Asphalt Sealcoating in Superior, Wisconsin
Across the bay from Duluth, Superior's pavement lives on different terms. Most of the city is level ground with a gentle slope toward Lake Superior, bounded by the St. Louis, Superior and Allouez bays and the Nemadji River, so a driveway here does not shed water quickly. The 2020 census counted 26,751 people in 12,593 housing units, far below the 1910 peak of 40,384, and NeighborhoodScout's ACS-based profile puts 35.6 percent of homes at 1939 or earlier and 62.29 percent of units in single-family detached houses.
The weather is gentler than on the Duluth ridge. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Superior co-op station show 56.2 inches of snow a year, about 30 inches less than the hilltop airport, and a median frost-free season from May 7 to October 5, 17 days longer. Freeze-thaw days are nearly identical at about 77 a year, so crack filling matters just as much on this side of the Blatnik Bridge as it does on the hill.
free quotes, fast response, local pros.
Free quote
Red clay and Wisconsin rules in Superior
The soils around Superior are the red clays of the Lake Superior basin. USDA series such as Amnicon, typed about a mile east of Oliver in Douglas County, and Cuttre, typed near Poplar, carry 60 to 90 percent clay in the subsoil and pass water very slowly. Cuttre also has a perched seasonal water table 0.5 to 2 feet down and shrink-swell features. Wet, swelling clay under a flat driveway invites frost heave and edge cracking, so on this ground the base and its drainage decide how long a surface lasts.
Wisconsin law differs from Minnesota's. There is no statewide coal-tar sealer ban, and the Coal Tar Free USA list of local bans includes Ashland but not Superior or Douglas County, so the owner should ask for the sealer's data sheet. The city runs calendar parking with a Sunday changeover from 4 to 8 p.m., clears sidewalks itself after snowfalls of more than 2 inches, leaving lighter ones to owners under Sec. 106-10 of its code, and requires a stormwater management permit for projects that disturb an acre or add 20,000 square feet of new impervious surface.
See Superior, WI on Google Maps — we cover the whole area from Duluth.
Asphalt Sealcoating Services Available in Superior
The same seven services reach Superior:
See the full pricing guide for typical ranges.
Superior FAQs
Is coal-tar sealer legal on a Superior driveway?
Wisconsin has not passed a statewide ban like Minnesota's, and Superior does not appear on the Coal Tar Free USA list of local bans, though Ashland does. Across the bridge, MPCA's figures put coal-tar products at up to a thousandfold the PAHs of asphalt-based sealers. Asking for an asphalt-emulsion or acrylic product by name, and for its data sheet, settles the question before the crew starts.
Does Superior's flat ground change how a driveway is sealed?
It changes the preparation more than the coat. On level clay, water sits instead of running off, so low spots that hold puddles need to be found and fixed before sealing, and the surface must be completely dry, which can take longer after rain here than on a sloped drive. Sealer laid over a damp or ponding area does not bond well. Edges deserve attention too, since swelling clay pushes them up and cracks them.
When does the sealing season open in Superior compared with Duluth's hill?
About ten days sooner in spring and a week later in fall. NOAA's median last spring freeze for Superior is May 7 against May 17 at the airport, and the first fall freeze comes, at the median, on October 5 rather than September 27. The 50-degrees-and-rising rule still governs each working day, and cool, humid air off the lake can slow drying, but Superior has the longest window of the three stations used on this site.
Get Your Free Superior Quote
Free quote