How Much Does an Asphalt Driveway Cost in Indiana?
National cost guides put a new asphalt driveway at about $4 to $15 a square foot, installed. Two of them put the average project at $4,740 and $4,996. On a 600 square foot driveway, one guide’s range comes to $3,000 to $7,200.
Those are market numbers, not our price list. The base, the thickness, any old surface and the access move a real price. For asphalt driveway paving around Sellersburg, we look at the job and put the quote in writing.
What does an asphalt driveway cost per square foot?
The guides disagree, so here they are side by side. Every line is a contractor’s price with labor included.
| What national cost guides publish | Per square foot |
|---|---|
| New driveway, one guide | $5 to $12 or more |
| New driveway, a second guide | $7 to $13 |
| New driveway, a third guide | $3.92 to $6.25 |
| Old driveway torn out and replaced | $8 to $15 |
| New layer over sound asphalt | $3 to $7 |
| Removing and hauling off old asphalt | $1 to $3 |
| Excavation and grading | $1 to $3 |
| Installing and compacting a stone base | $1 to $3 |
The first guide puts labor at $3 to $6 or more a square foot. Materials add $2 to $6 or more. It also notes that some contractors set a minimum charge of $2,000 or more.
What do common driveway sizes cost?
Square footage is length times width. A drive 20 feet wide and 30 feet long is 600 square feet. The first guide publishes installed totals by size.
| Driveway size | Published total, installed |
|---|---|
| 200 square feet | $1,000 to $2,400 |
| 400 square feet | $2,000 to $4,800 |
| 600 square feet | $3,000 to $7,200 |
| 800 square feet | $4,000 to $9,600 |
| 1,000 square feet | $5,000 to $12,000 |
Long country lanes change the math fast. A lane 10 feet wide and 300 feet long is 3,000 square feet. At $5 to $12 a square foot, that comes to $15,000 to $36,000.
Two local codes set a minimum for those lanes. In Sellersburg’s agricultural district, a farm or single-home driveway must be paved for the first 30 feet from the right-of-way. Scottsburg’s code asks for the same 30 feet in its A-1 district.
What does asphalt cost a ton in Indiana?
Indiana’s public bids show the material price. Clark County’s 2025 highway material bids priced 9.5 mm surface mix at $42.44 to $52 a ton. Trucking was bid separately, by the hour. The same bids listed No. 53 crushed stone, a common base stone, at $13 a ton.
INDOT’s 2025 unit price summary shows what contractors bid to place mix on state road jobs. The surface mix with the most tons averaged $98.02 a ton. “HMA for approaches” averaged about $145 to $155 a ton, by type. INDOT’s design manual uses that mix for drives and other spots with a lot of handwork.
Thickness turns square feet into tons. One guide figures a ton covers about 80 square feet at 2 inches and 55 at 3 inches. A 600 square foot driveway at 3 inches takes about 11 tons. At the county’s bid prices, that is roughly $470 to $570 of mix.
The asphalt itself is a small part of a driveway price. The rest pays for the base and for hauling and placing the mix while it is hot.
What moves the price on an Indiana driveway?
The base under the asphalt carries the load, and much of the cost. One national guide calls for 6 to 8 inches of compacted gravel under 2 to 3 inches of asphalt. Heavier vehicles call for 3 to 4 inches of asphalt over 8 to 10 inches of base. The same guide says clay soils often need extra digging and more base stone.
Tearing out an old surface adds its own line. One guide prices removal and hauling at $1 to $3 a square foot. Another puts demolition and disposal at $2 to $6. The guide that prices a new driveway at $7 to $13 puts a replacement at $8 to $15.
A gravel driveway can give the job a head start. If the old stone is deep and well compacted, part of the base work is done. A thin or rutted gravel drive gets regraded and topped with crushed stone first.
Slope and distance add cost. One guide adds 15 to 30 percent when a drive curves or climbs a slope. Hot-mix asphalt must arrive hot, and one guide notes delivery costs climb past 15 to 20 miles from a plant.
Do permits and local rules add to the cost?
Sometimes, and the road in front of the property decides. National guides put a driveway permit at $50 to $200. In Sellersburg, a new driveway or curb cut needs an improvement location permit from the town, outside platted subdivisions. The town’s code adds that a drive onto a county or INDOT road needs that road owner’s permit too.
A new or widened driveway onto a Clark County road needs a county permit. Both the owner and the contractor sign that application.
A drive onto a state highway starts with INDOT. Its driveway permit guide says an approved permit must come before any construction on state right-of-way. The property owner applies, and an INDOT permit investigator visits the site. INDOT also requires a culvert pipe at least 15 inches in diameter under private drives, unless it approves otherwise.
Some towns set the surface, too. Madison’s development ordinance, approved in March 2026, calls for concrete on new or altered home driveways inside city limits. That is another trade’s work.
Does a new layer cost less than a new driveway?
Often, if the base under it is still sound. Guides price an asphalt overlay at $3 to $7 a square foot and a full replacement at $8 to $15. One guide puts the savings at 20 to 30 percent over full replacement.
The catch is the base. Alligator cracking and soft spots point to a base that has failed. A new layer over a failed base tends to crack the same way. Our post on resurfacing versus replacement covers the signs.
What does upkeep cost after the driveway goes in?
One guide calls sealcoat the main protective treatment for an asphalt driveway. It prices sealcoating at $1 to $2 a square foot. The same guide suggests resealing every 2 to 3 years after the first coat. On a 600 square foot driveway, that is about $600 to $1,200 a coat.
Why is a written quote the only real number?
A cost guide can’t see your driveway. It can’t measure the slope or check the base under an old surface. A site visit can, and then the quote names the real work.
A quote you can compare lists the square footage, the base depth, the asphalt thickness and any tear-out. Two quotes with the same total can describe two different driveways.
We pave new driveways and gravel conversions in Sellersburg and about 45 miles around it. Call or text (812) 913-8411, and we will look at the job and put the quote in writing.