Verify Contractor Credentials
Ask for the ROC license number and documents showing general liability insurance, workers' compensation, and the required surety bond. Verify the license directly rather than relying on a verbal assurance.
Guides
What Questions Should You Ask Your Asphalt Contractor Before Starting a Project?
Goodyear Asphalt recommends asking about credentials, base preparation, drainage, mix design, thickness, compaction, timelines, and warranty terms before choosing a paving contractor. In Goodyear, caliche-heavy soil, monsoon runoff, and summer heat around 110 degrees make those details especially important to a durable driveway or parking lot.
Quick Summary
- Confirm an active Arizona Registrar of Contractors license for jobs over $1,000, plus general liability insurance, workers' compensation, and a surety bond.
- Ask for the excavation depth, base rock, a 92 to 95 percent maximum-dry-density compaction target, asphalt mix, lift thickness, and drainage plan in writing.
- Make sure the contract lists square footage, start date, payment schedule, cure time, old-material haul-away, warranty coverage, and exclusions.
- Compare two or three quotes and request two or three completed-project addresses that are at least one year old.
Three Checks Before You Choose
Inspect the Paving Scope
The proposal should state excavation depth, aggregate base type, compaction density, mix design, asphalt thickness, binder and top-course lifts, and how runoff will be graded away from the foundation.
Compare Written Quotes
Compare the same square footage, materials, timeline, payment schedule, cleanup, haul-away, and warranty terms across two or three contractors who handle your project type.
What a Complete Paving Proposal Shows
Compacted Aggregate Base and Two-Lift Asphalt
A cutaway of prepared sub-base, compacted aggregate base, binder course, and top course. The layered view makes hidden structural work easier to compare.
Drainage Grade Away from the Foundation
The finished surface sloping toward safe runoff rather than holding standing water near a building. This matters during Goodyear's July-through-September monsoon season.
Written Scope with Thickness, Mix, and Haul-Away
A paving proposal that clearly lists thickness, mix type, cure time, removal, and disposal. Written details help expose exclusions before work starts.
Asphalt Contractor Comparison Snapshot
License, Insurance, and Bond
Arizona requires an appropriate residential or commercial ROC license for paving work over $1,000. Confirm the license, liability coverage, workers' compensation, and surety bond before signing.
What Changes the Scope
Roughly 90 percent of asphalt failures trace back to base preparation rather than the surface mix. Caliche-heavy soil, existing pavement condition, excavation depth, base rock, site access, drainage corrections, project size, and striping needs can all change the recommended work and price.
Timeline and Cure Expectations
A typical residential driveway may take one to two days from excavation through final compaction. Keep vehicles off new asphalt for 24 to 72 hours, and expect roughly 30 days before sealcoating or heavier use.
Red Flags to Avoid
Walk away from missing documentation, verbal-only scopes, vague thickness or base details, and warranties that are not explained. Avoid approving work before drainage, removal, disposal, and payment terms are clear.
Questions to Compare Side by Side
| Ask About | Strong Written Answer | Warning Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Credentials | Active ROC license number, general liability insurance, workers' compensation, and surety bond. | Documentation is delayed, incomplete, or only described verbally. |
| Base preparation | Excavation depth, aggregate type, and a 92 to 95 percent maximum-dry-density compaction target. | The proposal discusses only the visible asphalt thickness. |
| Asphalt materials | Aggregate size, mix design, binder and top-course lifts, and applicable ASTM D3515, ADOT, or MAG specifications. | No mix design, lift thickness, or material standard is identified. |
| Drainage and warranty | Finished grade, runoff direction, coverage, and exclusions such as overloading or drainage problems. | Standing water is not addressed or the warranty terms are vague. |
| Schedule and cleanup | Start date, cure time, payment schedule, old-asphalt removal, haul-away, and disposal. | Timing or disposal appears later as an extra charge. |
Start With Proof, References, and Scope
Ask how long the contractor has operated under the same name, where the business is based, and who will operate the paver, roller, and skid steer. Request two or three completed-project addresses that are at least one year old so you can judge performance after a full monsoon season and summer heat cycle. The written scope should spell out square footage, base, lifts, mix, schedule, payments, cleanup, and warranty exclusions.
Match the Work to the Pavement Condition
A full installation over new or excavated sub-base is different from an overlay 1.5 to 2 inches thick on structurally sound asphalt. Cracks under a half inch wide may be candidates for hot-pour rubberized crack sealing, while failed pothole material should be removed and replaced before monsoon water widens the damage. Ask whether coal-tar or asphalt-emulsion sealcoating every two to three years and annual crack sealing before summer fit the surface; base failure, drainage problems, or alligator cracking call for a broader evaluation. For commercial lots, confirm that striping needs and ADA accessibility requirements are included. The goal is to distinguish a pavement plan intended to last two decades from one that may need repair in two years.
Common Follow-Up Questions
What does a bad asphalt job look like? Watch for standing water, crumbling edges, uneven seams, or alligator cracking within the first year. How much might a 20-by-20-foot driveway cost? A general range for 400 square feet is $1,600 to $3,200, while 600 square feet is listed at $2,400 to $4,800; excavation, base condition, access, removal, and drainage can change the quote. What should you avoid saying? Do not offer your maximum budget or accept "just make it work" in place of a specific scope, and do not reveal that you are collecting only one quote.
Ask a Local Pro
Need Help Reviewing Your Project?
Share the property type, pavement condition, and any written quotes you are comparing. A local paving team can help identify missing scope details and the questions to resolve before work begins.