# Drainage contractor in Addison, TX for patios, courtyards and compact yards > Drainage contractor in Addison, TX: channel drains, catch basins and downspout lines for compact, paved lots, with the Town's right-of-way permit. Book a visit. URL: https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/addison/ Drainage contractor in Addison, TX: channel drains, catch basins and downspout lines for compact, paved lots, with the Town's right-of-way permit. Book a visit. Last Updated: November 11, 2026 - **Permits:** Town of Addison (right-of-way permits; Drainage Criteria Manual) - **Storm drainage:** Town of Addison (streets, right-of-way and public drainage) - **The rule that changes the job:** ROW permit ## What usually starts a drainage job in Addison ### A patio that floods at the back door Water runs across the pavers or concrete and pools against the house. With little lawn to absorb it, the hard surface needs its own drain. ### A courtyard with no way out Walls, fences and the house enclose a small paved space. Rain collects in the lowest corner because there's no path to the street. ### Downspouts emptying onto pavement Roof water lands on a walk or patio and spreads toward the foundation. A buried line carries it past the paving. ### A line that has to reach the street The only exit is the curb or the public drainage system. Addison requires a right-of-way permit for construction in, under or over public right-of-way. ## Patio or courtyard holding water? On a lot with more paving than lawn, rain has little ground to soak into. It runs across the patio, collects at the back door or sits in a courtyard corner. [Clay Plano Drainage Company](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/) installs channel drains, catch basins and downspout lines in Addison. The job here is mostly about hard surfaces and short distances. ## How much water a patio sheds Pavement sends almost all of its rain straight to the low point. Each inch that falls on 1,000 square feet of patio or drive is roughly 620 gallons, and none of it soaks in on the way. Storms here can deliver that quickly. At central Plano, the nearest point we size against, a storm with a 50 percent chance in any year drops about 1.8 inches in an hour. That’s why we size grates and pipe for a real downpour, not a drizzle. ## Drains for paved ground When most of the space is concrete or pavers, a French drain in a lawn isn’t usually the answer. The water is on the surface, moving fast, and it needs to be caught where it runs. - **[Channel drains](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/channel-drains/)** sit flush in the paving along a patio edge, a garage apron or a door threshold, and catch sheet flow along their whole length. - **[Catch basins](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/)** collect water at a single low corner and send it through solid pipe. - **[Downspout lines](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/)** carry roof water under the paving instead of across it. Our guides to [channel drain vs French drain](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/channel-drain-vs-french-drain/) and [French drain vs catch basin](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/french-drain-vs-catch-basin/) help you see which fits your space. ### Getting the pavement’s fall right A channel drain only works if the paving slopes toward it. We measure the fall across the patio first. Where the slab tilts toward the house, the drain goes at the house edge with a sloped run to the outlet, and the estimate says so. ## The Town’s right-of-way permit Addison requires a right-of-way permit for all construction in, under or over public right-of-way. That wording is broad. A line that runs beneath a sidewalk is “under” the right-of-way and needs the permit as surely as a cut curb. | Part of the job | What Addison asks | | --- | --- | | Drains inside your lot | Confirmed for the address with the Town | | A line under the sidewalk or parkway | Right-of-way permit | | A connection at the curb or a public inlet | Right-of-way permit | | The drainage design itself | Meets Town standards in the Drainage Criteria Manual | We arrange the permit as part of the job, and the written estimate shows the fee as its own line. ## Townhomes and tight lots Where an Addison home shares walls or sits on a narrow lot, the space between buildings can be only a few feet wide. Equipment, stone and pipe all have to come in by hand or on small machines. That changes how we work, not what we install: - **Narrow cuts** through paving, saw-cut clean so the patch lines up. - **Spoil on tarps**, never on a neighbor’s side. - **Cleanouts placed** where you can reach them, even in a small courtyard. - **Shared walls considered**, so water from one unit isn’t sent toward the next. ### No fall to any outlet? A sunken courtyard sometimes sits lower than the street. Gravity can’t carry the water out, so a small pump basin collects it and pushes it to a legal outlet. ## Water near the foundation On a paved lot, water that pools at the house has nowhere to soak away. It sits against the slab edge, and the soil underneath stays wet while the rest dries. We start with the roof, because downspouts often deliver the most water to one spot. Then we catch surface water before it reaches the wall. [Foundation drainage](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/foundation-drainage/) and the guide to [foundation moisture in clay soil](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/foundation-moisture-clay-soil/) explain the approach. Soil varies across the area, so we probe it on the first visit rather than assume what’s underneath. ## Businesses in Addison Addison mixes homes with offices, shops and restaurants along Belt Line Road and around Addison Airport. Commercial properties bring their own drainage problems: parking lot edges, loading areas, patios for diners. [Commercial drainage](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/commercial-drainage/) is scoped and bid per job after a site visit, because every property and its Town review are different. ## Around Addison The Dallas North Tollway, Midway Road and Belt Line Road all run through Addison. Next door, the rules differ: - **[Carrollton](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/carrollton/)** permits French drains and their curb cuts through its Engineering Department. - **[Richardson](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/richardson/)** designs streets and alleys to carry and pond water up to the top of the curb in big storms. - **[The Colony](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/the-colony/)** requires a grading permit for any grading-only project. ## How an Addison job runs We find where the water lands, where it gathers and where it may legally leave. On a small paved lot, that path is short but precise. 1. **Measure the fall** across paving and lawn. 2. **Choose the collector**: channel, basin or buried downspout line. 3. **Confirm the outlet** and any right-of-way permit. 4. **Build, test and restore**, with water run through the system before backfill and surfaces put back. The guide to [where yard drain water can go](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/where-can-yard-drain-water-go/) compares the outlet choices. ## Before the visit A few details make the first visit faster on a compact Addison lot: - **Photos during rain** showing where water enters the patio and where it stops. - **Access**: gate widths, shared walls and whether a small machine can reach the back. - **Any HOA or property manager** who needs to approve exterior work, since that’s separate from the Town permit. - **Old drains or grates** already in the paving, which we can test before adding new ones. ## Drainage services in Addison - [Service**Channel drains** A grated trench set into concrete at a driveway, patio or garage apron that catches water running across the paving before it reaches the house.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/channel-drains/) - [Service**Catch basins** A grated box set at the lowest point of a lawn, bed edge or patio that takes in surface water and sends it through solid pipe to an outlet.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/) - [Service**Downspout drainage** Buried solid pipe that takes roof water from each downspout past the beds and the slab to a pop-up emitter, an existing line or a permitted curb outlet.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/) - [Service**French drains** A trench of washed stone and pipe that collects water held in the soil and carries it to a legal outlet at the street side of the lot.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/) - [Service**Foundation drainage** Drainage work that keeps water from collecting against your slab: downspout lines, perimeter drains and grade along the beam. Not structural foundation repair.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/foundation-drainage/) - [Service**Commercial drainage** Drainage for HOA common areas, retail centers and office lots: inlets, trench drains, storm tie-ins and grading, built to engineered plans where the city requires them.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/commercial-drainage/) ## How a job usually runs in Addison ### Photos and address Send the address and photos of the patio, courtyard or yard during or after rain. Tell us whether the home is a detached house or a townhome. ### Site visit We measure the fall across the paving and lawn, find the low points and pick the outlet. The written estimate shows the drains, the route and any Town permit. ### Permit and locates Where the outlet reaches the right-of-way, we arrange the Town of Addison permit first. Texas811 marks the utilities, and we paint the route in white. ### Build and restore We cut and trench neatly through paving and lawn, water-test the system before backfill and restore surfaces before a walk-through with you. ## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes ### Landmarks - Addison Airport ### Routes - Belt Line Road - Dallas North Tollway - Midway Road ## Addison: questions ### Do I need an Addison permit to run a drain to the street? Yes, if the work is in, under or over public right-of-way. The Town of Addison requires a right-of-way permit for all construction there, and a line under a sidewalk counts. We arrange it with the job. ### What drainage standard does Addison use? Addison requires drainage design to meet Town standards set out in its Drainage Criteria Manual. For a private yard or patio drain, what the Town reviews is confirmed for the address before the work is scheduled. ### How much does a patio channel drain cost in Addison? Our typical range for a channel drain is $60 to $150 per foot, the same as everywhere we work. A catch basin with a short pipe run is $500 to $1,500 and a buried downspout line $300 to $800 per downspout. Any Town permit fee is a separate line, and the site visit and written estimate set yours. ### Can you drain a small Addison townhome courtyard? Usually, if there's a way out. A small catch basin or channel drain collects the water, and solid pipe carries it to an outlet. If the courtyard has no fall to any legal outlet, a small pump basin may be the answer. ### Do you handle drainage for Addison businesses? Yes. Commercial drainage, such as parking lot edges, loading areas and courtyards, is scoped and bid per job after a site visit, since every property and its Town review differ. ## Nearby service areas - [City of Carrollton Engineering Department (French drains and curb cuts)**Carrollton**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/carrollton/) - [City of Richardson (permits for curb and right-of-way work confirmed per address)**Richardson**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/richardson/) - [City of The Colony Building Inspections and Engineering (grading permits)**The Colony**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/the-colony/) ## Guides for yards in Addison - [Decision Guide**Should you use a channel drain or a French drain?** Both are long and narrow, and both end in pipe to the street. One sits in concrete and catches water on the surface; the other sits in soil and gathers water below it. How to choose, and when to use both.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/channel-drain-vs-french-drain/) - [Decision Guide**Do you need a French drain or a catch basin?** One works below ground and slowly, the other at the surface and fast. A simple timing test tells you which problem you have, and some yards need both on one line.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/french-drain-vs-catch-basin/) - [Decision Guide**Where do you drain a French drain in Plano?** The outlet decides the design, so we choose it first. Every option a Plano yard has, what each one needs, and how to pick when the lot is flat.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/where-can-yard-drain-water-go/) - [Learn**How does drainage affect foundation movement on clay soil?** Plano's clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, so where storm water lands around a slab matters. What drainage can do about it, and when the house itself needs a foundation professional.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/foundation-moisture-clay-soil/) ## Get an estimate in Addison Tell us what the water is doing and where the house is in Addison.