Direct answer: A driveway that lifts near the garage in winter is usually dealing with frost heave under the slab or asphalt edge, not a surface problem. Water gets under that section, freezes, and pushes the driveway up. The first job is to confirm whether it drops back down after thaw, because that tells you whether you are looking at seasonal frost movement or a more permanent base failure.
Most likely: The most likely cause is water collecting along the garage-side edge from poor drainage, roof runoff, or a low spot that stays wet before a hard freeze.
Start with the pattern: does the driveway rise only in freezing weather and settle back in spring, or has it stayed high, cracked, or broken at the garage edge? That one distinction saves a lot of wasted work. Reality check: a winter hump at the garage is usually a water-and-base problem, not a cosmetic one. Common wrong move: sealing the top while ignoring the downspout, low spot, or wet soil feeding the heave.
Don’t start with: Do not start by filling the hump with patch or crack filler. If the base is moving, the patch usually breaks loose by the next freeze-thaw cycle.
The driveway near the garage gets higher in winter, then drops closer to normal after a thaw or by spring.
Start here: Start with drainage and moisture checks. Seasonal movement points to frost heave more than a broken surface layer.
The lifted area does not fully settle back, or the garage-side edge now sits proud year-round.
Start here: Look for base washout, slab displacement, or a broken section that needs more than sealing.
You see new cracks, popped edges, flaking concrete, or broken asphalt right where the hump forms.
Start here: Check whether the surface is still sound enough for a small repair or whether the section has lost support underneath.
The door rubs, the bottom seal drags, or water starts ponding against the garage because the driveway edge has lifted.
Start here: Measure the height change and stop if the slab is pushing on the garage slab, threshold, or wall area.
This is the classic winter-only heave pattern, especially near a garage where runoff, snowmelt, and shaded soil keep the base wet.
Quick check: After a thaw or rain, look for damp soil, standing water, or ice along the garage-side edge and nearby downspout discharge.
A driveway usually heaves where water repeatedly lands or gets trapped, not randomly across the whole slab.
Quick check: Watch where downspouts empty and where meltwater flows. If water runs toward the garage-side driveway edge, that area is being fed.
If the hump stays after winter or the slab sounds hollow, the base may no longer be supporting the surface evenly.
Quick check: Tap the area and step on both sides of the lift. A hollow sound, rocking, or edge movement points to support loss below.
Open joints and cracks act like funnels. They let water reach the base, then winter turns that trapped moisture into upward pressure.
Quick check: Inspect the garage-side joint and nearby cracks for openings, missing filler, or dark damp lines after wet weather.
You need to know if the driveway is only moving when the ground freezes or if the surface has already shifted for good. That changes the repair path completely.
Next move: If the driveway settles back after thaw, focus on keeping water out of that area and plan repairs after the ground fully thaws. If it stays high, cracked, or offset after thaw, treat it as a failed section or failed base rather than a temporary winter nuisance.
What to conclude: Seasonal rise usually means frost heave from wet soil below. A permanent rise points to displacement, support loss, or a broken section that will not be fixed by surface sealing alone.
Frost heave needs moisture. If you do not stop the water source, any patch or crack repair is just temporary.
Next move: If you find runoff feeding that spot, redirect it first and let the area dry out as much as weather allows. If there is no obvious surface water source, the problem may be subsurface moisture, poor base material, or water entering through cracks and joints.
What to conclude: Most winter heaves near a garage trace back to repeated wetting from runoff, trapped meltwater, or an opening that lets water reach the base.
A driveway can heave seasonally and still have a repairable crack or edge opening, but once the base is gone, sealing alone will not hold.
Next move: If the surface is otherwise solid and the opening is minor, you may be able to seal or patch after thaw once the movement stops. If the slab rocks, sounds hollow, or has offset cracks and broken edges, plan for sectional repair instead of a cosmetic fix.
In freezing weather, the goal is to reduce water feeding the heave and keep the area safe until a lasting repair can be done in better conditions.
Next move: If the area stays drier and the hump stops getting worse through the season, you have likely reduced the main trigger even if the winter lift does not disappear immediately. If the heave keeps growing, starts breaking the surface, or affects the garage opening, stop trying to manage it as a minor issue.
Once the ground thaws, you can finally tell whether you need a simple surface repair or a section rebuild with drainage correction.
A good result: If the surface stays level through the next freeze-thaw cycle and water no longer sits at the garage edge, the repair path matched the real problem.
If not: If the hump returns in the same spot after drainage changes and surface repair, the base below that section likely needs professional correction or replacement.
What to conclude: A small crack after seasonal movement can often be repaired. A section that stays displaced or unsupported usually needs more than filler and patch.
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That spot often stays wetter than the rest of the driveway. Roof runoff, snowmelt, shade, and low grading near the garage can keep the base saturated. When that trapped water freezes, it expands and pushes the driveway up.
Often yes, if it is true frost heave and the surface and base are still mostly intact. But if the area stays high, cracks wider, or feels hollow after thaw, the base may have shifted or washed out and the problem is no longer just seasonal.
Usually no. Patch material and crack filler do not solve active frost movement, and they do not bond well to wet, frozen, or moving surfaces. Winter is the time to control water and keep the area safe, then repair after thaw.
Most of the time it is both. The visible hump is at the driveway, but the trigger is usually water management. If you repair the surface and ignore the runoff or trapped moisture, the heave often comes back.
Call when the driveway stays lifted after thaw, pushes on the garage slab or threshold, has major cracking, rocks underfoot, or shows signs of washout underneath. That usually means the repair needs base correction, slab work, or drainage changes beyond a simple surface fix.