Concrete work in Arcadia
Arcadia was incorporated on August 5, 1903, covers 11.14 square miles and counted 56,681 residents in 2020. Santa Anita Park, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Arcadia County Park sit side by side in the middle of town. Much of the housing came in the 1940s and 1950s, when the old chicken ranches were subdivided into home lots. On lots laid out in that era, the usual concrete jobs are the drive back to the garage, the approach at the street, the back patio and the pool deck, each shaped by the city rules below.
Arcadia permits for driveways, walls and street work
| Office | Covers | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Building Services Division, Development Services | Building permits and inspections, 240 W Huntington Dr | 626-574-5400 |
| Engineering Division | Offsite Permits: driveway approaches, sidewalk, curb and gutter | 626-574-5411 |
| Planning | Tree permits, including Oak Tree Permits | 626-574-5423 |
| Homeowners association ARB | Design review inside the five recognized HOA areas | Through your HOA |
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From the City of Arcadia's Building Services, right-of-way permit and tree pages, read October 2026. No permit fees are posted on those pages; ask the city.
Offsite Permits at the curb
Arcadia's Engineering Division says an Offsite Permit is required for any work in the public right-of-way. For concrete jobs that means the driveway approach, the curb and gutter, and the public sidewalk in front of the lot. A new concrete driveway that stops at the property line can be a building-side job only; once the approach or curb changes, the Offsite Permit comes into it.
HOA architectural review in Arcadia
Arcadia recognizes five homeowners associations by City Council resolution: Arcadia Highlands, Rancho Santa Anita Property Owners, Santa Anita Oaks, Rancho Santa Anita Residents and Santa Anita Village. Each has an Architectural Review Board with design review authority over its area, and the city offers Short Review and Regular Review forms for them. Outside those areas, the city adopted updated single-family design guidelines on October 15, 2019.
Driveway width and front setback paving
An online copy of Arcadia's Development Code sets two limits that shape most driveway jobs. Driveways in single-family zones max out at 20 feet wide (section 9103.07.050.G.2), and walkways and driveways together may cover no more than 40 percent of the required front or street side setback (section 9103.07.050.G.4.c). Side and rear walls can go up to six feet; the need for and height of a retaining wall is set by the Director. Read the current code or ask Planning before designing a wider drive or a motor court.
Oaks, setback trees and stormwater
Arcadia has been a Tree City USA since 1993, and its rules reach into the yard, not just the parkway. Mature trees in a required setback are protected once they pass 12 inches in diameter, or 10 inches for multi-trunk trees, and oaks need an Oak Tree Permit before anyone works inside their protected zone. Coast live and Engelmann oaks count from just 4 inches. A drive, patio or pool deck planned under an oak should start with Planning, not the concrete truck.
For runoff, Arcadia points all development and redevelopment projects to the Los Angeles County Public Works Low Impact Development Standards Manual. Its page lists no single-family threshold, so ask Engineering whether a large new paved area triggers it. The stormwater guide explains how permeable edges and drains work.
Concrete prices for Arcadia
Arcadia prices follow the Los Angeles market. constructlytools' guide (updated May 19, 2026) puts reinforced driveways and patios at $8 to $15 per square foot, stamped work and pool decks at $15 to $20, and breaking out old concrete at $1.40 to $2.30 per square foot on top. City permits run extra. The driveway cost page breaks a drive down by size, and stamped concrete covers patterns and color.
