How Much Does a French Drain Cost in Houston?

Angi's Houston cost page (updated June 17, 2026) lists French drains at $20 to $50 per linear foot, or $1,980 to $6,910 total. Two Houston drainage companies publish their own bands: $28 to $60 per foot (updated August 13, 2026) and $20 to $40 (undated). Depth, length, the outlet, and lawn or concrete repair move the price most.

These are published ranges, not quotes. High & Dry is a referral service and does not price or perform work. A contractor sets the price after seeing the property.

Last reviewed: October 8, 2026. Every figure sits next to its publisher and date, and the full list is under Sources.

Each page that prices a French drain gives a different answer, because they describe different jobs, places and years. This page does not pick a winner or blend them into one Houston number. It lines the published prices up by date and geography, explains why they pull apart, and lists what a written quote should spell out.

No independent Houston French drain cost survey that discloses its method turned up in this research. Angi's Houston figures sit within about 1% of its own national figures, so the Houston label adds little local information. The companies that publish Houston prices sell drainage work, which makes their pages self-interested.

Not sure a French drain is the right fix? Start with French drain installation in Houston.

How much does a French drain cost per foot?

• Angi (updated June 17, 2026), labelled Houston: $20 to $50 per linear foot and $1,980 to $6,910 in total. Its national column reads the same per foot and $2,000 to $7,000.
• HomeGuide (February 5, 2026), national: $10 to $35 per linear foot for a shallow or curtain yard drain, and $500 to $8,800 average installed for exterior drains.
• HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026), national: $10 to $100 per linear foot across all drain types, about $45 on average. A yard French drain is $30 to $90 per foot and $2,000 to $10,000 in total. The header gives a normal range of $500 to $18,000 and an average of $9,250, while the body text says $400 to $27,000.
• Fixr (updated January 31, 2025), national: $20 to $30 per linear foot in a yard, a national average range of $2,800 to $6,500, and an average of $5,000.
• A Houston drainage company, contractor-published (updated August 13, 2026): $28 to $60 per linear foot installed, and $2,000 to $4,500 for a typical single-run yard drain once the outfall is included.
• A second Houston drainage company, contractor-published (undated): $20 to $40 per linear foot installed, and $1,200 to $4,000 for a typical 60 to 100 foot run.
• A Kingwood-area drainage company, contractor-published (undated): French drain installation at $1,500 to $4,000, with no per-foot figure.

Why the published numbers disagree

The largest gap comes from mixing drain types. HomeAdvisor's average covers everything it calls a French drain, interior basement systems included, and both it and HomeGuide price those well above a shallow yard drain (see depth and drain type). If the house has no basement, the interior rows do not describe your project.

Angi says its figures come from customer surveys plus Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other research, and that the article was created using automation technology and fact-checked by an Angi editor. Angi and HomeAdvisor are both lead marketplaces.

Fixr's figures are the oldest here. The three contractor pages come from businesses with something to sell, and two carry no date.

How much does a French drain cost by length?

HomeGuide's national table (February 5, 2026) prices an installed yard drain by length:

• 25 feet: $250 to $900.
• 50 feet: $500 to $1,800.
• 100 feet: $1,000 to $3,500.
• 150 feet: $1,500 to $5,300.
• 200 feet: $2,000 to $7,000.

Length also changes depth. A drain line moves water by falling toward its outlet, and the USDA NRCS description of the Lake Charles clay series, which it calls extensive in southeast Texas, gives slopes mainly below 1%. With that little fall, a long trench finishes deeper than it starts, and deeper drains carry higher published per-foot rates. The series is regional, not a reading of any one lot, so ask for the depth at both ends of the run.

What makes a French drain cost more?

Depth and drain type

• HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026), national: curtain drain $10 to $25 per linear foot, exterior perimeter $10 to $50, deep French drain $30 to $70, interior $40 to $100.
• HomeGuide (February 5, 2026), national: surface-level yard drain $10 to $30 per linear foot, deep exterior perimeter or weeping tile $30 to $90, and interior or basement $40 to $85, or $4,000 to $17,000 in total.

Both charge more per foot as the drain goes deeper, but their labels do not line up, so ask which kind of drain a proposal describes and how deep it runs.

Length and access

• Trenching, HomeGuide (February 5, 2026), national: $5 to $12 per linear foot, or $500 to $1,200 for a 100-foot trench.
• Labor and site prep, Angi (updated June 17, 2026), labelled Houston: $50 to $150 per hour for drainage specialists and general contractors, and $300 to $1,000 for standard site prep.

With hourly labor, anything that slows the dig raises the total. No verified figure prices a narrow side yard, a fence, or tree roots, so ask whether a machine can reach the route.

Pipe, gravel and fabric

• HomeGuide (February 5, 2026), national: corrugated pipe $1.00 to $3.00 per foot, PVC $1.20 to $5.00, prefabricated EZ-drain $7.00 to $10.00. For a drain of 100 to 200 feet, drainage gravel $100 to $600 and landscape fabric $40 to $360.

Set HomeGuide's material lines beside its installed totals by length and materials look like the smaller part of the bill. A cheaper pipe will not explain a wide gap between two bids.

Houston clay soil

No source in this research publishes a dollar or percentage surcharge for clay. Angi's Houston page (updated June 17, 2026) says only that deep trenching through dense clay soil takes more time, which increases the total labor fee. HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026) says clay-heavy soil may take landscapers longer to dig.

A 2015 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension article from Galveston County notes that local gardeners call heavy clay soil gumbo clay, and that it expands in wet spells and shrinks in drought. AgriLife's rain garden bulletin, B-6247, lists saturated hydraulic conductivity of 0.02 inches per hour for clay, against 2.41 for loamy sand and 8.27 for sand. USDA NRCS describes the Lake Charles series as very slowly permeable clay.

Those are generic texture values and a regional soil series, not a map of Kingwood, Humble or Atascocita lots. The USDA Web Soil Survey shows the mapped soil for your own address.

Lawn and sod restoration

HomeGuide's drainage system page (February 6, 2026, national) lists sod at $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot installed. HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026, national) lists landscaping repair at $100 to $200 and says contractors don't include landscape repairs in their quotes. Treat that as HomeAdvisor's generalization, because quotes vary, and ask who repairs any sprinkler lines the route crosses.

Cutting concrete, driveways and patios

• Fixr (updated January 31, 2025), national: a drain under a sidewalk $30 to $50 per linear foot and under a driveway $45 to $55. Concrete removal and relaying is $2 to $6 per square foot, adding about $200 to $600.

Fixr's are the only per-foot prices in this research for crossing hardscape, and they are dated, so use them for proportion, not precision.

Downspout tie-ins

HomeGuide's drainage system page (February 6, 2026, national) prices burying a downspout at $150 to $350 each, and a Kingwood-area drainage company's undated page gives $300 to $800 per downspout. Compare those with the French drain totals before assuming a trench is the first thing to buy.

Where the water goes: the outlet

A Houston drainage company's price page (updated August 13, 2026) says its per-foot rate does not usually include the outfall structure, the piece at the end of the pipe where the water leaves.

• Fixr (updated January 31, 2025), national: coupling to a storm basin on or just across the property line $100 to $200.
• HomeGuide's drainage system page (February 6, 2026), national: cutting a public curb for a new street outlet $400 to $500, and a public storm drain connection about $275 more.

The City of Houston's stormwater design requirements say sheet flow generally may not drain onto adjacent private property. A quote that says drain to daylight or tie to the street without naming the exact point leaves a priced item undefined.

When a pump is needed

• A Houston drainage company, contractor-published (updated August 13, 2026): sump basin and pump added $1,200 to $3,500. Perimeter systems or pumped drains $5,000 to $9,000 or more.
• HomeGuide (February 5, 2026), national: adding a sump pump to a French drain $600 to $2,500.

A pump enters the picture when gravity cannot carry the water to an outlet. On the one Houston page that prices it, a pumped system starts above the top of that company's single-run band. Ask where the pump discharges.

What's usually not included in a French drain quote?

Three costs that can sit outside a base figure are priced in their own sections: the outfall, landscape repair, and permits and inspection. HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026) also tells readers to budget an additional 10 to 15% beyond the initial estimate. Angi's Houston page (updated June 17, 2026) lists removing an old system, yard restoration, and irrigation integration as additional factors and prices none of them. No verified figure prices hauling away excavated soil, so ask.

What a written quote should spell out

• Route and length. Where the trench starts and ends, in feet.
• Depth. At the start and at the outlet.
• Pipe and stone. Which pipe, which stone, and whether fabric lines the trench.
• Outlet and pump. Exactly where the water leaves, who builds that piece, and whether it is priced.
• Restoration. Who puts back sod, beds, irrigation and concrete.
• Permits. Ask who will pull any required permit and whether the fee is included.
• Exclusions. What is left out, and how surprises such as roots are priced.

Two proposals that answer all seven can be compared line by line. Two bare totals cannot.

How much does a catch basin cost?

• Angi (updated June 17, 2026), labelled Houston: $595 to $1,980 installed, and $50 to $495 for each basin unit as a material.
• Fixr (updated January 31, 2025), national: a catch basin project at $2,500 to $5,000.

Fixr's project figure starts above the top of Angi's installed range, and neither page explains the gap.

A catch basin takes surface water at one low point and sends it down a pipe, while a French drain collects water along its length. First, trace where yard water comes from during a real rain.

How much does it cost to regrade a yard instead?

• HomeGuide (January 16, 2026), national: a small lawn $500 to $1,000, an average backyard $1,000 to $5,000, and rough grading for drainage $1 to $2 per square foot. Around a house, $500 to $1,000 for one side and $1,000 to $3,000 for all of it.
• Swale, Angi (updated June 17, 2026), labelled Houston: $5 to $15 per linear foot and $790 to $2,960 in total.

The same HomeGuide page states the target: ground around a house must slope at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet from the foundation.

Regrading is not automatically the cheaper path: Angi's Houston swale total overlaps its Houston French drain total in the per-foot list.

Do you need a permit for a French drain in Houston?

No City of Houston, Harris County, or City of Humble page found in this research lists a standalone French drain permit, which is different from saying none applies. Houston regulates connections to storm drainage, and Harris County counts excavation and grading as development that needs a permit. Confirm by address before work starts, and ask who will pull any required permit.

City of Houston, including Kingwood

The Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas says that by 2000 Kingwood had been annexed by the city of Houston. A Kingwood address is generally a City of Houston address for permitting, but check yours.

• Tie to a curb inlet or storm sewer (Houston Permitting Center, HPWCODE1096): a plumbing permit, obtained by a master plumber registered with the City. Inspection is required and the permit is valid 180 days. The fee block reads fee $87.27, minimum permit fee $97.56, admin fee $33.56. Elsewhere the page gives the minimum as $91.05.
• Roof drain or outside downspout connected to a drainage system (Houston Permitting Center, HPWCODE1094): a plumbing permit, obtained by a master plumber or drain layer's licensee registered with the City. The fee is $34.24 for the first two and $11.41 for each additional, with a $97.56 minimum permit fee and a $33.56 admin fee.

The curb-inlet page also describes plan review as both not needed at a single family residence and required, so ask the Permitting Center for the current fee and rule. Neither page names French drains; they regulate the connection.

Unincorporated Harris County, including Atascocita

The Handbook of Texas lists Atascocita as an unincorporated community in northeastern Harris County, which points permitting questions to the County. The County Engineer's permits FAQ says a permit is needed for all development within Harris County, and that development includes filling, grading, paving and excavation. It has no French drain rule. The Residential Group is at (713) 274-3920.

City of Humble

The City of Humble Building & Inspection page has no French drain item. Its floodplain section, covering the 1% and 0.2% floodplains, says to research before any activity, lists any amount of fill and grading among the items, and adds that a floodplain development permit is often required even when a construction permit may not be. The Building Department is at 281-446-6228.

HOA approval in Kingwood villages

Trailwood Village's architectural review application says owners considering an improvement or change to their property, other than minor landscaping, must submit it. That is one village's form, so read your own association's documents.

Call 811 before digging

The notice period in Texas is two business days, not counting weekends and holidays: that is how far ahead Texas811 says a homeowner must contact 811 before digging. Ask the contractor who places that request and how private lines, such as sprinkler pipe, will be found.

What national pages say permits cost

• HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026): permits about $50 to $200 and inspection $100 to $300.
• HomeGuide (February 5 and February 6, 2026): drain permits $100 to $375, more if connecting to a public storm drain. Grading permits $50 to $400 (January 16, 2026).
• Fixr (updated January 31, 2025): permits $50 to $100.

All are national figures, not Houston, Harris County, or Humble fees.

Is a French drain worth the cost in Houston?

It is worth the cost when the water problem is the kind a French drain handles and a cheaper fix will not do the job. No published figure can settle that for a particular yard.

Work up from the lower published figures first: burying a downspout, regrading one side of the house, or a catch basin. If one of those deals with where the water comes from, a French drain adds nothing.

HomeAdvisor (updated June 20, 2026) says a well-built French drain lasts 30 to 40 years, and HomeGuide (February 5, 2026) says 30 to 40 years or more when installed correctly. Both are national, and both depend on how the drain is built.

HomeGuide (February 5, 2026, national) lists cleaning at $80 to $500 or more, and Fixr (updated January 31, 2025, national) lists repairing a damaged pipe section at $1,000 to $2,500. If an existing drain has stopped working, drainage repair may be the first thing to price.

No source used here says a French drain prevents foundation damage on a given lot, so a proposal that sells the drain on that promise deserves a direct question about its basis.

How do I get an accurate French drain price for my yard?

An accurate price comes from a contractor who has walked the route and named the outlet. A few records make that visit more useful: photos taken in the rain from the same spots, how long water stays afterward, where the yard is lowest, where a pipe could plausibly end, and the paced-off length of the route. Know which jurisdiction the address is in and whether an association has to approve changes.

Then get more than one written estimate against the same scope: the same route, depth, outlet, and restoration. A lower total tells you nothing until the scopes match.

Ready to put a number on your yard? Use the request form on the French drain installation page, or the Call button on this page. High & Dry is a referral service, not a contractor. It connects homeowners with local drainage contractors. It does not price, design, permit, inspect, or perform the work, and it cannot promise that a contractor is available for every address. Any estimate, and any charge for one, comes from the contractor. How your details are handled is set out in the privacy policy.

How this page was built

Each figure was checked against its publisher's live page on October 8, 2026. Nothing was averaged or blended, and where a source contradicts itself the contradiction is reported. High & Dry does not sell drainage work, but it has an interest in connecting homeowners with contractors, so weigh this page as you weigh the marketplaces it cites.

Sources

All sources were checked on October 8, 2026. Contractor pages are listed without company names or links because this page attributes them by type, not by brand.

• Angi, How Much Does Yard Drainage Cost in Houston, TX? [2026 Data], updated June 17, 2026.
• HomeAdvisor, How Much Does a French Drain Cost in 2026?, updated June 20, 2026.
• HomeGuide, How much does a French drain cost?, February 5, 2026.
• HomeGuide, How much does a drainage system cost?, February 6, 2026.
• HomeGuide, How much does it cost to level a yard or regrade land?, January 16, 2026.
• Fixr, How much does it cost to install a French drain?, updated January 31, 2025.
• Contractor-published: two Houston drainage company price pages, one updated August 13, 2026 and one undated, and an undated Kingwood-area service page.
• Houston Permitting Center, Tie to curb inlet-storm sewer permit (HPWCODE1096) and Roof drain or outside downspout permit (HPWCODE1094).
• City of Houston, Stormwater Design Requirements.
• Harris County Office of the County Engineer, Permits FAQ.
• City of Humble, Building & Inspection.
• Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas, Kingwood, TX and Atascocita, TX.
• Trailwood Village, Architectural Review Application.
• Texas811, I Want to Dig.
• USDA NRCS, Official Series Description: Lake Charles Series.
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Stormwater Management: Rain Gardens (B-6247).
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Galveston County, Drought Conditions Pose Threat to Home Foundations, W. M. Johnson, 2015.