Concrete Companyin Cerritos, CA
A concrete company in Cerritos has to work inside City limits that most pour-and-go outfits skip: driveways top out at 25 feet for two cars and 35 for three, the front yard must be at least 40 percent landscaped, and the parkway may hold only living plants. Front yard and driveway changes need Planning approval before any building permit.
Before the driveways came the dairies. The City library counts about 400 dairies in 1957 and 240 by 1962, and says freeway construction for the 605 and 91 displaced 32 of them, while LAist counts 325 at the founding of Dairy Valley. Tract housing took their place: 55.1 percent of today's 16,343 homes went up in the 1970s and 83.2 percent before 1980, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 five-year tables, so most driveways, walks and patios here are original pours that have carried fifty years of cars, roots and ground movement.
MDG Builders, CSLB #1040337, is a general contractor in Tarzana, and we do not pour concrete with our own crew. We measure the site, learn what Cerritos Community Development and Building and Safety and Public Works require, and schedule a licensed concrete subcontractor whose license and insurance certificate you may ask to see. Materials and prices are on our concrete page, and the Cerritos overview lists the other trades we manage here.
What Cerritos' City pages say about concrete work
Where concrete permits come from in Cerritos: City of Cerritos Department of Community Development.
- The City's Home Improvement page lists driveways or walkways among the installations or replacements that need approvals and/or permits, and driveways and walkways again among the new-construction items that need permits.
- The City's front yard landscape and driveway application (published as the Landscaping Application Guide) is for Planning approval only, requires plans and the consultant acknowledgement forms A and B (plus manufacturer specifications for synthetic turf), and notes a separate trade permit is required for any mechanical, electrical or plumbing activity.
- Driveway standards in the City's manual and plan checklist: no more than 25 feet wide for a two-car garage and 35 feet for a three-car garage, at least 3 feet of soft landscaping between the driveway and the nearest side property line and at least 18 inches of landscaping between the driveway and the pedestrian entry walkway.
- The Residential Design Manual says plans must correct common Municipal Code violations, naming concrete, hardscape or synthetic turf in the public parkway and driveway extensions, and requires that the driveway not extend beyond the existing garage width on the front door side.
- The public parkway must be fully landscaped with living plants. Hardscape, decomposed granite, gravel or rock and synthetic turf are prohibited there.
- The front yard landscape area must be at least 40 percent of the front yard, with no more than 20 percent of that area in non-organic material such as decomposed granite, gravel or rock (at least 80 percent living plants), or, with synthetic turf, up to 75 percent turf and at least 25 percent living plants. The plan must be professionally prepared, at least 11 by 17 inches, with room for City stamps.
- The encroachment permit page does not specifically address driveway approaches, curbs or concrete work (call Engineering, (562) 916-1219, to confirm), and it adds that newly paved streets cannot be cut for five years and slurry-sealed streets for two (Municipal Code 12.16.330).
- A paved patio surface may extend to a side or rear property line only if it stays at least 6 feet below the top of the existing wall or fence or no more than 12 inches above existing grade, whichever is more restrictive (Municipal Code 22.22.700(18)(a)(ii), as printed in the City's patio guide).
How much of a Cerritos front yard can concrete cover?
The City's front yard landscape manual wants at least 40 percent of the front yard landscaped. Inside that landscaped share, no more than 20 percent may be non-organic material such as decomposed granite, gravel or rock, which leaves at least 80 percent living plants; with synthetic turf the ceiling is 75 percent turf and at least 25 percent living plants. Whatever you pour competes for the other 60 percent.
A change to the front yard or driveway goes through Planning approval, not the building counter. The application asks for a professionally prepared plan at least 11 by 17 inches with room for City stamps, plus consultant acknowledgement forms A and B, and the City wants its HOA Approval Form with front yard and driveway work. Any separate mechanical, electrical or plumbing activity, such as a sprinkler line or a lighting circuit, needs its own trade permit.
Code Enforcement names inadequate front yard landscaping among the common residential violations. The ladder runs from a door tag to letters to the Property Preservation Commission, and fines are $100 for a first violation, $200 for a repeat within a year and $500 for a third. Ask Planning before you pour, not after the tag.
- What share of my front yard is landscaped today, and what will it be after the pour?
How wide can a Cerritos driveway be, and what must sit beside it?
The City's design manual caps a driveway at 25 feet wide for a two-car garage and 35 feet for a three-car garage. It also asks for at least 3 feet of soft landscaping between the driveway and the nearest side property line and at least 18 inches of planting between the driveway and the walk to the front door. The Residential Design Manual adds that a driveway may not extend past the existing garage width on the front-door side, and it lists driveway extensions among the common violations that plans must correct.
Mirror, not the official text: gocodebook.com's copy of Chapter 22.22 summarizes Section 22.22.700(15)(c) as a concrete driveway surface at least 20 feet long in front of the garage, set 3 feet off the side line, with only one driveway and one curb cut or apron per lot. The City's own code publisher blocked our fetch, so treat those three points as a lead to confirm with Planning, not as the code itself.
A second or circular driveway therefore begins as a Planning question. Lakewood next door takes another route, a percentage cap on front yard hardscape, which you can compare on our page for concrete work in Lakewood.
Can a Cerritos concrete company touch the parkway, curb or a street tree?
Not the parkway surface. The strip between curb and sidewalk must be fully planted with living plants, and the City's manual bars concrete, decomposed granite, gravel, rock and synthetic turf there. Municipal Code Chapter 9.75, as quoted in the City's 2018 Tree Preservation Manual, makes it unlawful to pave or surface any part of a parkway and limits plantings to grass, ground cover and shrubs no taller than 24 inches above the curb.
Anything placed in the public right of way needs an encroachment permit and inspection before work starts, at $200 for residents and $570 for non-residents. The City's page does not say whether a driveway approach or curb concrete counts, so call Engineering at (562) 916-1219 before assuming either answer. Newly paved streets cannot be cut for five years and slurry-sealed streets for two, under Municipal Code 12.16.330, which matters if a drain or conduit trench crosses the road.
Parkway trees belong to the City. Public Works removes one only if it is diseased, dying, dead or a hazard, and an owner who wants one gone applies at (562) 916-1220. Any digging begins with a DigAlert call to 811 at least two days ahead.
How do liquefaction, perched water and summer heat change a slab or footing in Cerritos?
The Safety Element says the whole city lies in a State-mapped liquefaction zone and that perched water sits within several feet of the surface in many areas, making ground failure a primary seismic concern. The nearest mapped fault is the buried Norwalk fault about a mile north, and the City shows no Alquist-Priolo fault zone inside its limits. For a patio slab that background changes little. For a footing, a wall or an addition slab, a geotechnical report is the only way to learn what one lot holds.
The weather is kinder. The nearest NOAA 1991 to 2020 station, in Fullerton, averages 11.86 inches of rain a year, 80 percent of it from December through March, and 39.2 days at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. A pour is usually booked into a dry stretch, so ask what the crew does about hot afternoons, wind and a forecast storm.
We found no City handout that sets slab thickness, mesh or joint spacing, so those details belong in your contract rather than in a rule we can quote. Ask for thickness, reinforcing, base preparation and joint layout in writing.
When does a block wall or retaining wall need a permit in Cerritos?
Walls start at the Planning counter. Any new or replacement wall in a Cerritos front yard needs Community Development approval, and one taller than 30 inches also needs a building permit; the planning fee is $160 plus the 17.5 percent General Plan Maintenance Fee. Block walls over 30 inches need structural plans, 4-inch block is prohibited and chain link is banned citywide. A wall on a shared property line needs a Common Property Line Agreement signed by both owners.
Retaining walls are the open question. The model building code and the County's exemption page mention a line at 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall and only where the wall holds back no extra load, but we did not read the exemption list Cerritos applies. Treat every retaining wall as a permit question, ask Building and Safety at (562) 916-1209, and do not accept that a wall is exempt because a bidder says so.
CSLB lists concrete work under C-8 and block walls under C-29 masonry, so ask the bidder which class covers your wall and who is responsible for the footing and drainage.
What does a concrete patio or driveway cost in Cerritos, and how close to the fence can it go?
A paved patio may run to a side or rear property line only if its surface stays at least 6 feet below the top of the wall or fence or no more than 12 inches above existing grade, whichever is stricter. That is Municipal Code 22.22.700(18)(a)(ii) as printed in the City's patio guide, and the patio planning fee is $39 plus the same 17.5 percent surcharge.
Our Los Angeles page uses $8 to $14 per square foot for flat, easy-access flatwork of about 300 square feet or more, at medium confidence. Angi's 2026 Los Angeles patio page lists $4 to $13, and small jobs run above per-foot averages because crews carry minimum charges. Take a patio measuring 20 feet by 20 feet: its 400 square feet price out at $3,200 with $8 a foot or $5,600 with $14, when the surface is plain broom texture.
Decorative surfaces change the picture. Angi's Los Angeles page for stamped patios quotes $15 to $30 per square foot, so that same pad climbs to between $6,000 and $12,000. A driveway replacement runs $9 to $20 per square foot on our range, including demolition of the old slab.
Who is licensed to do concrete work in Cerritos, and what should the contract say?
CSLB's C-8 class covers forming, pouring, placing and finishing concrete, and placing reinforcing steel alone falls under a different class. A contractor who pulls a City permit needs a Cerritos business license, applied for at businesslicense.cerritos.gov, and uploads the State pocket card. An agent filing for you needs a notarized Letter of Authorization dated within the past year.
California's home improvement contract law, Business and Professions Code section 7159, requires a written, signed contract above $500 that states the price and the significant materials, and it caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less. Work totaling under $1,000 with materials is the limit for unlicensed work under section 7048, never for a job that needs a permit. Our guide to checking a contractor license shows the lookup.
The scope should name base, reinforcing, joint layout, finish, curing and haul-off. The City's waste plan counts debris of 900 square feet or more at 50 percent diversion unless Athens Services hauls it, and crews may work Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Concrete photos from Cerritos and nearby communities
Footing trenches, forms, driveways, walls and finished patios from Cerritos and the towns beside it. Tap any photo to enlarge it.
What concrete costs around Cerritos
Figures here are Los Angeles ranges from our concrete page, not a Cerritos quote, and City planning fees and County permit fees are separate lines. Nearby pages: concrete work in Lakewood, concrete work in Norwalk, concrete work in Bellflower and concrete work in Los Angeles. A new patio often pairs with a deck in Cerritos or flooring in Cerritos, and the subcontractor model is laid out in how general contractors use subcontractors.
| What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Patio, walkway or slab, broom finish, 300 sq ft or more | $8 to $14 per square foot |
| Decorative: stained, stamped or exposed aggregate | $15 to $30 per square foot |
| Driveway replacement, with demolition of the old slab | $9 to $20 per square foot |
| 20 by 20 foot plain patio (400 sq ft) | About $3,200 to $5,600 |
| 20 by 20 foot decorative patio (400 sq ft) | About $6,000 to $12,000 |
| Small jobs under 300 sq ft | Usually above the per-foot range |
| Retaining walls | Set by the written proposal |
Cerritos concrete questions: driveways, patios and walls
Can I pour a concrete patio without a permit in Cerritos?
The City pages we read do not name a patio slab either way, so ask Building and Safety at (562) 916-1209 with your plan. A paved patio near a rear or side line must meet the City's height rule, and a patio in the front yard falls under the landscape minimum. A patio cover is a separate structure with its own approval.
Can I expand my driveway without a permit in Cerritos?
No, not without Planning approval. Driveways are capped at 25 feet wide for two cars and 35 for three, need at least 3 feet of landscaping beside the side line, and cannot run past the garage width on the front-door side. The City's guide for front yard and driveway work is for Planning approval and needs a professionally prepared plan.
How much should a 20x20 concrete patio cost in Cerritos?
On our Los Angeles range of $8 to $14 per square foot, a 20 by 20 foot patio is 400 square feet and costs about $3,200 to $5,600 in plain broom finish. Angi's lower $4 to $13 page range and small-job minimums both matter. Medium confidence, not a quote, and demolition, permits and drainage are separate lines.
How much does a 20x20 stamped concrete patio cost?
Angi's Los Angeles page puts stamped concrete at $15 to $30 per square foot, so a 20 by 20 foot patio of 400 square feet lands between $6,000 and $12,000. That is a medium to low confidence range because decorative work varies widely by pattern, color and sealer. Ask to see a sample of the exact pattern first.
Can I build a retaining wall in Cerritos without a permit?
We cannot say yes from a source. The model code and County exemption page mention a 4 foot line, but we did not read the list Cerritos applies, and walls that hold extra load are treated differently. Ask Building and Safety before you build. A block wall over 30 inches also needs structural plans in the City's guide.
Is 4 inches of concrete thick enough for a driveway in Cerritos?
We found no Cerritos rule that sets driveway thickness, so the answer belongs in your written scope. Four inches is the figure most often quoted for patios and walks, but vehicle loads, soil and reinforcing change the spec, and we could not source a code number. Ask the crew to state thickness, base and mesh.
Can I put concrete in the parkway strip in Cerritos?
No. The City's manual requires the parkway to be fully planted with living plants and bars concrete, decomposed granite, gravel, rock and synthetic turf there, and Municipal Code 9.75 makes paving any part of a parkway unlawful. Work in the right of way also needs an encroachment permit, so call Engineering at (562) 916-1219 first.
What license does concrete work need in California?
A C-8 concrete license covers forming, pouring and finishing, and block walls fall under C-29 masonry. Under section 7048 only jobs under $1,000 with materials can go unlicensed, and never one needing a permit. Cerritos also wants a City business license before a permit issues. Check the number on CSLB's lookup before signing.
Plan concrete work for your Cerritos lot
Tell us what is there now, how much of the front yard it covers and whether the new concrete touches the parkway or a wall. We check the landscape share and the driveway widths before we call.