Permeable Paver Driveway — Pavers That Drain Rain Through the Base
A lot that is at its impervious-surface limit, a driveway that sends every storm into the garage or the neighbor's yard, or a lake lot with runoff rules — a driveway that drinks the rain instead of shedding it.
JMB Builders installs permeable paver driveways across the Twin Cities metro: pavers with wide open joints on an open-graded base of clean crushed stone, no sand and no fines, so rain runs through the joints into the stone and soaks into the ground instead of running to the street. The base holds no water, so Minnesota frost has nothing to heave. Many cities count it toward impervious-surface limits. Priced per project after a site measure.
- Priced per project after a site measure
- Open-graded clean stone base, no sand or fines
- Rain drains through the joints, not to the street
- Cities may credit it against impervious limits
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A regular paver driveway is built to shed water: tight joints, polymeric sand, a base with fines that packs hard, and a pitch that sends rain to the street. A permeable paver driveway is built to swallow it. The pavers have spacer nubs or chamfered edges that leave the joints open, the joints are filled with small clean chip instead of sand, and the base under them is open-graded crushed stone, angular rock with the fines screened out so the gaps between the pieces stay open. Rain falls on the surface, drops through the joints, fills the voids in the stone and soaks down into the soil. On clay, where the ground cannot take it fast enough, a perforated underdrain at the bottom of the stone carries the overflow to daylight or a storm connection.
The reason most homeowners ask for it is the city. Metro cities limit how much of a lot can be covered with hard surface, and lake and river lots under shoreland rules have tighter limits still. Add a garage stall or a wider driveway and you can be over. Many cities credit permeable pavers as partly or fully pervious when they are built to a spec, which can be the difference between a permit and a denial. Not every city does, and the ones that do want to see the base detail. We ask your city what it accepts before we quote and build to that.
The base is different, and it is also why permeable pavers do so well in Minnesota frost. Frost heave needs water sitting in the soil under the surface. An open-graded stone base drains as fast as it fills, so there is nothing to freeze and lift. The stone has to be clean, it has to be compacted in lifts without crushing the voids shut, and it has to be deep enough to hold a storm's worth of water while the soil takes it; that depth comes from the soil and the drainage area at the site measure. A skid loader and a truck of clean stone need a way in. What you cannot do on a permeable driveway is sweep sand into it or seal the joints; that is the maintenance question and it is covered below.
What you supply
- The permeable paver style and color, picked at a supply yard or from samples; we order and have them delivered
- Your lot's situation: an impervious-surface limit, a shoreland lot, a wet garage, or runoff onto a neighbor
- Where your downspouts and sump discharge run; they can feed the driveway base if the city allows it
- Access for a skid loader and a place to stage pavers, the clean stone pile and the truck for the old surface
- Somewhere to park for the length of the job
What JMB supplies
- Site measure, a soil check to see how fast the ground takes water, and the city's rules on permeable surface credit
- Breaking out and hauling the old asphalt, concrete or gravel drive
- Excavation to the depth the storage and the soil call for, and the utility locate first
- Open-graded clean stone base in two or three sizes, placed and compacted in lifts without crushing the voids
- A perforated underdrain to daylight or a storm connection where the soil is too tight to drain on its own
- Permeable pavers laid in the pattern the unit is made for, with a soldier course and edge restraint on the compacted stone
- Joints filled with clean chip, not sand, and the field compacted to seat the pavers
- The right-of-way permit for the apron and the driveway or stormwater permit if your city requires one
- Photos of the finished driveway and the base under it in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage of the driveway and apron
- Depth of the stone base, set by how much water it has to hold and how fast your soil drains
- An underdrain to daylight or a storm connection, needed on clay and not on sand
- Removing the old asphalt or concrete surface
- Paver choice: permeable pavers cost more than standard driveway pavers and some patterns cut slower
- Whether downspouts or sump lines are piped into the base, and the city's rules on that
- City permits and any stormwater review or engineer's letter the city asks for
- Machine access and how far clean stone has to be moved
Send a photo of the driveway from the street and one from the garage, and tell us why you want permeable: a lot-coverage limit, a wet garage, or a shoreland rule. We check with the city before the site measure.
How long it takes
Our estimate: a two-car permeable driveway takes about one to two weeks, similar to a standard paver driveway, plus whatever time the city takes on a stormwater review. You can drive on it the day the joints are filled.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Full permeable driveway
The whole drive from garage to street on an open-graded base. The usual answer when a lot is at its impervious-surface limit or a shoreland rule caps hard surface.
Permeable apron or drainage strip
A permeable band across the drive at the garage or along a low edge, tied into an underdrain, to catch the water that runs toward the garage door from an asphalt or concrete drive. A drainage fix more than a driveway.
Permeable parking pad
An extra stall or a boat and trailer pad beside the driveway built permeable so it does not add to the lot's impervious count. Same base, same pavers, tied to the existing drive with a soldier course.
Permeable patio or walkway
The same open-joint pavers and clean stone base under a patio or a path where a lot is over its coverage limit or a patio floods. Built as its own job with the same base logic.
Permeable Paver Driveway — Pavers That Drain Rain Through the Base: questions, answered
How do permeable pavers work?
The pavers have nubs or chamfered edges that leave a wider joint than a regular paver, and the joints are filled with small clean chip instead of sand. Under them is a base of clean crushed stone with the fines screened out, so there are open voids between the pieces. Rain falls on the surface, drains through the joints into the stone, is stored in the voids and soaks down into the soil. Where the soil is too tight, a perforated pipe at the bottom of the stone carries the overflow away.
Do permeable pavers count as impervious surface in Minnesota cities?
It depends on the city. Many Twin Cities suburbs credit permeable pavers as partly or fully pervious when they are built on an open-graded base to a spec they can inspect, and some shoreland ordinances do the same. Others count all pavers as impervious no matter how they are built. We ask your city's planning or engineering department before we quote, get the answer in writing when we can, and build the base to whatever detail they want to see.
Do permeable pavers heave in Minnesota winters?
Less than almost any other driveway surface. Frost heave needs water trapped in the soil under the surface, and an open-graded stone base drains as fast as it fills, so there is nothing to freeze and lift. The base is deep enough to store a storm's worth of water while the soil takes it, and on clay an underdrain keeps it from ever standing full. The pavers themselves are the same dense concrete as a standard driveway paver and are rated for vehicles.
What maintenance does a permeable paver driveway need?
Keep the joints open. Leaves, grass clippings and dirt that settle into the joints slow the drainage, so a pass with a leaf blower or a shop vacuum a couple of times a year keeps them clear. Do not sweep sand or fine gravel into the joints, do not sand the driveway for traction in winter, and do not seal the joints; all of those clog it. Every few years the joints are topped up with the same clean chip. If the surface ever ponds, the joints are vacuumed out and refilled.
Can you plow and salt a permeable paver driveway?
Plowing is the same as any paver driveway: the blade rides on the surface. Deicer can be used, and permeable driveways usually need less of it because meltwater drains through instead of refreezing on the surface as ice. What you cannot use is sand for traction, because it washes into the joints and clogs them. A snowblower is fine; set the skid shoes so the auger does not dig at the chip in the joints.
Can my downspouts drain into the permeable driveway base?
Often, yes. A downspout or sump discharge line can be piped into the stone base so roof water soaks away under the driveway instead of running across the lawn, which is a good fix for a wet side yard. The base has to be sized for the extra water and the soil has to be able to take it, or an underdrain carries the overflow. Some cities do not allow it or want it reviewed, so we ask at the same time we ask about the impervious credit.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 27, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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