How Much Does a French Drain Cost in New York?

National cost guides put an exterior French drain at about $10 to $65 per linear foot. A 100-foot yard drain comes to $1,000 to $3,500 in one guide and $1,000 to $6,500 in another. One guide puts the national average job near $5,000.

Those are market numbers, not our price list. The guides publish national figures, so read them as a starting range. On a Greene County lot, rock and the outlet often move the price. We install French drains and yard drainage across the county, and a good quote starts with the outlet.

What do national cost guides say each kind of drain costs?

Letters in the last column stand for three national cost guides, each read in October 2026. The figures cover installed work, with labor and materials together.

Labor is most of the bill. One guide puts labor at 60 to 70 percent of a hired job.

Materials are the smaller share. One guide lists drain pipe at $1 to $5 a foot and washed stone at $1 to $3 a foot. Digging the trench alone runs $5 to $12 a foot in that guide.

This article covers drains in the yard. Basement drains inside the house run $40 to $100 a foot in two guides. That is basement waterproofing, a separate trade.

How do rock and dense subsoil change the price in Greene County?

Federal soil survey data puts bedrock within 40 inches of the surface on over a third of Greene County. A trench that meets ledge goes slower. One national guide says rocks in the way and hilly ground can raise the labor cost.

NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals put the area at 42 to 46 inches of rain and melted snow a year. The soil data maps a dense layer, called a fragipan, within 30 inches on over a fifth of the county. Water soaks through that layer slowly, so it backs up above it.

Around Oak Hill, the survey maps wet Burdett soils, with the water table as shallow as about 15 inches. A curtain drain has to reach down into that wet zone. One guide notes that deeper drains take more digging and more material.

Where does the water go, and what does the outlet cost?

On wet ground, a French drain needs an outlet lower than the trench. One guide calls for a fall of at least 1 percent, about 1 foot for every 100 feet. On a sloping lot, the pipe can run out to daylight lower on the land. A daylight outlet needs no tank or pump.

A flat lot can cost more to drain. The pipe may run a long way, or end in a dry well. One guide notes dry wells work best in sandy soil with a low water table. Wet, dense ground like the fragipan soils above is the opposite.

The septic system is off limits. New York’s septic standard says “roof, footing, garage, cellar and surface water drainage” must be excluded from the system. On a sloping site, it also calls for a curtain drain or ditch uphill of a raised system. That drain gets built with the septic system installation.

Culverts carry water under a drive, and one guide puts a replacement at $1,000 to $9,000. A plugged culvert can push water over the drive and wash out the stone. That is why culvert work often comes with gravel driveway repair. In Rensselaerville, the owner buys a new driveway pipe and the town crew sets it, at the owner’s cost.

When does grading or a swale cost less than a French drain?

Water that runs across the top of the ground is a grading problem first. A swale is a shallow channel shaped into the ground to carry that runoff. One guide lists swales at $5 to $15 a foot, next to its $10 to $35 for a French drain. The same guide puts yard regrading at $500 to $5,000.

Water that rises from below needs a drain cut into the wet layer. Some yards need both: land grading for the surface water and a short drain for one soggy strip. Check the roof water too. One guide prices a buried downspout line at $150 to $350 per downspout.

Do you need a permit or an 811 call before the digging starts?

New York’s one-call rule treats digging with machines as excavation, and grading counts too. The contractor calls UDig NY at 811 at least two working days ahead, not counting the day of the call. The notice can go in no more than ten working days ahead.

UDig NY says its member utilities do not mark private lines on your property. Point out any line you own, such as a feed to a barn.

The town building department can tell you if a drain needs a permit. In the Town of Durham, which includes Oak Hill, digging in a mapped flood zone needs a floodplain development permit. Drainage in or near a state-regulated wetland can need a permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The state regulates a 100-foot area around those wetlands.

What should a written French drain quote include?

Ask for these lines on paper before you compare bids. One guide notes that keeping the dug soil on site cuts disposal fees.

• The length and depth of each drain, marked on a sketch
• The pipe type and size, plus the stone and filter fabric
• The outlet, and how the pipe gets there
• What happens to the price if the trench hits rock
• Where the dug soil goes, and who repairs the lawn
• Who calls 811 and who checks with the town

How do you get a French drain quote around Oak Hill?

Doberman Excavation and Services digs French drains and drainage ditches across Greene County and the northern Catskills. Oak Hill sits at the center of our service area. Text a few photos of the wet spot, taken during rain or snowmelt if you can. If you live out of the area, we can send photos and talk it through by phone.

We look at the job and put a free estimate in writing. Call or text (518) 281-8003, or see how French drain installation works on our service page.