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The Daily Insight

Is repaving a capital expense?

Author

Ava Robinson

Published Mar 05, 2026

According to the IRS, parking lot resurfacing or concrete replacement can be capitalized. Routine maintenance, which is defined as actions the parking lot owner expects to repair periodically during the lifetime of the parking lot, are expensed.

How long do you depreciate asphalt?

If $750,000 of the total cost is identified as land improvements, such as paving, landscaping, sewers and more, they can be depreciated with an IRS depreciable life of 15 years.

How do you depreciate improvements on commercial property?

Commercial buildings and improvements are generally depreciated over 39 years. Depreciation means that you can deduct a portion of the building and improvement cost every year over the building’s depreciation period (1/39 every year).

What is the depreciable life of a shop building?

Commercial and residential building assets can be depreciated either over 39-year straight-line for commercial property, or a 27.5-year straight line for residential property as dictated by the current U.S. Tax Code.

When do you depreciate a home or commercial building?

All buildings will depreciate from their date of completion, the owners of these properties are eligible to claim these depreciation deductions whenever the property is income producing. They are depreciated according to their effective life. For homes and some commercial buildings, that life is said to be 40 years.

What’s the depreciable life of a drive way?

While the depreciable life of the drive way is a 35 year property, in the construction industry, black top or asphalt slab is a 100 year life property. When you were done, it was still a 100 year property.

When do you not depreciate the cost of land improvements?

If there is no way to estimate a useful life, then do not depreciate the cost of the improvements. If land is being prepared for its intended purpose, then include these costs in the cost of the land asset. They are not depreciated. Examples of such costs are: Also, note that land is not depreciated, since it does not have a useful life.

How is repaving treated as a capital expense?

If the repaving is a repair of an existing surface, then it can be a repair. Repairs and maintenance can be expenses fully in the year they are paid for. 2. If this was an improvement, then it can be treated as a capital expense and added to the cost basis, and depreciated over time.