French drain cost in Auburn, AL
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $530 – $1,850
- Per linear ft
- $8.80 – $31
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −12%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #277
- 1 = most expensive
Local price for a French drain in the Auburn area: $530 to $1,850 for 60 linear ft. The low end is a basic job on easy ground; the high end is a premium spec with harder access. The midpoint runs 12% lower than the US figure. Construction laborers earn a median of $17.36 an hour in the Auburn area, 23% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Auburn, AL, standard level
$920 to $1,450
About $15.50 to $24 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 47% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $760 |
| Labor | $440 | $690 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $920 | $1,450 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Auburn, AL
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $620 | $970 | 53% |
| Labor | $250 | $560 | $870 | 47% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $530 | $1,200 | $1,850 | 100% |
Why Auburn prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $17.36 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Auburn is 0.80 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 47% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Auburn is at 96.4 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $620 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 87.9: $0 to $0.
Data note: 20% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Auburn. The wage table below marks each row.
The best months for French drain in Auburn
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Auburn No.2 (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
Weather is not a serious constraint for digging, grading and setting material in the ground in Auburn: no month in the averages is cold enough (an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F)) or hot enough (an average daytime high of 90°F or more) to rule it out, so the workable window is all year.
Auburn gets about 56 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are March, June and December (5.7 inches in March). The station averages about 49 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 35 | 5.3 | Workable |
| Feb | 61 | 39 | 5.1 | Workable |
| Mar | 68 | 45 | 5.7 | Workable |
| Apr | 75 | 51 | 4.8 | Workable |
| May | 81 | 60 | 4.0 | Workable |
| Jun | 87 | 68 | 5.7 | Workable |
| Jul | 89 | 71 | 4.8 | Workable |
| Aug | 88 | 71 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Sep | 84 | 66 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 75 | 54 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 65 | 43 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Dec | 58 | 38 | 5.6 | Workable |
French drain: what moves the price in Auburn
Depth and soil
Rocky or clay soil and long trenches raise excavation time.
Crawl space drains
A crawl space French drain is $2,000-$8,000 installed.
Exterior versus interior
A shallow exterior French drain is $10-$35 per linear foot; an interior basement drain is $40-$85 per foot, or $4,000-$17,000 installed (HomeGuide).
Who does the work: Auburn trade wages
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Auburn the blend is 0.80.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $17.36 an hour, which is 23% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $13.70 and $21.30 an hour. BLS counts 670 of them working in the area, 92.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $22.60 an hour, 21% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $18.46 and $24.74 an hour. About 360 work in the metro. That is 49.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Auburn metro, so we used the Alabama statewide median: $21.42 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $17.52 and $23.90 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $60 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $55. That is a swing of roughly 4.8% to 5.1% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Auburn-Opelika has 72,710 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 252nd by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $13.70 | $17.36 | $21.30 | $22.66 | 0.77 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $18.46 | $22.60 | $24.74 | $28.78 | 0.79 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $17.52 | $21.42 | $23.90 | $23.56 | 0.91 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.80 | |||||
Is Auburn cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, 3 are cheaper than Auburn. Albany is the lowest at about $1,150 (midpoint, 60 linear ft), 100 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn, ALthis page | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | |
| Columbus, GA40 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Montgomery, AL50 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Dothan, AL85 miles | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −3% |
| Birmingham, AL100 miles | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +4% |
| Albany, GA100 miles | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −3% |
| Alabama (statewide) | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +14% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Auburn ranks #277 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Auburn is 1% below the Alabama figure.
Elsewhere in Alabama
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | 520,290 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +4% |
| Huntsville, AL | 266,650 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Mobile, AL | 172,550 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| Montgomery, AL | 165,550 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 108,460 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Daphne, AL | 87,120 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +2% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Auburn against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington, IN | 73,240 jobs | $620 – $2,200 | $1,400 | +18% |
| Prescott Valley, AZ | 72,300 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +15% |
| Kahului, HI | 73,750 jobs | $840 – $2,950 | $1,900 | +60% |
| Coeur d'Alene, ID | 72,280 jobs | $630 – $2,200 | $1,400 | +19% |
Cost by quality level and size in Auburn
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Auburn. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from short run (30 linear ft) to long run (120 linear ft).
Basic
$530 to $1,050
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$920 to $1,450
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,300 to $1,850
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $260 – $530 | $460 – $730 | $660 – $920 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $530 – $1,050 | $920 – $1,450 | $1,300 – $1,850 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,050 – $2,100 | $1,850 – $2,900 | $2,650 – $3,700 |
Related projects, priced for Auburn
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Auburn wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sod installation comes out highest (−9%) and gravel driveway lowest (−13%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,050 – $12,000 | −12% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,150 – $8,850 | −13% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,350 – $3,000 | −9% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,150 – $4,600 | −12% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,500 – $8,700 | −13% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $31,400 – $98,100 | −13% |
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Detailed french drain report for Auburn, AL, $9
Multi-page report for Auburn, AL: low, typical and high cost, a line-item breakdown of materials and labor by trade, permit notes, the best months to schedule, a quote comparison sheet, red flags, questions for contractors, checklists and every source. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
French drain in Auburn: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Auburn?
For 60 linear ft, expect $530 to $1,850 in the Auburn area. A standard-spec job lands at $920 to $1,450. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Auburn?
About $8.80 to $31 per linear ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $10 to $35.
+Is French drain cheaper in Auburn or Columbus?
Columbus is 40 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,200, which is 0% more than Auburn ($1,200). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Auburn?
About 47% at the midpoint, or $560 out of $1,200. Materials are 53% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Auburn?
$530 to $1,850. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Auburn?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Auburn area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Auburn expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Alabama?
Auburn is 1% below the Alabama statewide estimate ($1,200 at the midpoint). We cover 9 metros in Alabama; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Auburn?
The BLS median is $17.36 an hour in the Auburn area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $13.70 to $21.30.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Auburn?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $530 to $1,050 and premium work $1,300 to $1,850. Basic means: shallow yard drain, easy digging. Premium means: deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge.
+Is there a bad season to install a French drain in Auburn?
Not from a temperature point of view. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals show no month with a freezing-level overnight low or a 90°F-plus average high, so timing is mostly about contractor availability and rain.
French drain near Auburn
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does a French Drain Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- Cost to Renovate: Renovation Labor Report 2026: Where the Money Goes (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = 48% of the installed price, from Cost to Renovate's mid-range 'Outdoor Living' category split (44% labor, 48% materials). It is a category average, not a French-drain figure, so the materials line here is a rough one.