The short answer
A reinforced, air-entrained, broom-finish concrete driveway in Olathe and Johnson County costs about $8 to $12 per square foot installed on a compacted base in 2026. Tearing out and hauling away an old driveway adds $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot. The approach between the sidewalk and the street is City right-of-way with its own permit and inspection, and it is priced separately, usually $2,400 to $5,000 for a residential approach.
| Driveway | Area | New pour | With tear-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single car, 12×40 | 480 sq ft | $3,900 – $5,800 | $4,600 – $7,000 |
| Two car, 20×40 | 800 sq ft | $6,400 – $9,600 | $7,600 – $11,600 |
| Two car, 24×40 | 960 sq ft | $7,700 – $11,500 | $9,100 – $14,000 |
| Three car, 30×40 | 1,200 sq ft | $9,600 – $14,400 | $11,400 – $17,400 |
| Long drive, 16×80 | 1,280 sq ft | $10,200 – $15,400 | $12,100 – $18,600 |
Ranges for 2026 in Olathe and Johnson County, to help you budget. Your price is a written, itemized estimate after we measure and probe the ground.
What's in the price
Most of the cost of a driveway is not the concrete. A yard of ready-mix delivered in the Kansas City area runs in the $150 to $200 range, and a 24-by-40 driveway at four inches takes about 12 yards, so the material is a fraction of the bill. The rest is the work that makes the slab last: excavation and grading, a compacted base over the clay, forms, reinforcement, placing and finishing on a crew's schedule, control joints cut the same day, curing, and a sealer. A cheaper bid usually saves money on exactly those lines, which are the ones that decide whether the driveway is still flat in ten years.
What moves the number up
- Thickness. Four inches is standard for cars. Five or six inches where a pickup, a trailer or a camper parks adds $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot for that section.
- The ground. Soft, wet or disturbed clay at the garage, over an old trench or where a downspout has been dumping for years needs to be dug out and replaced with compacted base: $1 to $3 per square foot where it's needed, and we find it when we probe, not after the pour.
- Tear-out. Breaking out an old slab and hauling it to a recycler: $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot, more for thick or heavily reinforced concrete.
- The approach. City of Olathe right-of-way permit at $50 per adjacent parcel, a pre-pour inspection, concrete tickets emailed within 24 hours, and a $5,000 bond if the curb is cut. The approach itself runs $2,400 to $5,000.
- Finish. A smooth troweled border adds $1 to $2 per square foot; exposed aggregate runs $11 to $16; a stamped border $20 to $35 per linear foot; a full stamped driveway $14 to $22 per square foot.
- Access. A long wheelbarrow run from the truck, a pump, or a backyard pad the mixer can't reach adds labor.
- Season. Cold-weather pours with blankets and a heated mix cost a little more; a summer pour at first light doesn't.
What moves it down
A simple rectangle with truck access from the street, no tear-out, a plain broom finish and a pour scheduled with other work nearby is the cheapest driveway there is. Replacing only the failed panels instead of the whole slab, or lifting a settled panel with foam for $500 to $1,500 instead of replacing it, keeps a lot of Olathe driveways out of the replacement column altogether.
Concrete or asphalt?
Asphalt is cheaper to pour, roughly $4 to $7 per square foot here, and it needs sealing every few years and resurfacing in 15 to 20. Concrete costs more up front and, done right, lasts 30 years or more. On Olathe's clay the base matters more than the surface for either one.
Common questions
Is $10 a square foot a fair price in Olathe?
Yes, for a four-inch reinforced, air-entrained driveway on a compacted base with joints, curing and a sealer. Bids well under $8 usually leave out the base, the air, the reinforcement or the sealer.
Why is the approach priced separately?
It's in the City right-of-way, so it carries the City's permit, inspection, ticket submission and one-year guarantee, and it's poured to the City's specification rather than ours.
Does the price include the permit?
The City permit is on its own line at cost, $50 per adjacent parcel, plus the bond where a curb cut is involved.
Can I save money by doing the tear-out myself?
You can, but a skid steer and a dump truck do in a day what takes a weekend with a rental breaker, and the concrete still has to go somewhere. Ask us for the tear-out line and compare.
How long does a driveway last here?
A properly built one, 30 years or more. Most of the production driveways we replace lasted 20 to 25.
Related: Concrete driveways · Driveway replacement · Permits · Mudjacking vs. polyjacking