For driveways that flood, wash out or send mud to the street
Tallahassee Yard Drainage Driveway Drainage in Tallahassee
A driveway is a large, hard, sloped surface. Every drop that lands on it arrives somewhere fast, usually the garage, the lawn edge or the street.
- Tallahassee, Bradfordville and Crawfordville
- Written price before any digging
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Priced for Red Hills clay and karst sand
Tallahassee Yard Drainage arranges driveway drainage for Tallahassee homes where the driveway floods the garage, washes out its edges, or channels water and red mud into the street. The fix depends on where the water comes from: the driveway's own surface, the lawn and roof beside it, or the road it meets.
Draining a driveway properly typically costs $1,500 to $6,000; letting water undercut its edges and wash out the base is how a concrete driveway cracks into slabs that cost $8,000 to $15,000 to tear out and pour again.
$1,500 to $6,000 for most driveway drainage
Driveway drainage in Tallahassee typically runs $1,500 to $6,000. A French drain or swale along one edge sits at the low end. A vehicle-rated channel drain across the garage apron with a long outlet line, or a new culvert at the road, sits at the high end, and a culvert in the right of way also needs a permit.
Get a price: (850) 604-5871Signs your driveway has a drainage problem
- Water runs down the driveway and under the garage door
- The edges of the concrete or asphalt are undercut or crumbling
- Red mud and gravel wash across the driveway from the lawn above
- A gravel driveway grows ruts and potholes after every storm
- Water stands at the bottom of the driveway where it meets the road
- The culvert under the driveway entrance is crushed, clogged or buried
Three sources, three fixes
Water on the driveway itself
A driveway that slopes down to the garage collects its own rain and delivers it to the door. A channel drain across the apron intercepts it along the full width and pipes it away.
Water from beside the driveway
Lawn, beds and roof water uphill of a driveway pour across it in every storm, bringing red soil with them. A French drain or shallow swale along the uphill edge catches it before it reaches the pavement. This is the "French drain along driveway" job.
Water at the road
Where a driveway crosses a roadside ditch, a culvert pipe carries the ditch under it. A crushed, silted or undersized culvert backs water up onto the driveway and the yard.
Culverts and the right of way
The culvert under a driveway entrance usually sits in the public right of way. In unincorporated Leon County, driveway connections to county roads are permitted through the county, and work in the county right of way generally needs a permit. Inside city limits the City of Tallahassee regulates it. Around Crawfordville, Wakulla County Road and Bridge maintains county right of way and culverts. The rules on pipe size and material come from them, not the contractor, so the permit comes first.
Not sure which of these your yard needs? Describe it on the phone and get a straight answer.
Call (850) 604-5871Gravel and clay driveways
Many properties on the rural edges of Leon and Wakulla counties have long gravel or clay driveways. Those need a crown or a cross-slope so water leaves the surface, turnouts or shallow ditches along the side, and occasionally a buried cross drain where water must pass under. A driveway that is lower than the ground either side of it will always be a creek in a storm.
What to ask before the work starts
- Where does the collected water go, and is that outlet on my lot or in the right of way?
- Is the channel drain grate rated for vehicles?
- If a culvert is involved, who is pulling the permit?
- Is saw-cutting, concrete patching and sod repair included in the price?
Water getting into the garage?
That is usually a one-day fix with the right drain in the right place. Call and describe the driveway's slope.
Call (850) 604-5871Questions people ask
How much does driveway drainage cost in Tallahassee?
Typically $1,500 to $6,000, from a French drain or swale along one edge to a vehicle-rated channel drain or new culvert at the road.
How do I stop water running down my driveway into the garage?
A channel drain across the garage apron catches the water across the full width and pipes it to an outlet.
Do I need a permit to replace my driveway culvert?
Usually yes, because the culvert sits in the public right of way. The City of Tallahassee, Leon County or Wakulla County sets the rules depending on your address.
Should I put a French drain along my driveway?
If lawn and roof water pours across the driveway from the uphill side, a French drain or swale along that edge is often the right fix.
What are the signs of driveway drainage problems?
Water under the garage door, undercut or crumbling edges, mud washing across the surface, ruts in gravel, and water standing where the driveway meets the road.
Often done together
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Channel and trench drains
Where water runs across a hard surface toward a garage, a door or a patio, a channel drain catches the whole width of the flow in a single line.
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Drainage swales
A swale is a shallow, gently sloped channel in the lawn. It moves a summer storm's worth of surface water across a yard without a single buried part to clog.
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Erosion control
A gully in a Red Hills yard gets deeper every storm. Filling it is not enough. The water that cut it has to be slowed down or sent somewhere else.
Talk it through before anyone digs
Describe where the water sits and where it comes from. You will hear which fix fits the yard, what it usually costs, and whether you need one at all.
Call (850) 604-5871