How to Spot a Driveway Paving Scam Before You Hand Over a Dime
Every spring, a familiar routine plays out in Maryland neighborhoods. A truck pulls up, someone knocks on the door, and a friendly crew explains that they just finished a job down the street and have leftover asphalt. They can seal or repave your driveway today, cash only, at a steep discount.
It is a scam, and it is common enough that the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection has issued public warnings about a rise in exactly this kind of fraud.
Here is how to recognize it.
Red flag 1: they came to you
Reputable paving companies stay busy through referrals, reviews, and repeat customers. We do not need to knock on doors. An unsolicited offer to pave your driveway right now is the single most reliable warning sign, and county consumer protection officials list it first for that reason.
Red flag 2: no written contract
If a crew is ready to start work without giving you a written, signed contract that spells out the scope, the materials, the depth, the price, and the timeline, walk away. Consumer Protection calls the absence of a signed contract a dead giveaway.
A real proposal is a document. It is not a number scribbled on a clipboard.
Red flag 3: no MHIC license number
Anyone performing home improvement work in Maryland, including driveway paving and sealcoating, is required to be licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission. That license number should appear on the contract and the company should provide it without hesitation.
You can verify any license yourself through the Maryland Department of Labor’s MHIC licensee search. It takes about a minute. If a contractor gets evasive when you ask for the number, that is your answer.
Red flag 4: pressure to decide immediately
“This price is only good today.” “We are packing up and leaving the area tomorrow.” “We only have enough material for one more driveway.”
Urgency is the scammer’s primary tool, because it prevents you from doing the two things that would expose them: getting a second estimate and checking their license. A legitimate contractor gives you a written estimate with a reasonable expiration date and then lets you think about it.
Red flag 5: cash only
Established companies accept checks and credit cards, because they have real bank accounts and real books. A demand for cash, especially a large cash deposit before any work begins, is designed to leave no paper trail and no way to dispute the charge.
Red flag 6: unmarked or out of state vehicles
Traveling crews often work out of unmarked trucks or vehicles with out of state plates. A local company has a local address, a local phone number, marked equipment, and a reviewable history in your area.
What the scam usually looks like when it goes wrong
The typical outcome is one of two things.
Sometimes the crew takes a deposit, starts tearing things up, then disappears, leaving you with a damaged driveway and no recourse.
More often, they finish the job in a couple of hours and it looks fine on the day. What they actually did was spray a thin coat of used motor oil or diluted sealer over the existing surface, or lay an inch of asphalt over unprepared ground with no compacted base. It washes out, cracks, or crumbles within a season or two, and by then the phone number on the receipt does not work.
Your five minute due diligence checklist
Before you sign anything with any paving contractor, including us:
- Ask for the MHIC license number and verify it on the Maryland Department of Labor site
- Confirm a physical local address and a working local phone number
- Get the scope in writing, including compacted asphalt depth and base stone thickness
- Read reviews on more than one platform and look for photos of finished local work
- Get at least two written estimates so you know what a fair price looks like
If you have already been hit
Report it. Montgomery County residents can reach the Office of Consumer Protection at 240-777-0311. Filing a complaint helps investigators track these crews, and they do get shut down.
We are happy to be checked out
We have been a family owned and operated Maryland paving company since 2014, working out of Damascus. We serve Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, and the surrounding communities. Ask us for our license number, our references, and a detailed written scope. Those are exactly the questions a good contractor wants you to ask.
Call Maryland Asphalt LLC at (240) 745-2344 for a free, no pressure estimate.
Categorised in: Licensed Contractors, MHIC