Do permeable pavers need special maintenance?

Occasionally. Sweep or vacuum the joints when they fill with leaves and fine dirt, and top up the joint stone as needed so water keeps passing through.

Can permeable pavers handle cars?

Yes. Built on a properly sized open-graded stone base, permeable concrete pavers carry normal driveway traffic.

Do I need a permit for a permeable driveway in Santa Barbara?

It depends on the scope. Like-for-like replacement is often simple, while new curb cuts, grading, or Coastal Zone parcels can need review. We check during the estimate.

Guide · Santa Barbara

Permeable pavers in Santa Barbara: how they work, the City's storm water standard, and what they cost.

Santa Barbara has been replacing asphalt with permeable pavers for more than a decade. The City's Creeks Division has converted over 4.6 acres of parking lots, streets, alleys, and parks so storm water soaks into the ground instead of carrying pollutants to the creeks and ocean. Here is how the same system works on a home driveway or patio, and when it makes sense.

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How permeable pavers work

Water passes through open joints between the pavers, filters down through layers of clean crushed stone, and soaks into the soil underneath. The stone base also stores water during a heavy storm and releases it slowly, so less runoff leaves the property.

What the City of Santa Barbara does

The City's Creeks Division installed permeable pavers at the MacKenzie Park parking lot in 2011 and at Stevens Park, the Westside Neighborhood Center, and Oak Park in 2013. These projects follow the City's Storm Water Management Program, which calls for detaining and treating the runoff from a one-inch, 24-hour storm. Source: City of Santa Barbara Sustainability & Resilience Department, Creeks Division.

When a home project should use permeable pavers

Permeable pavers make the most sense in a few situations.

Your project adds or replaces a large area of hard surface and the City or County asks for on-site runoff control
Water ponds on your driveway or runs toward the garage or house
Runoff from your lot heads into a street, slope, or creek channel
You want a driveway that drains without a large surface drain system

How we build a permeable driveway

A permeable driveway is built differently from a standard paver driveway. We excavate deeper, install clean open-graded stone in layers instead of dense road base, and fill the joints with small chip stone instead of sand. On clay soils that drain slowly, we can add an underdrain so stored water has a way out.

What it costs

Installed permeable paver work in Santa Barbara County runs about $15–$35 per square foot, toward the upper end because of the deeper excavation and stone base. A 600 square foot permeable driveway typically lands between about $12,000 and $18,000 installed, depending on demolition, access, and slope.