Who To Call for Yard Water
Drainage Contractor vs Landscape Contractor
If water stands in your yard, two industries will quote you. They are not the same. A landscape contractor reshapes soil and plants. A drainage contractor engineers a system that handles a 25- or 100-year storm. Mixing them up is the most common reason NE Florida homeowners pay twice for the same problem. Here is how to tell them apart, when each is the right call, and the 5 red flags that mean a landscaper is selling you drainage they cannot deliver.
The Core Difference in One Paragraph
A landscape contractor designs and installs the visible above-ground environment: sod, plants, mulch, hardscape, irrigation. A drainage contractor designs and installs the invisible below-ground water management system: catch basins, channel drains, underground conveyance, foundation drainage, and engineered outfall. Both can dig a trench. Only one is licensed, trained, and equipped to design a system that handles the water load of a Northeast Florida summer storm.
Decision Table: Who Handles What
| Scope | Landscape Contractor | Drainage Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Reshape a mulch bed, fix a low spot in sod | Yes | No |
| Install or replace irrigation | Yes | No |
| Move a downspout splash block | Yes | No |
| Surface regrade, less than 6 inches of cut/fill | Yes | Optional |
| Underground downspout extension to pop-up emitter | Sometimes (often wrong material) | Yes - Schedule 40 PVC standard |
| French drain across yard with engineered outfall | Not recommended | Yes - the core competency |
| Channel drain in pool deck or driveway | No | Yes |
| Foundation or footer drain | No | Yes |
| Sump pump and discharge line | No | Yes |
| CDD or HOA drainage documentation packet | Rarely | Yes |
| Tying drainage to gutter system | No | Yes - integrated design |
| Plant trees, lay sod, install hardscape | Yes | No |
5 Red Flags When a Landscaper Sells Drainage
If you hear any of these from a landscape contractor quoting drainage, get a second opinion from a licensed drainage contractor before signing.
1. They Quote Corrugated Black Pipe
The 4-inch slinky pipe in 100-foot coils at Home Depot. It is the cheapest material on the shelf. It warps under roots, crushes under cars and mowers, and silts up in NE Florida sandy soil within 3 to 7 seasons. A drainage contractor uses Schedule 40 PVC for solid mains and virgin HDPE for perforated runs. If the quote does not specify pipe type, ask.
2. No Filter Fabric or Stone Specification
Engineered French drains require a #57 washed stone column wrapped in non-woven filter fabric. The fabric goes around the stone, not on the pipe. Without it, fine sand migrates into the pipe slots and the system clogs. If the quote says "pipe in trench, backfill with dirt," that is a failed system on day one.
3. The Outfall Is "The Property Line"
Florida follows a modified common-enemy rule for surface water. You cannot legally discharge concentrated drainage to a neighbor in a way that harms their property. A landscaper who plans to terminate your drainage 18 inches inside your fence is creating a future legal exposure and a system that will back up. Engineered outfall means daylight to a swale, tie-in to street curb, or CDD-approved connection.
4. No Cleanouts or Inspection Points
NDS spec calls for accessible cleanouts every 50 linear feet on French drains. Without them you cannot jet, inspect, or maintain the system. A drain you cannot inspect is a drain you cannot fix. Landscape installs almost never include cleanouts.
5. They Will Not Discuss Slope, Depth, or Discharge Capacity
An engineered drainage plan calculates roof area, peak rainfall intensity (NOAA Atlas 14 for Jacksonville: 4 to 5 inches per hour in a 100-year event), and required pipe diameter and slope. A landscape contractor selling drainage by the foot rarely runs those numbers. Ask: what slope per foot, what depth at the inlet, what depth at the outfall, what is the gallons-per-minute capacity. If they cannot answer, they did not engineer it.
Bonus: They Bundle Drainage Into a "Landscape Package"
When drainage is line item 7 of 12 in a landscape package quote, you cannot evaluate the drainage scope independently. Always ask for drainage to be quoted on its own page with materials, depths, slopes, and outfall specified. Then compare to a licensed drainage contractor quote.
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What Florida Licensing Actually Requires
Florida does not issue a state license for landscaping or lawn care. FNGLA (Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association) offers a voluntary FCLC certification, but no license is required to call yourself a landscape contractor in Florida. By contrast, drainage scope intersects several real DBPR licenses:
| License | Scope | Drainage Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Certified General Contractor (CGC) | Unlimited scope statewide | Can perform any drainage scope including foundation work |
| Certified Residential Contractor (CRC) | Residential 1-3 unit only | Most residential drainage scope |
| Underground Utility and Excavation Contractor | Main storm and sanitary collection systems | The actual specialty license for stormwater infrastructure |
| Plumbing Contractor | Plumbing systems including storm drainage facilities | Can install drainage tied to plumbing or storm sewer |
| Landscape Contractor (no Florida license required) | No state license; voluntary FNGLA certification only | No regulatory requirement for drainage work |
Local jurisdictions (Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau) may still require permits for drainage and grading scope regardless of contractor type. SJRWMD residential exemptions cover most single-family work.
When To Call Each (and When To Call Both)
Call a Landscape Contractor When
You want sod replaced, mulch refreshed, a plant bed redesigned, irrigation installed or repaired, or surface grading touched up by less than 6 inches. These are landscape scopes. A good landscape contractor will refer drainage out, not try to absorb it.
Call a Drainage Contractor When
Water stands in your yard, downspouts dump at the foundation, a pool deck or lanai sheets water back to the house, sod has died twice in the same spot, you have a wet crawl space, you are installing or adding hardscape, or you are buying a home with a flooding history. Anything tied to roof water, anything within 10 feet of foundation, anything trenching through hardscape.
Call Both When
You are remodeling, adding a pool, or building an outdoor living space. The drainage contractor engineers the water management plan first. The landscape contractor designs the visible environment around it. Coordinating both at the same time saves 20 to 30 percent vs sequential calls because trenching, irrigation, and sod installation can be scheduled in one mobilization.
Frequently Asked Questions
My landscaper says they install French drains. Is that wrong?
Not always. Some landscape contractors maintain a Florida CGC, CRC, or UU&E license and run a real drainage division. Ask for their license number and verify on myfloridalicense.com. If they have no DBPR license and no certified drainage training, they are improvising. The materials quote will tell you immediately: Schedule 40 PVC and virgin HDPE with #57 washed stone and non-woven fabric is engineered; corrugated black pipe in dirt is not.
Can I sue my landscaper if their drainage install fails?
Possibly. If the failed install damaged your foundation, slab, or interior, you may have a claim. The complication is that Florida does not license landscape contractors, so there is no licensing board to file with. You are usually left with civil court or small claims. The better protection is hiring a licensed contractor up front and getting a transferable warranty.
Will a drainage contractor be more expensive than a landscaper?
Per linear foot, often yes, by 30 to 60 percent. Per year of service life, no. An engineered drainage install lasting 30 to 50 years at $4,200 costs less per year than three landscaper installs at $1,800 each failing every 5 years.
My HOA approved my landscaper to install drainage. Should I still get a drainage contractor?
HOA approval is a paperwork matter, not a quality assessment. Most HOAs approve based on visual impact (where the work is, what the surface looks like after), not engineering. Get a second opinion from a licensed drainage contractor before signing.
Do you compete with my landscaper, or work with them?
We work with them. Most of the better landscape contractors in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, and Nocatee refer drainage scope to us and we refer landscape scope back. We coordinate trenching schedules and outfall placement with their irrigation and sod plans. The combined project comes in cleaner and cheaper than either party doing both.
What if I just want a small drain at one spot, not a whole system?
Fair. We do small scopes. A single catch basin tied to a 20-foot Schedule 40 PVC run to a daylight outfall runs $800 to $1,800 installed. We will tell you honestly when the problem is small enough that a landscape regrade plus a buried downspout extension is the right answer instead.
How do I verify a Florida contractor license?
Go to myfloridalicense.com, click DBPR Online Services, search by name or license number. The license should be Active, the trade should match the scope (CGC, CRC, UU&E, or Plumbing Contractor for drainage), and there should be no recent disciplinary actions. Our license info is on the about page and on every quote.
Quick Answers
Is a landscape contractor allowed to install drainage in Florida?
Does a drainage contractor handle landscape restoration?
Can a drainage contractor save my existing landscape during the install?
What is the single best question to ask a drainage quote?
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Bring us your landscaper drainage quote. Albert will line-item it, identify the gaps, and tell you what the engineered install should look like. No charge, no obligation.
Serving Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Fernandina, and all of Northeast Florida.
Related Resources
- Drainage Solutions Hub - master service page
- Why Is My Yard Flooding - 5 real causes diagnostic
- Drainage Cost Jacksonville - honest 2026 ranges
- French Drain Lifespan - 40+ years vs 3-7
- Hardpan Clay Drainage
- French Drain Installation
- Foundation Drainage
- Yard Drainage
- Downspout Drainage
- NDS Certified Drainage
- Full Drainage FAQ Hub
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