known history of flood events along the lower-lying parcels near the creek corridor.
The main through-route is Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, which connects San Anselmo to neighboring towns east and west, including San Rafael to the east and Fairfax to the west. San Anselmo Avenue is the historic main street, lined with local shops, restaurants, and antique dealers that give the town its distinctive character. Residential streets climb from the valley floor in multiple directions into the surrounding hills, creating a mix of flat, creek-adjacent lots and steeply sloped hillside parcels throughout the town. Property owners in San Anselmo tend to invest in their homes, and the expectations for quality workmanship here reflect the level of care that longtime Marin County residents bring to their properties.
Full-depth parking lot paving for commercial and residential properties.
Learn MoreCall us today or request a free estimate - we know the hillside lots, the older driveways, and the clay soils in this town, and we will give you a straight answer about what your project needs.