Guide / Yard drainage quotes, United States

French drain or yard drainage quote: what it should specify

Toshikatsu Oga / October 16, 2026

What a drainage quote should spell out
Step 1: turn the total into a price per linear foot
Step 2: set it against the public price references
Step 3: the labor inside the price
Step 4: where the water goes, and whether that needs a permit
Step 5: the utility locate, before anyone digs
Warning signs in the wording, not the numbers
What to ask the contractor, in one message
Questions
Sources

A drainage quote you can check names the length, the trench, the pipe and the place the water goes. Divide the price by the linear feet: an 80-foot French drain quoted at $4,400 is $55.00 per foot. Delaware's environmental agency estimates a 60-foot French drain installed by a contractor at $1,000 to $4,000 in 2022 dollars, or $16.67 to $66.67 per foot. Its $600 low end is materials for a DIY drain (DNREC). Then check two things the price hides. Where does the outlet discharge, and does that need a permit? And has anyone contacted 811, "the free national before-you-dig service" (811)? In Virginia, utilities notified through 811 do not mark your sprinkler or landscape lighting lines (Virginia 811).

What a drainage quote should spell out

French drains, yard drains and downspout lines are priced mostly by length and depth. A quote that names each item below can be compared with another quote and checked after the work. A quote that says "install drainage system" cannot.

Item	What the quote should say	Why it matters
Length	Linear feet of each run, on a sketch	Turns the total into a price per foot
Trench	Depth and width in inches	Sets the digging and the gravel quantity
Pipe	Diameter, material, perforated or solid, and where each kind is used	Lets you check what was installed, run by run
Filter fabric	Whether the trench is lined or the pipe has a sock	The Delaware guide lists fabric as a component (DNREC)
Gravel	Type and quantity in cubic yards or tons	Lets you check the trench was filled as priced
Outlet	Where the pipe ends: pop-up emitter, dry well, swale, curb or sump	Decides whether a permit or a neighbor is involved
Downspouts	How many are tied in, and into which pipe	Each tie-in is extra pipe and fittings
Restoration	Sod, seed, topsoil, or replacing pavers and concrete cut for the trench	Often the line left vague
Utility locate	Who submits the 811 request and who locates private lines	In Virginia, utilities notified through 811 do not mark private lines (Virginia 811)

Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control describes the job this way: French drains "route water away from the pooling area and foundation into a natural drainage site like a stream, swale, ditch, or slope." It adds that "Simple, shallow (8 to 24 inches deep) yard French drains can be installed as a "Do It Yourself" (DIY) project," while deeper drains or drains close to the foundation "will require a drainage contractor" (DNREC).

Step 1: turn the total into a price per linear foot

Divide the price by the total linear feet of drain. Do the same for every quote, after taking out lines that are not drain, such as a dry well or a sump pump.

Quote	Price	Length	Price per foot
A	$4,400	80 ft	$4,400 ÷ 80 = $55.00
B	$3,900	60 ft	$3,900 ÷ 60 = $65.00
C	$5,200	Not stated ("complete drainage system")	Cannot be computed

Illustrative quotes, written for teaching. Quote B costs less in total but $10.00 more per foot than A. Quote C cannot be compared at all until it states the length.

Then check the trench against the gravel. Quote A says 80 feet of trench, 12 inches wide and 18 inches deep. That is 1 ft x 1.5 ft x 80 ft = 120 cubic feet. Divided by 27 cubic feet per cubic yard, it is 4.44 cubic yards (rounded) before subtracting the pipe. If the quote prices 2 cubic yards of stone for that trench, ask which number is wrong.

Step 2: set it against the public price references

No public agency publishes a fair price for a residential French drain. Three public references exist, and each says something different.

A state agency's homeowner estimate. Delaware's DNREC prices a 60-foot drain in 2022 dollars. Materials for a simple 8 to 24 inch deep DIY drain run $600 to $2,000. Installation and materials for a deep, complex drain run $1,000 to $4,000. The estimated total is $600 to $4,000 (DNREC). For a contractor-installed drain, $1,000 ÷ 60 = $16.67 and $4,000 ÷ 60 = $66.67 per foot (rounded). Quote A's $55.00 is inside that span; quote B's $65.00 is near its top. Those are 2022 dollars.
State DOT bid prices. New Jersey DOT's report for July 2022 to June 2023 lists "Underdrain, Type F" at $15 per linear foot (average awarded price) and $35 (average of the three lowest bidders), on 500 feet in one contract. It lists "8" perforated HD polyethylene pipe" at $100 per linear foot awarded and $85 for the three lowest bidders, on 300 feet in one contract (NJDOT, 2nd Quarter 2023, via USCCDB). These are public-works bid prices for road contracts, not residential quotes. Each rests on a single contract, and the gap between $15 and $35 for the same item shows how much bids spread.
The import floor for plastic pipe. Rigid polyethylene tubes and pipes (HS 3917.21) entered the U.S. from January to July 2026 at a landed, duty-paid average of $2.75 per kilogram (Census import data). Adding average wholesale and retail gross margins from the Census AIES 2024 gives an estimate of $3.81 per kilogram after one wholesaler and $5.72 through a retailer. That category covers more than drain pipe, and it is priced by weight, not by the foot. The landed cost is a floor for the material; the wholesale and retail figures are estimates. None is a price for the job.

Use these to decide what to ask, not to call a quote high. A drain under a patio, through clay or rock, or ending in a dry well can cost more per foot for real reasons. The quote should say which of those applies.

Step 3: the labor inside the price

Much of the work in a French drain is digging, placing stone and restoring the yard. If the quote states a crew and days, set them against wages. The BLS May 2025 national wage for construction laborers (SOC 47-2061) is $22.66 median and $37.54 at the 90th percentile per hour (BLS OEWS).

Worked example for quote A: two laborers for two 8-hour days is 2 x 2 x 8 = 32 hours. At the median, 32 x $22.66 = $725.12. At the 90th percentile, 32 x $37.54 = $1,201.28. Over 80 feet, that is $725.12 ÷ 80 = $9.06 to $1,201.28 ÷ 80 = $15.02 per foot (rounded). These are plain wages, not billing rates. Payroll taxes, insurance, the excavator or trencher, the truck, disposal of spoil, overhead and profit sit on top, and no public rule fixes how much. See overhead and profit on a contractor quote.

Step 4: where the water goes, and whether that needs a permit

The outlet is the line most likely to cause a dispute later. Ask where the pipe ends, on the sketch, and whether it crosses a property line, a sidewalk or a drainage easement.

Toward the neighbor. Delaware's guide tells owners to check every year: "Ensure that the French drain is not going to cause flooding or pooling on neighboring properties" (DNREC).
Your city's rule. Herriman, Utah, says "All properties are responsible to properly manage drainage on their property by 1) maintaining runoff on their own property, 2) conveying runoff out to the street, or 3) conveying runoff to a recorded drainage easement that is in favor of the property" (Herriman). The same page quotes the International Residential Code: lots "shall be graded to drain surface water away from foundation walls" and that "The grade shall fall a minimum of 6″ within the first 10′." Your city may word it differently.
Through the sidewalk to the curb. In Arvada, Colorado, a homeowner "may hire a Licensed Right-of-Way Contractor to install a City approved sidewalk chase drain." Then "the Contractor must obtain the Right-of-Way Permit through the City of Arvada Public Works Department." Afterward, "property owners will need to clean and maintain chase drains" (Arvada).

Permit rules vary by city and county. Delaware's guide lists "Your city and/or county government for building permits" among the offices to check (DNREC). A drain that stays inside your yard may need nothing; one that crosses a sidewalk can need a permit, as in Arvada. Ask the contractor which permit applies, who pulls it, and whether its fee is in the price.

Step 5: the utility locate, before anyone digs

The national 811 site says to contact 811 "a few business days before you begin any digging," and lists installing "drain tile on my own property" as a reason to do it (811). Its homeowner page advises avoiding digging on top of or within 18 to 24 inches on all sides of utility marks (811, for homeowners). Waiting periods vary by state.

State law can make the call mandatory. In Virginia, "No person shall make or begin any excavation or demolition without first submitting a locate request" to the notification center (Va. Code § 56-265.17). Excavation there includes "trenching, digging, ditching," and a person includes "any individual" (Va. Code § 56-265.15). The law exempts "any hand digging performed by an owner or occupant of a property" (Va. Code § 56-265.15:1). A hired crew with a trencher is not covered by that exemption. Check your own state's 811 center for its rule.

811 does not cover everything in a yard. Virginia 811 lists private lines that member utilities do not mark: "Electric lines to out buildings (detached garages or sheds)," sprinkler systems, landscape lighting, invisible pet fences, and septic and propane lines (Virginia 811). The quote should say who submits the 811 request, who locates private lines, and who pays if one is cut.

Warning signs in the wording, not the numbers

"Complete drainage system" with no length. Without linear feet there is no price per foot and nothing to measure afterward.
"Drain to street" with no permit. In some cities, work across a sidewalk needs a right-of-way permit and a licensed contractor (Arvada).
"Run to back of lot" with no end point. Ask where it discharges and whether water will pool on a neighbor's land (DNREC).
No mention of 811. Ask who submits the locate request. In Virginia, anyone excavating must submit one first. The only homeowner exemption is hand digging by the owner or occupant (Va. Code § 56-265.17 and § 56-265.15:1).
"Restore lawn as needed." Ask for sod or seed, the square feet, and who replaces cut pavers or concrete.
"This price is only good today." See what to do when the price is only good today.

What to ask the contractor, in one message

A sketch with each run in linear feet, the trench depth and width, and where the outlet ends.
The pipe diameter and material, which runs are perforated and which are solid, and whether fabric lines the trench or wraps the pipe.
The gravel type and quantity in cubic yards or tons.
How many downspouts are tied in, and into which pipe.
Whether the outlet crosses a property line, a sidewalk or an easement, and which permit applies, who pulls it, and whether the fee is included.
Who submits the 811 request, who locates private lines such as sprinklers and lighting, and who pays if one is damaged.
What restoration is included: sod or seed, square feet, and any paving or concrete to replace.

If you would rather not do it line by line, upload the quote and we lay out every line, mark the ones nobody can check, and write the questions for you. We are paid by homeowners only and take no fee from contractors. Check a quote from $39, or get a free teardown first.

Questions

How much does a French drain cost per foot?

Public data give references, not a fair price. Delaware's environmental agency estimated a 60-foot French drain at $1,000 to $4,000 installed, in 2022 dollars, which is $16.67 to $66.67 per foot. Materials alone for a shallow DIY drain were $600 to $2,000. One New Jersey DOT contract shows $15 per foot awarded and $35 as the average of the three lowest bids for an underdrain item. Divide your quote by its linear feet and ask what drives the difference.

Do I need to call 811 before installing a French drain?

Contact your state's 811 center a few business days before digging; the national 811 site calls it free. Some states require it by law. Virginia requires a locate request before excavation, but exempts hand digging by a property's owner or occupant. A contractor using a trencher is not exempt. In Virginia, for example, the utilities notified through 811 do not mark private lines such as sprinklers or landscape lighting.

Do I need a permit for a French drain or yard drain?

It depends on your city or county. A drain that stays in your yard may need none. Work that crosses a sidewalk can: Arvada, Colorado, requires a right-of-way permit, pulled by a licensed right-of-way contractor, for a sidewalk chase drain. Ask your building or public works department.

Can a French drain empty onto my neighbor's yard or into the street?

Rules vary by city. Herriman, Utah, makes each property responsible for its drainage: keep runoff on the property, convey it to the street, or convey it to a recorded drainage easement in favor of the property. Delaware's guide tells owners to make sure the drain does not cause flooding or pooling on neighboring properties.

What should a French drain quote include?

Linear feet of each run, trench depth and width, pipe diameter and material, perforated or solid sections, filter fabric, gravel quantity, the outlet and whether it crosses a property line or sidewalk, downspout tie-ins, lawn or paving restoration, the permit, and who handles the 811 locate.

Sources

Every figure above links to the public record it comes from. Wages were looked up in USCCDB v1.0, which carries the BLS file as published. Agency pages, reports and rules are quoted as published on October 16, 2026; check the source for changes.

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