Every spring in Brown County, the snow pulls back and shows you what winter did. The front walk panel that's now a half-inch low. The garage apron tipping toward the door, so meltwater sits right where you step. The AC pad leaning toward the foundation.
You want to know what it costs, and whether you should just rip it out and start over.
Here are real numbers for Green Bay, De Pere, Suamico, Howard, Ashwaubenon, Allouez, and Bellevue, plus the local details a national cost guide won't tell you.
What Lifting Costs Here: Common Local Jobs
These are our typical ranges for the concrete leveling and lifting jobs we see most around Green Bay. Your exact price comes from photos, because the biggest cost driver (how much empty space is under the slab) doesn't show from the top. A slab sitting over a big washout can run above these ranges, and we'll say so in the quote.
| Job | Typical size | Our typical range |
|---|---|---|
| AC or heat pump pad | 10–20 sq ft | $450–$600 |
| Single sidewalk panel | 16–25 sq ft | $450–$600 |
| Small front stoop | One slab, one step | $450–$600 |
| Front walk, 3–5 panels | 50–125 sq ft | $450–$1,100 |
| Garage apron, driveway approach, or one driveway section | About 100 sq ft | $550–$800 |
| Back patio, one or two slabs | About 150 sq ft | $850–$1,200 |
| Two to three driveway sections | 200–300 sq ft | $1,100–$2,400 |
| Several areas in one visit (driveway, walk, patio) | 300–400 sq ft | $1,650–$3,200 |
| Joint and crack caulking add-on | Per linear foot | $5–$10 per foot, no separate minimum with a lift |
Our minimum for a lifting job is $450. It covers getting the equipment to your house, setting up, and cleaning up, which takes about the same time whether we lift one panel or four. So if the stoop and the patio both bug you, fix them on the same trip. The second spot costs a lot less riding along than it would booked on its own next year.
For context, national cost guides put foam lifting at roughly $5–$25 per square foot. One local quote-data site puts typical Green Bay concrete leveling jobs at roughly $350–$2,000, without separating foam from mudjacking. Our pricing page has the price overview.
Looking for Mudjacking Cost in Green Bay?
We don't mudjack, so we can't quote it. We lift with foam, the modern version of the same job: dime-size holes instead of ones 1 1/2 to 2 inches across, a fill that weighs 2 to 5 pounds per cubic foot instead of 100 to 150, and a slab you can drive on the same day instead of waiting 24 to 48 hours. Our page on Green Bay mudjacking explains the trade-offs, and foam vs. mudjacking lists published price ranges for both.
Lift or Replace? Green Bay Jobs Side by Side
The replacement column uses published rates: about $6–$15 per square foot for new plain concrete (one 2024 survey put Green Bay driveways at about $6–$13), plus roughly $1–$6 per square foot for tear-out. Sidewalks run higher, around $10–$25 per square foot all in.
| Job | Foam lifting (our range) | Tear out and replace (published rates) | Back in use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front walk, ~100 sq ft | $450–$1,100 | About $1,000–$2,500 | Lift: walk on it right away. New: wait about a day. |
| Garage apron, ~100 sq ft | $550–$800 | About $700–$2,100 | Lift: drive on it the same day. New: about a week before you park on it. |
| Patio, ~150 sq ft | $850–$1,200 | About $1,050–$3,150 | Lift: same day. New: about a day for foot traffic. |
| Two to three driveway sections, 200–300 sq ft | $1,100–$2,400 | About $1,400–$6,300 | Lift: same day. New: about a week for cars, about four weeks for RVs and heavy trucks. |
| AC pad | $450–$600 | New pad, plus an HVAC tech to disconnect, move, and reconnect the unit | Lift: the unit stays in place and connected. |
Look at the garage apron row. On one small section, lifting and replacing can land closer than people expect. Lifting still wins on time, mess, and one big detail: a new slab goes right back on the same soil that let the old one sink. On bigger areas, the gap gets wide fast.
Two replacement costs people tend to forget:
- No salt the first winter. Concrete industry guidance says to keep deicers off new concrete for its first year. A fall pour in Green Bay means a winter of sand and a shovel.
- Permits at the street. In the City of Green Bay, building or rebuilding a driveway apron or public sidewalk in the right-of-way takes a city-licensed sidewalk builder and a permit. Other municipalities set their own rules.
Why Concrete Sinks in Brown County
Most sinking slabs around here come down to three things: the soil, the backfill, and water.
The soil. Much of Brown County sits on reddish-brown, clay-rich glacial till left by the glacier's Green Bay Lobe, with old lake-bed clay underneath in places. Clay drains slowly and is one of the most frost-prone soils there is. Slabs sitting on it get worked up and down every winter.
The backfill. When your house was built, the basement hole was dug wider than the walls, then backfilled, often loosely. Front stoops, AC pads, garage aprons, and the walk along the house all sit on that backfill, and it keeps settling for years.
The water. Downspouts that dump next to the walk. A sump line aimed at the driveway. Open joints, and the gap where the concrete meets the house, letting rain and snowmelt run straight underneath. Spring melt soaks all of it at once. Wet soil compresses and washes out, and whatever water is left freezes, pushes the slab around, and lets it drop back crooked when it thaws.
That's why we pay attention to joints. A lifted slab with open joints still takes on water. Caulking the joints and the house gap during the same visit is an add-on priced by the foot, with no separate minimum, and it protects the lift.
When Lifting Can (and Can't) Happen in Wisconsin
| Time of year | Foam lifting? | Joint caulking? | What's going on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid to late winter | No | No | The ground is frozen and can be bonded to the slab. A slab sitting on frozen, heaved soil isn't where it'll sit in May. |
| Spring thaw | Once the frost is out | Once joints are dry and it stays above about 40°F | Sinking shows up after the melt. Best time to take photos and get on the schedule. |
| Summer | Yes | Yes | Prime season. |
| Fall | Yes, until the ground freezes | Yes, while it's still about 40°F and up | Smart timing: fix it before water gets under it and freezes all winter. |
| Early winter | Depends on frost | Usually no | Once the ground freezes, the job waits for spring. |
The reasons behind that table:
- Frozen ground and lifting don't mix. Frozen soil can bond to the underside of a slab, drilling gets harder, and pushing on frozen concrete risks cracking it. The foam components also have to be kept warm to work right. In cold climates, foam lifting is treated as a spring, summer, and fall job.
- Caulk needs warmth and dry joints. Typical concrete joint sealants call for air and surface temperatures of at least 40°F, and joints that are clean, dry, and frost-free.
Notice a problem in December? Send photos anyway. We'll quote it now and schedule it for spring.
Green Bay Sidewalk Rules Worth Knowing
If the sunken concrete is the public sidewalk in front of your house, three things matter:
- The homeowner is responsible. In the City of Green Bay, property owners are responsible for maintaining and repairing the sidewalk in front of their property.
- The city has criteria. An elevation difference between panels, cracks a half-inch or wider, or a panel pitched too steeply can all make a panel non-compliant.
- The city can order the repair and bill you. If a repair is ordered and the owner doesn't make it, the city's contractor replaces the panels and bills the owner. Unpaid balances can end up on the tax bill.
Got a repair notice? Call the city first and ask which repairs satisfy the order. De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Allouez, Bellevue, Howard, and Suamico each set their own rules.
Quick Self-Check Before You Ask for Quotes
Grab a tape measure and walk your concrete.
- 1Measure the dropStand a tape at the edge of the low slab and read the difference. Anything over about a half-inch is a toe-catcher.
- 2Step on the cornersIf a slab rocks or sounds hollow, there's empty space under it.
- 3Count the piecesOne slab that sank as a unit is a lifting job. A slab broken into several chunks may not be.
- 4Look at the surfaceFlaking, crumbling concrete is a surface problem. Lifting won't fix it.
- 5Follow the waterAfter a rain, does it run toward the house or garage? That's worth fixing.
One piece, sound surface: very likely a good lifting candidate.
When We'll Tell You to Replace Instead
Lifting is cheaper, but it isn't always right. Replacement is the better spend when the slab is broken into several pieces, the surface is badly flaking or crumbling, the concrete was heaved up (foam only raises, it never lowers), or you're changing the size or shape anyway. If that's your situation, we'll tell you from the photos.