# Drainage contractor in Heath, TX, for water that comes from next door > Drainage contractor in Heath, TX: drains and re-grading for water that crosses lot lines, with contour plans for the city's re-grading permit. Book a visit. URL: https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/heath/ Drainage contractor in Heath, TX: drains and re-grading for water that crosses lot lines, with contour plans for the city's re-grading permit. Book a visit. Last Updated: November 11, 2026 - **Permits:** City of Heath (residential re-grading permit) - **Storm drainage:** City of Heath (public drainage; owners keep private easements clear) - **The rule that changes the job:** Two-lot drainage is private ## What usually starts a drainage job in Heath ### Runoff from the lot uphill Every storm, water comes over the fence from the neighbor's yard. In Heath, drainage between two lots is treated as a private matter, so the fix is planned between owners. ### A swale that has filled in The grassy channel along the back line has silted up or been planted over. Heath treats drainage easements as private land kept clear for stormwater. ### A yard that needs re-grading The lawn tilts the wrong way. Heath's residential re-grading permit asks for existing and proposed contours, with flow arrows to an approved collection point. ### A slope toward the lake The lot falls away toward lower ground, and fast water across it leaves bare soil behind. The outlet needs to slow the water before it leaves the yard. ## Your neighbor’s water ends up in your yard? Every storm, water pours over from the lot next door and settles in yours. [Clay Plano Drainage Company](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/) builds swales, drains and re-grading in Heath to catch that water and carry it somewhere it can go. What makes Heath different is who handles it. Between two lots, the city treats the drainage as a matter for the owners. ## Two-lot drainage is a private matter Heath’s drainage participation process says lot-to-lot drainage between two or fewer lots is considered a private matter. In plain terms: if the water problem involves only you and one neighbor, the city generally won’t step in to fix it. That doesn’t leave you stuck. It means the solution gets planned on the ground, between owners, and it tends to hold up when both sides understand it. - **On your side:** a [swale or side-yard pipe](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/side-yard-drainage/) along the fence line that intercepts the water and carries it to the front. - **At the low spot:** a [catch basin](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/) that collects water where it pools and sends it through solid pipe. - **On both sides:** a shared swale both owners keep open, which often moves the most water for the least work. Our guide to [water from a neighbor’s yard](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/neighbor-water-runoff-texas/) explains how Texas law treats runoff between lots and how to raise it with the people next door. ## Easements you have to keep clear Heath describes drainage easements as private land reserved for stormwater: swales, ditches, pipes and creeks. The owner is responsible for keeping them clear. That’s a bigger deal than it sounds. A shed, a raised bed or a fence across a back-line swale can turn a channel that used to carry two lots’ runoff into a dam. | What’s in the easement | What it means for you | | --- | --- | | A grassed swale | Keep it mowed and open, not filled or planted over | | A ditch or pipe | Keep it free of debris and growth so it flows | | A creek section | Keep the channel clear; your land, your upkeep | | Fences, sheds, beds | Check the plat before building anywhere in it | When a swale has filled in over the years, regrading it back to a steady fall is often the simplest fix. The [easement guide](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/drainage-easements-plano/) shows how to find yours. ## Re-grading with a plan on paper Heath’s residential re-grading permit asks for two sets of contours, the ground as it is and as it will be, with flow arrows that end at an approved collection point. The city wants to see where the water goes before any soil moves. We take the elevations on the first visit, so the drawing comes from measured ground rather than a guess from photos. The written estimate includes it, along with how much soil moves, where it comes from and how the new slope ties into the lawn beside it. ### Why the collection point matters A re-grade that only pushes water off your lot onto the next one fails the test before it starts. The arrows have to finish somewhere the water is allowed to go: a street, a public channel, or another point the city has approved. That’s also why [yard regrading](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/yard-grading/) and a drain are often designed together. ## Slopes toward lower ground Heath sits on the east shore of Lake Ray Hubbard, and where a lot falls toward lower ground, runoff can pick up speed. When it moves fast across a slope, it takes topsoil and seed with it and starts to cut a path. The answer is less about collecting water and more about slowing it: - **A shallow swale** across the slope catches sheet flow before it gathers speed. - **Rock at the outlet** absorbs the energy where a pipe lets go. - **A level spreader** releases a line’s water across a wide strip instead of one point. We probe the soil on the first visit, because how it drains decides how much water reaches the outlet at all. ## Talking it through with the neighbor Because a two-lot problem stays between owners in Heath, a little preparation goes a long way. You don’t need to prove anything; you need a shared picture of where the water goes. - **Film the next storm** from your side of the fence, showing where water enters. - **Walk the line together** on a dry day and look at the swale, the fence bottom and any downspouts that point your way. - **Share the plan.** Our written estimate shows the route and the grade, which gives both of you something concrete to look at. - **Agree on upkeep** for any swale that serves both lots, since an easement you share only works while it stays open. ## Around Heath FM 740, Ridge Road, runs through Heath north toward Rockwall. Each nearby city sets its own drainage rules: - **[Rockwall](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/rockwall/)** reviews plats for no lot-to-lot drainage, with sheet flow at the property line or an easement on the neighbor. - **[Rowlett](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/rowlett/)** keeps pool equipment out of drainage swales and designated drainage flows. - **[Sunnyvale](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/sunnyvale/)** inspects private drainage structures outside the building footprint by the linear foot. ## How we approach a Heath yard We start by finding where the water enters your lot and where it is allowed to leave. With two-lot problems handled privately here, that answer is the foundation of the plan. - **Entry and exit mapped** before any route is drawn. - **Fall measured** along the whole path. - **System tested** with water before backfill. - **Yard restored** with sod returned in strips and sprinkler lines repaired. - **Roof water handled** separately with [buried downspout lines](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/), so the yard drain only carries ground runoff. If you’re sorting out where to begin, our [step-by-step guide](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/how-to-fix-yard-drainage-problems/) lays out the order. To see where the water can legally end up, read [where yard drain water can go](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/where-can-yard-drain-water-go/). ## Drainage services in Heath - [Service**Yard grading** Reshaping the soil so the ground falls away from the slab and toward a swale or the street, set to measured slopes instead of guesswork.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/yard-grading/) - [Service**Side yard drainage** Restoring or replacing the shallow swale between two houses so water from the back yard reaches the street instead of pooling along the fence and the slab.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/side-yard-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**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**Yard drainage systems** One planned route that collects roof, surface and soil water from several parts of the yard and carries it in solid pipe to a legal outlet.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/) - [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/) ## How a job usually runs in Heath ### Photos from both sides Send the address and storm photos showing where the water enters your lot and where it stops. If it comes from next door, a photo of the fence line helps most. ### Site visit and contours We walk the yard, probe the soil and take spot elevations. If the fix is re-grading, the written estimate includes the contour drawing the city asks for. ### Permit and locates We arrange the re-grading permit where the job needs one. Texas811 marks the utilities and the route is painted in white. ### Build and walk-through We trench narrow, set sod aside in strips, water-test the system before backfill and restore the yard. Then we walk the route and the new grade with you. ## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes ### Landmarks - Lake Ray Hubbard ### Routes - FM 740 (Ridge Road) ## Heath: questions ### Will the City of Heath fix water running from my neighbor's yard? Heath's drainage participation process treats lot-to-lot drainage between two or fewer lots as a private matter. That means it's usually settled between you and your neighbor, often with a drain or swale on one or both sides. ### What does a Heath re-grading permit need? Heath's residential re-grading permit form asks for existing and proposed contours and flow arrows showing water going to an approved collection point. We draw that from our elevations as part of the job. ### Can I plant or fence over the drainage easement in my Heath back yard? Heath describes drainage easements as private land reserved for stormwater, which owners must keep clear. Swales, ditches, pipes and creeks in them need to keep flowing, so anything that blocks them is a problem. Check the plat before building there. ### What does it cost to stop a neighbor's runoff in Heath? We price it the same way everywhere. A side-yard swale or pipe typically runs $1,500 to $4,000 per side yard, a catch basin with a short pipe run $500 to $1,500 and yard regrading $1,000 to $4,000 per project. Any city permit fee is a separate line, and the site visit and written estimate set yours. ### Is a lot next to Lake Ray Hubbard harder to drain? Not by itself. What matters is the slope and where the water exits. On a steep lot, fast runoff can strip soil, so we slow it at the outlet with rock or a spreader and keep it from cutting a channel. ## Nearby service areas - [City of Rockwall (permits confirmed per address)**Rockwall**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/rockwall/) - [City of Rowlett Development Engineering (grading and right-of-way permits)**Rowlett**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/rowlett/) - [Town of Sunnyvale Engineering (grading, floodplain and culvert permits)**Sunnyvale**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/sunnyvale/) ## Guides for yards in Heath - [Learn**What does Texas law say about a neighbor's water runoff?** Natural runoff from a higher lot and water a neighbor has redirected are two different problems. How to tell them apart, write it down, and protect your yard without pushing water back.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/neighbor-water-runoff-texas/) - [Learn**Drainage easement rules in Plano: what can you build in one?** The strip along your side or back line may be yours on paper and reserved for water in practice. How to find it, what tends to block it, and how to plan around it.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/drainage-easements-plano/) - [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 do you fix yard drainage problems?** Start with where the water comes from, not with a drain. How Plano's clay, rain and lot rules shape each fix, and how to tell which one your yard needs.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/how-to-fix-yard-drainage-problems/) ## Get an estimate in Heath Tell us what the water is doing and where the house is in Heath.