A concrete RV pad should be at least six inches thick, poured at 4,000 PSI or better, reinforced with steel rebar, and set on a well-compacted base. Most homeowners need a pad 12 to 14 feet wide and 40 to 50 feet long. What it costs depends far more on your site than on the square footage.
A concrete pad for an RV isn’t just a bigger driveway. A car spreads 4,000 pounds across four tires. A Class A diesel motorhome carries 30,000 pounds or more on dual axles, then transfers it onto four small stabilizing jacks the moment it parks. That puts several hundred pounds per square inch on one patch of concrete, and it stays there for the entire off-season. Pads poured to driveway spec are one of the more common failures we get called out to look at.
How thick should a concrete RV pad be?
Six inches is the working minimum. Heavier rigs need more.
| RV type | Typical loaded weight | Minimum thickness | Reinforcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small travel trailer | 3,000 to 7,000 lbs | 5 inches | #4 rebar, 18″ grid |
| Large travel trailer | 7,000 to 14,000 lbs | 6 inches | #4 rebar, 18″ grid |
| Fifth wheel | 10,000 to 20,000 lbs | 6 inches | #4 rebar, 16″ grid |
| Class C motorhome | 12,000 to 20,000 lbs | 6 inches | #4 rebar, 16″ grid |
| Class A gas | 16,000 to 24,000 lbs | 6 to 7 inches | #4 rebar, 12 to 16″ grid |
| Class A diesel pusher | 30,000 to 45,000 lbs | 8 inches | #4 rebar, 12″ grid |
Two specs matter as much as thickness. The mix should be air-entrained, meaning microscopic bubbles are worked into the concrete to give freezing water somewhere to expand instead of blowing the surface apart. The American Cement Association, describes entrained air as a well-established strategy for concrete exposed to freeze-thaw cycling. In Northern Nevada it isn’t optional.
The base matters just as much. Eight inches of concrete over a poorly compacted base will fail faster than six inches over a properly prepared one. Plan on four to six inches of aggregate, mechanically compacted in lifts.
What size concrete pad do you need for an RV?
| Rig length | Pad length | Pad width |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 25 ft | 30 to 32 ft | 12 ft |
| 26 to 32 ft | 38 to 40 ft | 12 ft |
| 33 to 40 ft | 45 to 48 ft | 12 to 14 ft |
| 41 ft and up | 50 ft + | 14 ft |
The common mistake is sizing the pad to the RV’s exact footprint. The extra length covers hitch overhang, room to walk behind the rig, and space to open the rear cargo bay. Width matters more than people expect: the body is only 8.5 feet wide, but slide-outs push out two to three feet and an awning can reach eight or more. Twelve feet is the floor, and fourteen turns the strip under your awning into usable patio.
Check your approach too. A pad you can’t back into because of a gate width or a tight turn off the driveway is an expensive mistake, and it’s easier to shift the location now than after the pour.
Does a concrete RV pad need rebar?
Yes, and this is one place we’d tell you not to accept a cheaper alternative. Fiber mesh controls shrinkage cracking but carries no structural load. Wire mesh routinely sinks to the bottom during placement and ends up doing almost nothing.
Proper reinforcement means #4 rebar on a grid, tied at the splices, lifted onto chairs so the steel sits in the middle third of the slab. If a bid doesn’t specify rebar size, spacing, and how it’s supported, ask. A contractor planning to do it right answers immediately.
Gravel vs. concrete for an RV pad
Not everyone needs concrete, and we’d rather say so than sell you a slab you have no use for.
Gravel works if you park the rig a few times a year, you’re on a large or rural lot, or you might relocate the spot later. A properly built gravel pad, meaning fabric, six to eight inches of compacted road base, and real edging, costs a fraction of concrete.
Concrete is better when the rig sits in one place for months, when you want that area to be usable space, or when you’re tired of mud and weeds. Gravel migrates, needs topping up, and doesn’t hold jack pads at a stable height over a long stationary period.
Asphalt we’d avoid here. It softens in heat, and Reno summers push surface temperatures past the point where a jack or tire leaves a permanent dent.
Is crushed concrete the same thing?
No. Crushed concrete is recycled concrete used as base material. It works well underneath a slab, but it is not a substitute for one. If a bid quotes a “crushed concrete RV pad,” clarify whether they mean the base course or the finished surface.
What determines the cost of a concrete RV pad?
Two pads of identical square footage can price very differently, because most of the variation comes from the site rather than the slab. These are the factors that move a bid:
| Pushes cost up | Pulls cost down |
|---|---|
| Excavation or grade correction | Flat, cleared site |
| Poor truck access, narrow gates, tight turns | Direct access to the pour |
| Removing an existing slab or asphalt | Nothing to demolish |
| Added thickness and tighter rebar for a heavy rig | Standard six-inch spec |
| Drainage work or retaining edges | Slope that already sheds water |
| Utility stub-ups for power, water, or sewer | No hookups |
| Decorative finish, color, or stamping | Standard broom finish |
| A small standalone pour | Combined with a driveway or patio |
That last row is worth weighing before you collect bids. A large share of the cost on a small pour is simply getting a crew, forms, and trucks to your property, so combining an RV pad with other flatwork is meaningfully cheaper than paying for two separate mobilizations.
What we won’t do is quote a firm price without seeing the site. Anyone who gives you a hard number over the phone, without asking about access, grade, soil, and drainage, is either padding it or planning to revise it once they arrive.
Slope, drainage, and the level zone most guides miss
An RV pad has two requirements that pull against each other. Water has to drain off, which means one to two percent of slope moving water away from your foundation. Standing water under a slab in a freeze-thaw climate is the most reliable way to destroy it.
But the rig also needs to sit near level, or the refrigerator won’t run right and the tanks won’t drain. Slope a 45-foot pad at one percent and you’ve dropped over five inches end to end.
The fix is a small level inset, often 4 by 6 or 8 by 10 feet, where the jacks deploy, built into an otherwise sloped pad. It adds very little to the scope of the job and it’s extremely difficult to add later.
Decide on hookups now too. Power, water, and sewer each need conduit or a stub-up placed before the pour, because retrofitting means saw-cutting a finished slab. Running empty conduit keeps the option open at almost no added effort. If your site drains toward the house, that gets solved as part of the project, and our drainage systems page covers how.
Local soils swell when wet and shrink when dry, so base depth and compaction do as much work as the slab itself. Timing matters too, since our dry heat and wind pull moisture from fresh concrete fast. Our guide to the best time to pour concrete in Reno covers that in detail. Once the pad is down, skip the rock salt and reseal every two to three years.
Setbacks, permits, and HOA rules
Confirm these before you spend money. Reno, Sparks, unincorporated Washoe County, and Carson City each regulate where RVs can be parked on residential property. Rules typically cover distance to side and rear property lines, whether a rig can sit in a front yard, and screening. A large impervious surface can also trigger a permit or a drainage review. HOA covenants are often stricter than the county’s.
We handle permitting where it’s required, but confirm the setback and HOA questions yourself early. The answers can move the pad before anything gets designed around it.
Build it once, park on it for thirty years
The difference between a good RV pad and a cheap one is invisible the day it’s finished. It shows up in year three, when one is still flat and the other has a crack through it and a corner that’s dropped an inch.
Anchor Concrete has been pouring flatwork across Reno, Sparks, and Carson City since 1971. We’ll look at your site, tell you what your rig actually requires, and tell you honestly if a gravel pad would serve you just as well. Call (775) 359-4969 for a free quote, or reach us through our contact page. See our full range of residential concrete services if you’re combining projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pour a concrete RV pad myself?
A small pad on a flat, accessible site is within reach if you’ve poured before. A 12 by 40 pad at six inches is about nine cubic yards, and once it’s off the chute you have a limited window to place, screed, and finish all of it. That window shortens in summer heat, and there’s no pausing to catch up. The failures we’re called to fix usually trace to the invisible parts: under-compacted base, rebar left on the ground, and extra water added to make placing easier.
How long before I can park my RV on a new pad?
Concrete reaches about 70 percent of its specified strength in the first week and full design strength at 28 days. Foot traffic is fine after a day or two. For a loaded RV, wait the full 28 days.
Can you pour a concrete RV pad over an existing driveway?
Generally not as an overlay. A thin bonded layer won’t carry RV loads and will crack along whatever cracks already exist underneath. If the existing slab is sound and thick enough it may be usable as is. If not, removal and a new pour is the right approach.
How is a concrete pad for an RV different from a driveway?
It’s thicker, higher PSI, reinforced with rebar rather than fiber or mesh, and designed with a level zone so the rig sits flat while the slab still drains. The base is usually deeper too. A driveway handles rolling loads that move on and off, while an RV pad handles concentrated weight that parks and stays. If you’re weighing concrete against gravel for your property, call us at (775) 359-4969 and we’ll give you a straight answer.