# Asphalt repair cost: cracks, potholes, overlays

> Crack filling runs $2 to $5 per linear foot, potholes $100 to $400 each, an overlay $3 to $7 per sq ft. A repair-by-repair price guide with worked totals.

Canonical: https://drivewaysealinglab.com/asphalt-repair-cost/

Last updated: 2026-11-09

Asphalt repair cost depends on what failed. Crack filling runs $2 to $5 per linear foot, pothole patching $100 to $400 each, an overlay $3 to $7 per square foot, and full replacement $8 to $15 per square foot. Most driveways need the first two, not the last two, and the difference between them is whether the base under the pavement is still doing its job.

## Matching the repair to the failure

Asphalt repair is work that restores a damaged pavement surface or base without replacing the whole driveway. The scope ranges from sealing a crack to rebuilding a failed section.

Four failure types cover nearly every residential job: cracks, potholes, surface wear, and base failure. Each has its own price and its own limits.

Cracks are a surface and water problem. Potholes are a base problem showing through. Surface wear is oxidation and raveling. Base failure is the subgrade not carrying load. Only the first and third are cheap to fix.

## Repair costs by scope

| Repair | Unit | Cost | Typical quantity | Typical total |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Crack filling | linear ft | $2-$5 | 80 ft | $160-$400 |
| Pothole patching | each | $100-$400 | 2 | $200-$800 |
| Asphalt overlay | sq ft | $3-$7 | 600 sq ft | $1,800-$4,200 |
| Full replacement | sq ft | $8-$15 | 600 sq ft | $4,800-$9,000 |
| Sealcoat, after repair | sq ft | $0.15-$0.30 | 600 sq ft | $90-$180 |

The arithmetic is multiplication. Eighty linear feet at $3.50 per foot is 80 × $3.50 = $280. Two potholes at $175 each is $350. Sealcoat on 600 square feet at $0.20 is $120.

A driveway that needs all three lands at $750, or $1.25 per square foot, against $4,800 to $9,000 for replacement. That gap is why diagnosis matters more than the repair price list.

## Cracks: cheap to fill, expensive to ignore

Crack filling is the highest-return repair in the list. Water entering a crack softens the base, and freeze-thaw cycles widen the opening each winter.

Hot-pour rubber at $2 to $5 per linear foot is the durable option. It flexes with the pavement and stays bonded through temperature swings. Cold-pour bottle products sit at the low end of the range and last one to three seasons on a working driveway.

Width changes the price within the band. Hairline cracks at a quarter inch or less price near $2 per foot. Cracks half an inch wide and deeper need cleaning, sometimes routing, and more material, which pushes toward $5.

A useful rule: if a crack is wide enough to hold a coin on edge, it needs filling now. Our [driveway crack repair cost](https://drivewaysealinglab.com/driveway-crack-repair-cost/) guide breaks the pricing down by crack type.

## Potholes: patch the hole, check the cause

A pothole patch costs $100 to $400. Small, shallow holes at the low end; large, deep ones that need excavation and compacted base material at the high end.

The failure pattern matters more than the price. A pothole that reappears in the same location within a year is not a patching problem; it is a base or drainage problem. Patching it again buys months, not years.

Cold patch is the temporary fix, usable in wet and cold conditions at the lower end of the range. Hot-mix is the permanent repair and needs dry weather and an available plant. Expect cold patch to last one season and hot-mix to last several years when the base beneath it is sound.

## Overlay or replace: the decision that costs thousands

An overlay at $3 to $7 per square foot adds a new asphalt layer over prepared existing pavement. It is the right call when the surface is worn, cracked, and raveled but the base still carries load.

Full replacement at $8 to $15 per square foot removes the old pavement, rebuilds the base, and paves fresh. It is the right call when the base has failed, when the pavement is broken into loose plates, or when drainage cannot be corrected from above.

Three signals point to replacement:

1. Alligator cracking across more than a quarter of the surface.
2. Depressions where water stands for a day or more after rain.
3. Edges that crumble into the lawn no matter how often they are patched.

On 600 square feet the gap is $1,800 to $4,200 for an overlay against $4,800 to $9,000 for replacement. Paying the overlay price on a failed base usually means paying again within five years, which erases the saving.

## What repair adds to a sealing budget

Sealing is maintenance and should be priced after repairs, never instead of them. A coat over an open crack fails along the crack line, and a coat over a pothole fills the hole with a thin film that breaks out in weeks.

The order is fixed: fill cracks, patch potholes, prime oil spots, then seal. A 600 square foot driveway with moderate damage typically runs $160 to $400 in crack filling, $0 to $350 in patching, and $90 to $180 in sealer — roughly $250 to $930 total.

Compare that with a full replacement at $4,800 to $9,000 and the case for maintaining a sound driveway is obvious. Compare it with an overlay on a failed base and the case for diagnosing first is equally obvious. Our [driveway repair cost](https://drivewaysealinglab.com/driveway-repair-cost/) overview covers the wider list of scopes, and [asphalt overlay cost](https://drivewaysealinglab.com/asphalt-overlay-cost/) prices the middle option in more detail.

## Getting a repair quote that holds up

Ask for the scope in units, not lump sums: linear feet of crack, number of potholes, square feet of overlay. Then ask what preparation each line includes, because cleaning and routing a crack costs labor that a $1.50-per-foot bid will skip.

Ask too whether the price includes sealcoat afterward. A repair that is left unsealed weathers faster at the patch edges, and bundling the coat is usually cheaper than booking a second visit.

Finally, ask what happens if the crew finds base failure under a patch. The answer should be a change order with a stated rate, agreed before the work starts, not a revised invoice after the excavation is open.