How Much to Charge for Pressure Washing a Driveway (2026)
· 8 min read
If you're wondering how much to charge for pressure washing a driveway, the going rate in the US in 2026 is roughly $0.30 to $0.55 per square foot, and most homeowners pay about $210 for a typical driveway (Angi, updated May 2026). Use that range as a market check, not as your price. Your own price should come from your hourly cost, how many square feet you can clean per hour, your travel and a minimum job charge.
Below you'll find the current market numbers, a simple way to build your own rate, a worked quote with real arithmetic, and the mistakes that cost new owners the most money.
What homeowners pay for driveway pressure washing in 2026
Cost guides show what customers in your area are used to paying. They're a sanity check for your quotes, and they tell you whether your cost-based price is in a range people will accept.
National price ranges
Angi (updated May 2026): $0.30–$0.55 per square foot, $100–$500 per job, with most people paying around $210. Angi lists hourly labor rates of $60–$125 and says small driveways can be done within an hour, medium ones within two hours and large ones within four (source).
Homewyse (September 2026): $0.43–$0.53 per square foot for basic driveway pressure washing, including sweeping, applying cleaner with light brushing, washing, setup and cleanup (source).
Fixr (updated January 2025): $0.30–$0.40 per square foot for standard pressure washing and $0.40–$0.55 for power washing, which uses heated water. Fixr's typical price for a 600 sq ft driveway is $225 (source).
Angi and Fixr both start at about 30 cents per square foot, Homewyse sits at 43 to 53 cents, and none of the three goes above 55 cents. Where you land depends on your local market, the condition of the concrete and how much you invest in equipment like a surface cleaner or hot-water unit.
Prices by driveway size
Angi breaks its 2026 range down by size:
200 sq ft: $60–$110
400 sq ft: $120–$220
576 sq ft (24 × 24 ft): $175–$320
800 sq ft: $240–$440
1,200 sq ft: $360–$660
Notice the smallest job. At 200 square feet, even the top of the market range may not cover your drive, setup and cleanup. That's why the minimum charge matters (more on that below).
How to measure a driveway for a quote
Square-foot pricing only works if your measurements are right.
Measure length and width with a measuring wheel or tape. A rectangle is simply length × width.
Break odd shapes into rectangles. A driveway that widens near the garage can be two rectangles added together.
Measure walkways, aprons and sidewalks separately and list them as their own lines, so the customer sees exactly what's included.
Note the condition: oil stains, rust, tire marks, moss in shady areas, and whether the concrete has been sealed.
Take "before" photos of cracks, chips and old stains, and write them down. Pressure washing can make existing damage more visible, and a written record prevents "you did this" disputes.
How to set your own price per square foot
A market rate tells you what people pay. It doesn't tell you whether you make money at that price. For that you need four numbers of your own.
1. Your hourly target
This is what one hour of your time on site has to bring in to cover your pay, equipment wear and repairs, insurance, phone, marketing and other overhead. Work it out from your real monthly costs and the number of billable hours you expect to work. Angi's $60–$125 per hour range shows what the market pays for this type of labor.
2. Your production rate
How many square feet can you clean per hour, including pre-treating and rinsing? This depends heavily on your equipment (a surface cleaner is much faster than a wand alone) and on how dirty the surface is. Don't guess: time your first jobs and keep a log. After every 5 to 10 driveways, update the number.
3. Setup, travel and supplies
Every job has fixed time you can't bill by the square foot: unloading, moving vehicles, protecting plants, pre-treating, cleanup and the final walkthrough. Add detergents and degreasers, fuel for the machine, and the drive. For travel, the IRS standard mileage rate for business use is 76 cents per mile from July 1, 2026 (it was 72.5 cents for January–June 2026) (IRS). It's a handy figure for what a mile really costs you once fuel, wear and depreciation are counted.
4. A minimum job charge
Your minimum is the lowest price you'll accept for any visit, however small. At a minimum it should cover setup, travel and a short wash at your hourly target.
Worked example: quoting a driveway and front walk
Here's a sample quote using example numbers. Replace every one of them with your own.
The job: a 20 × 40 ft concrete driveway plus a 4 × 30 ft front walkway, normal dirt with no heavy oil stains, 10 miles from your base.
Measurements:
Driveway: 20 × 40 = 800 sq ft
Walkway: 4 × 30 = 120 sq ft
Total: 800 + 120 = 920 sq ft
Your example numbers:
Hourly target: $100 per hour
Production rate: 500 sq ft per hour (from your own timed jobs)
Setup, pre-treat and cleanup: 30 minutes
Supplies: $15
Travel: 20 miles round trip
Your cost-based price:
Washing time: 920 ÷ 500 = 1.84 hours × $100 = $184.00
Setup and cleanup: 0.5 hours × $100 = $50.00
Supplies: $15.00
Travel: 20 miles × $0.76 = $15.20
Total: $184.00 + $50.00 + $15.00 + $15.20 = $264.20
That works out to $264.20 ÷ 920 = about $0.29 per square foot.
Market check: At Angi's 2026 range, 920 sq ft would run from 920 × $0.30 = $276 to 920 × $0.55 = $506. Your cost-based price sits just below the bottom of that range, so there's room to charge more.
The quote: You decide on $0.35 per square foot: 920 × $0.35 = $322. That leaves $322 − $264.20 = $57.80 above your costs, or about 18% of the price, as a cushion for jobs that run long and for growing the business. The quote shows two lines: "Driveway cleaning, 800 sq ft" and "Walkway cleaning, 120 sq ft."
Why the minimum charge matters
Now use the same numbers for a separate 200 sq ft patio-only job, also 10 miles away:
Washing: 200 ÷ 500 = 0.4 hours × $100 = $40.00
Setup and cleanup: $50.00
Supplies: $5.00
Travel: $15.20
Total cost: $110.20
At $0.35 per square foot, the patio would be priced at 200 × $0.35 = $70, which is $40.20 less than it costs you. In this example, a minimum job charge of about $125 protects you. Better still, offer the patio as an add-on to a driveway job, when setup and travel are already paid for.
Pricing stains and extras
Heavy oil stains, rust and gum take extra time and product. Price them from time, not guesswork: if a bad oil stain takes you 15 extra minutes at $100 per hour, that's $25 plus the degreaser you use. Put it on the quote as its own line so the customer can say yes or no. Be clear in writing that old or deep stains may lighten but not fully disappear.
Sealing is a separate service with its own skills, products and risks. Angi puts driveway sealing at $280–$860 (source). Don't offer it until you've learned it properly.
Wash water, licenses and insurance
Where your wash water goes is part of the job, and rules vary by state and city. Local rules often don't allow dirty wash water, especially with detergents, to flow into storm drains, which in many areas carry water straight to creeks and lakes. For example, Michigan's environmental agency lists letting power washing wastewater "run into ditches or storm sewers" without authorization as a common violation, and says you must first get the sewer owner's permission before sending it to a sanitary sewer (Michigan EGLE guidance). Stormwater is regulated under the federal NPDES stormwater program, but the practical rules come from your city or county. Call your local stormwater program before your first job, and if you need recovery equipment such as drain covers or a vacuum setup, build its cost into your prices.
The same goes for business licenses and permits: requirements depend on your state, county and city. The SBA's licenses and permits guide is a good starting point. Talk to an insurance agent about general liability coverage before you work on customers' property, and add the premium to your overhead.
Common pricing mistakes to avoid
Copying a competitor's price. Their equipment, production rate and costs aren't yours.
Quoting from the curb without measuring. Eyeballed sizes are often wrong, and every square foot you miss is work you do for free.
Forgetting setup and travel. In the patio example above, they were more than half the cost of the job.
No minimum charge. Tiny jobs at a per-square-foot rate can lose money.
Bundling stains into the base price. Heavy stain treatment should be its own line.
No written condition record. Photos and notes before you start prevent disputes.
Never updating your rate. Re-time your jobs and recheck your costs a few times a year.
If you want this math done for you, the Pressure Washing Business Starter Kit includes a Pricing Calculator that turns your own costs and timed production rates into a rate per square foot for each surface, with a minimum job charge, setup and travel, plus a Pre-Service Condition Record for those "before" notes. If you're thinking about adding window cleaning as a second service, our guide to window cleaning price per pane covers how to quote that.
FAQ
How long does it take to pressure wash a driveway?
According to Angi, a small driveway can be done within an hour, a medium one within two hours and a large one within four (source). Your time depends on size, condition and equipment, so time your own jobs.
Should I charge by the hour or by the square foot?
A fixed price per job is easier for customers to compare and approve, and square-foot pricing makes that price easy to explain. Use your hourly target and production rate behind the scenes to set the per-square-foot rate.
What minimum charge should I set for pressure washing?
Add up your setup and cleanup time, your round-trip travel and a short wash at your hourly target. In the example above, that came to about $110, so a minimum of around $125 made sense. Your number will differ.
Can I let the wash water run into the street?
Often not. Rules in many states and cities restrict wash water going into storm drains. Check with your local stormwater program before you start.
Should I charge more for oil stains?
Yes, if they take extra time or product. List stain treatment as a separate line and tell the customer in writing that old stains may not come out completely.