Do Gophers Damage Concrete and Pavement?
Gophers cannot chew through concrete or pavement — they are not capable of damaging hard materials directly. However, gopher tunnel systems beneath concrete slabs, driveways, walkways, and patios cause indirect damage that can be significant and expensive to repair. If you have seen cracks appearing in your hardscape or sections of pavement settling unevenly, gopher activity beneath the slab may be a contributing factor.
How Gopher Tunnels Undermine Hardscape
Concrete slabs, driveways, and walkways depend on a stable, uniformly compacted base of soil beneath them for structural support. When gopher tunnels run beneath hardscape, they create voids in this base. Over time — and especially after rain saturates the soil — these voids cause the soil to shift, settle unevenly, or collapse. The concrete or pavement above loses its uniform support and begins to crack, heave, or sink in the areas directly above the tunnel voids.
The process is often gradual and may not become visible for months after the tunneling occurs. A gopher that tunneled beneath a driveway section in winter may not produce visible cracking in the concrete until the following summer when soil dries and shrinks, or until rain causes the void to collapse. By the time cracking is visible the gopher may be long gone — but the structural consequence remains.
Common Hardscape Areas Affected
Concrete walkways are among the most commonly affected hardscape elements because they are typically thinner than driveways and are often set at or near the soil surface where gopher tunnels run. Patio slabs, particularly those that are not reinforced, can show cracking and uneven settling from tunnel voids beneath. Driveway sections near landscaped borders — where gophers cross from landscaped areas to tunnel beneath the paved surface — are vulnerable. Retaining wall footings in hillside settings can be affected when tunnel voids develop beneath the footing base.
Repair and Prevention
Repairing hardscape damage from gopher undermining typically requires removing and resetting the affected section after addressing the void beneath. Simply patching surface cracks without addressing the void will result in recurrent cracking as the soil continues to shift. Void filling with sand or concrete slurry, followed by resetting the paved surface, is the standard repair approach for minor undermining. Severe cases may require more extensive excavation and base reconstruction.
Prevention is straightforward: treat gopher activity promptly before tunneling has time to extend beneath hardscape. Gophers found to be active near driveways, walkways, or patio slabs warrant immediate treatment — waiting to see how bad it gets allows tunnel expansion beneath the hardscape to continue.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. Gophers cannot damage hard materials directly. The damage to hardscape comes from tunnel voids undermining the soil base beneath slabs and pavement.
Primary tunnels run 12-18 inches deep, which is well within the range to pass beneath most residential driveways and walkways. Tunnels at this depth can undermine the compacted base beneath a concrete slab.
Likely yes. Patching surface cracks without removing the gopher and addressing the tunnel voids beneath is a temporary fix. The underlying instability will produce new cracking as soil continues to shift.
Call 909-599-4711 — gopher activity near hardscape warrants prompt treatment before tunnel undermining extends beneath your driveway or walkways.