French drain cost in Montgomery, 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
- $8.75 – $30.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −12%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #281
- 1 = most expensive
Local price for a French drain in the Montgomery 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 $17.61 an hour in the Montgomery area, 22% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Montgomery, 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 | $430 | $680 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $920 | $1,450 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Montgomery, 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% |
What is behind the Montgomery number
We price the labor side from BLS wage data for 3 trades: construction laborers at 50%, operating engineers and other construction equipment operators at 30%, pipelayers at 20%. Weighted together, Montgomery wages are 0.80 times the national level. Labor makes up about 47% of the midpoint estimate (52% at national prices).
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Montgomery 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 89.7: $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 Montgomery. The wage table below marks each row.
Related projects, priced for Montgomery
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Montgomery wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sod installation comes out highest (−8%) and gravel driveway lowest (−14%); 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 – $8,800 | −14% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,050 | −8% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,150 – $4,600 | −12% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,550 – $8,900 | −11% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $31,400 – $98,300 | −13% |
Pick a size, pick a tier: french drain pricing in Montgomery
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Montgomery. 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 – $720 | $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 |
Why two Montgomery quotes can differ
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).
Is Montgomery cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, 1 is cheaper than Montgomery. Dothan is the lowest at about $1,150 (midpoint, 60 linear ft), 95 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery, ALthis page | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | |
| Auburn, AL50 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Birmingham, AL80 miles | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +5% |
| Columbus, GA90 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Dothan, AL95 miles | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −2% |
| Tuscaloosa, AL95 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| Alabama (statewide) | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +14% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Montgomery ranks #281 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Montgomery 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 | +5% |
| Huntsville, AL | 266,650 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +3% |
| Mobile, AL | 172,550 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 108,460 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| Daphne, AL | 87,120 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Auburn, AL | 72,710 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Montgomery against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria, IL | 166,020 jobs | $680 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +29% |
| Spartanburg, SC | 165,150 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +5% |
| Lubbock, TX | 166,780 jobs | $520 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Beaumont, TX | 163,220 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +7% |
The best months for French drain in Montgomery
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Montgomery Ap (10 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For digging, grading and setting material in the ground, the comfortable months in Montgomery are September through May: 9 of 12. Outside them, June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Montgomery gets about 51 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are March, July and December (5.2 inches in March). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 3.7 and 2.9 inches. The station averages about 93 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 | 60 | 37 | 4.6 | Workable |
| Feb | 65 | 40 | 4.9 | Workable |
| Mar | 72 | 47 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Apr | 79 | 53 | 4.0 | Workable |
| May | 86 | 61 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jun | 92 | 69 | 4.1 | Hot |
| Jul | 94 | 72 | 5.1 | Hot |
| Aug | 94 | 71 | 4.0 | Hot |
| Sep | 89 | 66 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Oct | 80 | 55 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Nov | 70 | 43 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Dec | 62 | 39 | 5.0 | Workable |
Who does the work: Montgomery 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 Montgomery the blend is 0.80.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $17.61 an hour, which is 22% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $14.10 and $21.41 an hour. BLS counts 1,040 of them working in the area, 62.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $21.57 an hour, 25% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $17.49 and $23.74 an hour. About 580 work in the metro. That is 35.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Montgomery 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 4.6% to 5.0% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Montgomery has 165,550 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 142nd 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% | $14.10 | $17.61 | $21.41 | $22.66 | 0.78 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $17.49 | $21.57 | $23.74 | $28.78 | 0.75 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $17.52 | $21.42 | $23.90 | $23.56 | 0.91 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.80 | |||||
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French drain in Montgomery: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Montgomery?
For 60 linear ft, expect $530 to $1,850 in the Montgomery 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 Montgomery?
About $8.75 to $30.50 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 Montgomery or Auburn?
Auburn is 50 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,200, which is 0% more than Montgomery ($1,200). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Montgomery?
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 Montgomery?
$530 to $1,850. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Montgomery?
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 Montgomery area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Montgomery expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Alabama?
Montgomery 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 Montgomery?
The BLS median is $17.61 an hour in the Montgomery area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $14.10 to $21.41.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Montgomery?
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.
+When is the best time to install a French drain in Montgomery?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are September through May. September and October are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
French drain near Montgomery
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.