TL;DR
Alligator cracking is the network of interconnected cracks resembling reptile scales that forms in asphalt when the pavement structure has fatigued, usually because the base or subgrade can no longer carry the loads. It signals failure from the bottom up, so sealcoating or crack filling over it is cosmetic at best.
What it means
Alligator cracking is the network of interconnected cracks resembling reptile scales that forms in asphalt when the pavement structure has fatigued, usually because the base or subgrade can no longer carry the loads. It signals failure from the bottom up, so sealcoating or crack filling over it is cosmetic at best. Proper repair means cutting out the failed section, rebuilding the base, and patching with new hot mix, or overlaying if the damage is widespread. Water entering the cracks accelerates the collapse, which is why small patches grow quickly through a wet season.
Where it sits in the glossary
Alligator cracking is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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