# Drainage contractor in Lavon, TX for French drains and ditch outlets > Drainage contractor in Lavon, TX: French drains and swales that empty into roadside ditches the right way, with the city's right-of-way permit. Book a visit. URL: https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/lavon/ Drainage contractor in Lavon, TX: French drains and swales that empty into roadside ditches the right way, with the city's right-of-way permit. Book a visit. Last Updated: November 11, 2026 - **Permits:** City of Lavon (Right of Way Activity Permit) - **Storm drainage:** City of Lavon (streets, roadside ditches and driveway culverts) - **The rule that changes the job:** 18 in culverts ## What usually starts a drainage job in Lavon ### A yard that drains to a ditch, slowly The front of the lot falls to an open roadside ditch, but water sits in the lawn before it gets there. The yard needs a path to the ditch that keeps its fall. ### A culvert that backs the ditch up The pipe under the driveway is silted or crushed, so the ditch holds water and the yard behind it stays wet. Lavon sets a minimum size for driveway culverts. ### A drain line that ends in the ditch bank Pipe that pokes out of the bank can cut a notch in it and leave a muddy scar. Lavon caps open ditch side slopes at 3:1, so the bank has a shape to keep. ### Roof water across a long lawn Downspouts dump on the side of the house nearest the street, and the water carves a path across the grass on its way to the ditch. ## Front yard draining to a ditch, but not fast enough? If your Lavon home has an open ditch out front instead of a curb, the yard is meant to drain into it. When water sits in the lawn first, or the ditch stays full, the path to the road has broken somewhere. [Clay Plano Drainage Company](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/) installs French drains, downspout lines and regrading in Lavon, built to finish at the ditch without damaging it. ## The ditch belongs to the right-of-way A roadside ditch looks like part of your lawn, but it usually lies in city right-of-way. A drain outlet into it is work Lavon covers with a Right of Way Activity Permit: $100, or $50 under a superseding agreement. We arrange that permit as part of the job. Here’s how the pieces of a typical Lavon job line up: | Part of the job | Where it sits | What it needs | | --- | --- | --- | | French drain or swale in the yard | Your lot | Confirmed for the address with the city | | Outlet into the roadside ditch | City right-of-way | Right of Way Activity Permit | | Reshaping the ditch bank at the outlet | City right-of-way | Kept within the 3:1 side slope limit | | Driveway culvert | City right-of-way | At least 18-inch Class III RCP with safety ends | The permit fee shows on the written estimate as its own line, apart from our price. ## A bank that keeps its shape Lavon’s standard details limit open ditch side slopes to 3:1, three feet across for every foot down. A gentle bank like that holds grass, resists washing out and lets a mower cross it. A drain outlet can spoil that if it’s done carelessly. Pipe that sticks out of the bank sprays water at the far side and cuts a notch; a trench backfilled loose settles into a groove. - **Flush outlet.** We set the pipe end into the bank so water drops gently into the flow line. - **Rock or turf at the outlet,** depending on how much water the line carries, so the bank doesn’t scour. - **Grade restored** to the existing slope, never steeper than the 3:1 the city allows. - **Nothing left in the ditch.** Spoil goes on tarps and washed stone stays out of the flow line. ## When the culvert is the bottleneck Sometimes the yard is fine and the ditch is the problem. A driveway culvert that’s crushed, silted half full or set too high holds water upstream, and that water backs into the low side of your lot. Lavon’s standard details set a minimum of 18-inch Class III reinforced concrete pipe for driveway culverts, with safety end treatments. On the visit we look at both ends of yours. If it’s the cause, a yard drain won’t fix it, and the culvert becomes a conversation with the city before anything else is designed. ## Building the yard side Once the outlet is settled, the yard work is familiar. A [French drain](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/) picks up a wet strip; [downspout lines](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/) carry roof water past the lawn instead of across it; [regrading](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/yard-grading/) restores a slope that has settled flat. ### Soil we test before we trust We probe the soil on the first visit rather than assume it. Heavy clay that drains slowly needs a bigger stone zone around the pipe and a sure outlet; looser soil can take a simpler trench. The estimate is written to what the probe finds. ### Water with no rain A yard that’s wet on dry days may have a leak or a sprinkler zone behind it. Our guide to a [soggy yard with no rain](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/soggy-yard-no-rain/) covers what to check first. ## Rules on Lavon’s borders Lavon sits where State Highway 78 meets State Highway 205, a short drive from the south end of Lavon Lake. Its neighbors treat drainage their own way: - **[Wylie](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/wylie/)** asks for a curb cut certification when a curb section is removed for private work. - **[Parker](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/parker/)** sizes the culverts on new-home ditch lots itself and keeps materials out of its ditches. - **[Rockwall](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/rockwall/)** requires a grading plan by a Texas engineer for new homes. ## How we work a ditch-front yard We start at the ditch and work back toward the house. If the outlet can’t take water, nothing upstream matters. 1. **Outlet checked**: ditch flow line, culvert ends and the bank where the line will exit. 2. **Source found**: roof, a higher lot, soggy soil or something else. 3. **Fall measured** from the wettest spot to the ditch. 4. **System tested** with water before backfill, then the lawn and any sprinklers are put back. For the full sequence, read [what happens during a drainage installation](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/what-happens-during-drainage-installation/). If you’d like a first figure, try the [cost estimator](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/tools/drainage-cost-estimator/). ## What to send us Photos of the ditch during or right after rain are the most helpful thing a Lavon homeowner can share: is it flowing, holding or overflowing? Add a shot of each end of the driveway culvert and your address. If you’re not sure where to start, the [step-by-step guide to fixing yard drainage](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/how-to-fix-yard-drainage-problems/) walks through the order we use. ### Timing a look at the yard Spring and fall bring the heaviest rain to this part of North Texas; on the Plano record, May and October each average about 5 inches. A steady soaking in one of those months fills the soil and the ditch at once, which is when a weak spot shows. - **During the storm:** note where water leaves the downspouts and which way it crosses the lawn. - **The next morning:** check whether the ditch has drained down and whether the lawn still squelches. - **Two days later:** a patch that’s still wet is the one we want to see on the visit. ## Drainage services in Lavon - [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**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/) - [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**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**Standing water** Working out whether a puddle comes from rain, sprinklers or soil that can't drain, then matching the fix: a downspout line, a basin, a drain, a regrade or a pump.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/standing-water-in-yard/) ## How a job usually runs in Lavon ### Photos of the ditch Send the address and photos of the yard and the roadside ditch, including both ends of any driveway culvert. That tells us where the water goes once it leaves you. ### Site visit We walk the yard to the ditch, probe the soil and measure the fall from the wet area to the ditch flow line. The written estimate shows the route, the outlet and the permit line. ### Permit and locates Where the outlet reaches the ditch or other city right-of-way, we arrange Lavon's Right of Way Activity Permit. Texas811 marks the utilities, and the route goes down in white paint. ### Build and test We trench narrow, keep soil and stone out of the ditch, run water through the system before backfill and shape the outlet into the bank before the walk-through. ## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes ### Landmarks - Lavon Lake ### Routes - State Highway 78 - State Highway 205 ## Lavon: questions ### Can my Lavon French drain empty into the roadside ditch? Often that's the natural outlet, but the ditch sits in city right-of-way, so the outlet is work Lavon permits. We plan the tie-in so it keeps the ditch flowing, and we arrange the Right of Way Activity Permit with the job. ### What does Lavon charge for a right-of-way permit? Lavon's fee schedule lists the Right of Way Activity Permit at $100, or $50 under a superseding agreement. The written estimate shows it as its own line, separate from our price. ### What size does a driveway culvert have to be in Lavon? Lavon's standard details call for driveway culverts of at least 18-inch Class III reinforced concrete pipe with safety end treatments. If an older, smaller culvert is backing up your ditch, that's a question we take to the city before we design around it. ### How much does a drain to the ditch cost in Lavon? Our rates don't change by town. A French drain typically runs $25 to $60 per foot, a buried downspout line $300 to $800 per downspout and yard regrading $1,000 to $4,000 per project. Lavon's permit fee is added as its own line, and the site visit and written estimate set yours. ### Why is my Lavon yard wet when the ditch is dry? Then the water probably isn't backing up from the road. It may be soil that drains slowly, a low spot with no path out, or a leak or sprinkler zone feeding it. We look for the source on the visit before we suggest any drain. ## Nearby service areas - [City of Wylie Engineering (right-of-way construction permits)**Wylie**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/wylie/) - [City of Parker (subdivision drainage rules, new-home and site grading review)**Parker**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/parker/) - [City of Rockwall (permits confirmed per address)**Rockwall**](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/service-areas/rockwall/) ## Guides for yards in Lavon - [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/) - [Learn**Why is my yard wet when it hasn't rained?** A soggy patch in a dry week has a water source you can often find in an afternoon. The order to check things in, the meter test for hidden leaks, and when it really is a drainage problem.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/soggy-yard-no-rain/) - [Learn**What happens during a drainage installation?** From the first look at the yard to the last walk along the route. What we do at each stage, what we ask of you, and what the lawn looks like when we leave.](https://clayplanodrainagecompany.com/guide/what-happens-during-drainage-installation/) ## Get an estimate in Lavon Tell us what the water is doing and where the house is in Lavon.