How Often Should You Sealcoat a Driveway?
The sealcoating interval three published sources give, and what changes it.
SealMaster, a sealer manufacturer, says sealcoating is typically recommended every 3 years. The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association says a high-grade sealer every two to five years can extend a driveway's life, and Angi says every two to three years. None of them recommend sealing a brand-new driveway right away.
What the sources say
SealMaster says sealcoating is typically recommended every 3 years to provide adequate pavement protection. The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association's driveway brief, published by the Asphalt Institute, says a high-grade asphalt liquid sealer applied every two to five years can extend the service life of the driveway. Angi's asphalt-vs-concrete guide says asphalt needs resealing every two to three years.
What changes the interval
SealMaster lists the quality of the sealer, a proper mix design with sand, the number of coats applied, and daily traffic as the factors that decide how long a sealcoat lasts. It says two coats should always be applied, and a third coat is recommended in high-traffic situations.
New driveways
The Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association says not to apply sealer until the driveway is at least several months old. SealMaster says new asphalt should cure a minimum of 30 to 60 days.
Cracks come first
SealMaster says cracks should be filled before sealer goes down, and that a maintenance program of periodic crack filling and sealcoating will more than double the life of asphalt pavement.
Keep reading
Frequently Asked Questions
None of the three sources recommends yearly sealing: SealMaster says typically every 3 years, the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association every two to five, and Angi every two to three.
SealMaster says it depends on sealer quality, the mix design, the number of coats and traffic, and typically recommends resealing every 3 years.
Sources
The figures on this page come from these sources, read on 2026-09-25. None of them is South State Paving's own claim.
- SealMaster, How often should you sealcoat a parking lot or driveway?
- Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association (published by the Asphalt Institute), Best Practices for the Use of Asphalt Driveways, technical brief
- Angi, Asphalt vs. Concrete Driveway: Pros and Cons
- SealMaster, Sealcoating FAQ
- SealMaster, How to repair cracks in asphalt pavement