DeKalb has the oldest housing of the four counties we cover, a continental divide running through it, and granite close to the surface. Decatur, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Tucker, Chamblee, Doraville, Stone Mountain, Lithonia and the DeKalb side of Atlanta. This page is about what that means for asphalt, and about the patchwork of city rules at the curb.
A US Geological Survey report on the county describes the Eastern Continental Divide running roughly northeast to southwest across DeKalb. On one side, Peachtree Creek and Nancy Creek carry water to the Chattahoochee and on to the Gulf of Mexico. On the other, the South River and Snapfinger Creek drain toward the Ocmulgee and the Atlantic.
A driveway does not care which ocean it drains to. It does care that DeKalb is a county of ridges and creek valleys, and that every one of those creeks starts as runoff off roofs, lawns and pavement. A drive that sheds water cleanly to the street lasts. A drive that takes the neighbour's runoff across its middle, or holds it in a dip by the garage, softens the clay underneath at that spot, and that is where the web of cracks starts.
The US Geological Survey names Stone Mountain as the type locality of the Stone Mountain Granite, and the Lithonia Gneiss takes its name from exposures near Lithonia. The National Park Service describes Arabia Mountain's granite outcrops as about 400 million years old and notes quarries there worked well into the twentieth century. Lithonia's name means city of stone.
Around Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Arabia Mountain the granite breaks the surface in places, and wherever rock is shallow it matters for paving more than for sealing. A rebuilt drive needs a certain depth of compacted stone under the asphalt, and where rock or a boulder turns up in the excavation, the plan changes on the day. A quote for a full replacement out that way says what happens if the digging finds rock.
The Census Bureau's 2024 five year figures put DeKalb's median home at 1984, the oldest of Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb and Gwinnett. Decatur's median is 1975 and Tucker's 1981. Dunwoody's is 1984, and Brookhaven's is 1994. The Druid Hills Historic District, planned with Frederick Law Olmsted and listed on the National Register in 1979, has a period of significance running from 1875 to 1949.
An older neighbourhood brings its own driveway problems. A drive laid decades ago can be narrower and thinner than a modern one, with less stone under it. Many have been patched several times, each patch a slightly different height and colour. Mature hardwoods send roots under the pavement, and a ridge of cracks running out from a tree trunk is something to look for. Sealing hides none of that, so a drive like this is looked at for repair first, and the coat goes on after.
Several DeKalb cities are young. The Georgia Municipal Association lists Dunwoody as incorporated in 2008, Brookhaven in 2012 and Tucker in 2016, and each now runs its own right-of-way process. What the cities publish:
On licences, DeKalb County states that every business operating in the county needs a valid business licence, Doraville requires an occupation tax certificate to do business inside city limits, and Lithonia says 1099 independent contractors and subcontractors need their own city certificate. Ask anyone you hire about it.
Sometimes. If the patches are firm and level, sealing ties the colour together. If some have sunk or are breaking at the edges, those get cut out and rebuilt first, or the whole drive gets an overlay.
The raised asphalt can be cut out and relaid level. What happens to the root is a separate question, often for an arborist, and DeKalb and its cities have their own tree rules. Nothing gets cut without your say.
Yes. Send the address.
Brookhaven allows one standard driveway per lot and sends a second through its encroachment application, so the city's answer comes first. If they approve it, it can be paved.
Also nearby: Fulton County, Gwinnett County and Cobb County. Repairs: driveway and asphalt repair. New surfaces: asphalt paving.
