Concrete work in Temple City
Temple City voters approved incorporation on April 26, 1960. The city covers about 4 square miles, had 36,494 residents in 2020, and calls itself the Home of the Camellias, with a Camellia Festival every February. Its zoning code is unusually specific about front yards: how much can be paved, how wide a drive can be, how much has to stay green. Those limits decide the shape of almost every driveway and walk job before price does.
Temple City's front yard limits
| Item | Limit | What it means for concrete |
|---|---|---|
| Front yard hardscape | No more than 10% of the front yard | The required driveway isn't counted; patios and extra paving are |
| Live vegetation | At least 70% of the front yard | Wide aprons and parking pads rarely fit |
| Driveway paved width | 16 ft with garage doors facing the street, 12 ft otherwise | Sets the slab width at the house |
| Front walk | Up to 4 ft wide; other paths 3 ft | A 5 ft walk counts as extra hardscape |
| Front fence or wall | 36 in if view-obstructing, 42 in if open | Low garden and planter walls |
| Permeable surface on the lot | 25, 35 or 40% minimum, by lot size | Limits backyard paving too |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
From Temple City's R-1 zone district standards (June 2019 code text) and its fence and wall clearance form, read October 2026. Other code articles give slightly different driveway widths; confirm with Planning.
Driveway approaches and encroachment permits
The city's parkway guidelines say an encroachment permit must be obtained before any work on the driveway apron, and its encroachment permit form comes from the Public Works Division. The Residential Driveway Approach Policy adopted April 4, 2022 sets an approach between 8 and 20 feet wide and allows one approach per street frontage per parcel, so a second curb cut for a circular drive is off the table on most lots. City-owned street trees can't be trimmed or removed without a permit from Parks and Recreation. The curb cut guide walks through the same steps in Pasadena.
The Building and Safety counter
Planning and Building and Safety both sit in the Community Development Department at City Hall, 9701 Las Tunas Drive. The city lists the building counter as appointment-based, so call ahead (626-656-7315) rather than walking in with plans.
Stormwater: the 500 square foot line
Temple City's 2023 Low Impact Development ordinance (Ordinance 23-1072) applies the city's LID Manual to sites that create, add or replace 500 square feet or more of impervious surface. A full concrete driveway replacement can pass that easily; ask the city how it treats an overlay that keeps the old slab. The resurfacing vs replacement page weighs the two. The same ordinance prohibits discharging concrete or cement-laden wash water, so washout stays on site. The stormwater guide has more on permeable options.
Concrete prices for Temple City
For Temple City, use the Los Angeles rates: constructlytools' guide (updated May 19, 2026) gives $8 to $15 per square foot for reinforced driveways, aprons and walks, with flat lots at $8 to $12. Breaking out the old slab adds $1.40 to $2.30 a foot, and one pour for the drive and walk together saves 15 to 25 percent. The driveway cost page lists common sizes.
