The right twelve questions separate a real paving crew from a sales rep at the kitchen table. Each one tests a different part of the job. Each has a right answer that a real contractor gives without hesitation. Print this page or have it open on your phone when you meet with each bidder. Run any quote you receive through the asphalt quote checker for a second-pass scope review.
Credentials: questions 1 to 3
1. Are you licensed in this state and can I see the license number?
Most states require a contractor license for residential work over 500 or 1,000 dollars. A real contractor gives the license number in the first email and tells you which state board issued it. Look it up on the board's website. Confirm the name on the license matches the name on the quote and that the license is active.
Right answer: Active license number, name match, state board confirmation.
2. Can I see your insurance and workers compensation certificates?
Ask for two documents. The general liability certificate of insurance with 1 million dollars minimum coverage, listing your address as certificate holder. And the workers compensation certificate. Both should be emailed within 24 hours by the contractor's insurance agent. The how to choose framework walks the verification step by step.
Right answer: Both certificates received from the insurer (not just the contractor's copy).
3. Where is your shop and how long have you been in business?
A real contractor has a physical yard or shop. Not a PO box. Not a residential street. Ask for the address and look it up on Google Maps. Ask how long the business has operated under this name in this state. Cross-check on the Better Business Bureau.
Right answer: A real address, 3 or more years under the current name, clean BBB profile.
Materials and scope: questions 4 to 6
4. What compacted asphalt thickness and base depth do you use for my driveway?
This is the most important question on the list. A residential driveway should have 2.5 to 3 inches of compacted asphalt over 4 to 6 inches of compacted crushed aggregate base. Heavy vehicle pads need 3 to 4 inches over 6 to 8. A vague answer like "we use the best mix" is a fail. The thickness guide for heavy vehicles shows the targets.
Right answer: Specific inch numbers, named base aggregate type, and a willingness to put both in writing.
5. Which asphalt plant supplies your hot mix?
A real contractor names a regional hot mix supplier within 30 miles. The National Asphalt Pavement Association lists member plants by state. Refusal to name the plant is a sign the contractor is either reselling questionable mix or has no real supply relationship.
Right answer: A named plant within driving distance, ideally one with a NAPA membership or DOT supplier status.
6. What is and is not included in the quote?
Read the seven line items. Square footage. Compacted asphalt thickness. Base type and depth. Tear-out and disposal scope. Drainage work. Permit responsibility. Cleanup and final walk-through. The hidden costs guide covers the line items that get dropped most often.
The cheap quote that looks 30 percent under the others usually fails one of these line items. Most often it is the base prep, tear-out, or drainage line. Ask the bidder to mark each of the seven as included, excluded, or extra cost. The exercise alone usually pulls a hidden 1,000 to 2,000 dollars into the open.
Right answer: Each of the seven listed yes or no in writing. No "we will handle it" answers.
Timeline and process: questions 7 to 9
7. When is your earliest start date and how long is the job?
A typical residential driveway pavement takes 1 to 2 days of crew time on site. Tear-out adds a day. Drainage work adds a day or more. Peak paving season (April to October) is booked weeks out. The best time to pave guide covers shoulder-season scheduling that saves 5 to 15 percent.
Right answer: A specific start date window with weather contingency and a realistic duration estimate.
8. Will the same crew that bid the job do the install?
This question tells the difference between a real crew and a broker. A real crew bids and paves with the same foreman and team. A broker marks up the bid and subcontracts the actual work to another crew you have not vetted.
Right answer: Same foreman and core crew, with named subcontractors only for specialty work like drainage or curb cuts.
9. How much deposit do you require and when?
10 to 25 percent deposit at contract signing is normal in 2026. A milestone schedule pays a progress payment at base prep, balance on satisfactory final walk-through. Never pay 100 percent up front. Anything over 50 percent before the paver arrives is a red flag.
Right answer: 10 to 25 percent deposit, milestone schedule, final payment after walk-through.
Warranty and cleanup: questions 10 to 12
10. What is your warranty and what does it cover?
One to two years on workmanship is the residential standard. Three to five years is good. The warranty should cover settling, edge crumbling, premature cracking, and seam separation. It will not cover normal hairline cracks, oil stains, snowplow damage, or settlement from a homeowner-modified subgrade. Get the warranty in writing in the contract.
Right answer: 1 to 2 year minimum written workmanship warranty with defined coverage.
11. What is the cleanup process and final walk-through?
Real paving crews stripe the edges, haul all spoils away, sweep the apron, and walk the surface with the homeowner before final payment. Punch list items get listed in writing. The bad install signs guide shows what to look for during the walk-through.
Right answer: Itemized cleanup, walk-through commitment in writing, punch list before final payment.
12. How long until I can drive on it and seal it?
The cure window matters for the lifespan of the surface. Foot traffic is fine in 24 hours. Car traffic in 48 to 72 hours. Heavy vehicles need 7 to 14 days. First sealcoat should wait 90 days minimum on new hot mix. A real contractor states all four windows clearly. The driveway lifespan guide ties the cure timing to long-term durability.
A bonus follow-up question. What should I not do in the first year? A real contractor lists turning the wheels of a parked car, parking heavy trailers on the same spot, dropping hot fire pits on the surface, and using harsh deicers. A contractor who waves off the new-driveway care question has not built a long-lifespan driveway before.
Right answer: 24 hours foot, 48 to 72 hours cars, 7 to 14 days heavy, 90 days for first seal.
How to use the answers
Run the same 12 questions past three contractors. Score each one out of 12. The winner is rarely the cheapest. It is almost always the bidder with the most specific answers and the most willing to put them in writing. The per-square-foot pricing guide sets the market benchmark to compare totals against. The FTC home improvement contract guide covers the federal-recommended terms any contract should include.
Three follow-ups for any bidder who hesitates
- "Can you put that in the contract?" Tests whether a verbal promise survives to writing.
- "Can I reach the foreman on install day?" Tests whether you have a real direct line into the job.
- "What happens if I am not happy at walk-through?" Tests whether the contractor has a real punch list process.
What the wrong answers look like
The patterns are predictable. A bidder who answers question 4 with "we use thick asphalt and good base" without numbers is hiding the spec. A bidder who answers question 5 with "we get it from a few different plants" is reselling whatever is cheapest that morning, which is often the lowest grade mix at end-of-day temperatures. A bidder who answers question 10 with "we stand behind our work" but cannot put a year number in writing has no warranty at all. The pattern is always the same. Vagueness is the tell.
Bottom line
The right questions cost nothing to ask and save thousands on the bill. The contractor who answers all 12 with specific, written commitments is the one to hire. The one who deflects or rushes you past any question is the one to thank and dismiss. Pair this checklist with the 10 red flags list and the buyer framework for the full vetting process.
Cost ranges, license-board references, and warranty templates are on the sources page.