French drain cost in Lake Havasu City, AZ
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $580 – $2,050
- Per linear ft
- $9.70 – $34
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −3%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #176
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to install a French drain in Lake Havasu City, plan on $580 to $2,050 for 60 linear ft, all in. Per linear ft, that is $9.70 to $34 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 3% lower than the national one. Building materials run about 4% below the US average here (BEA goods price index 96.2).
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Lake Havasu City, AZ, standard level
$1,000 to $1,600
About $17 to $26.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 52% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $760 |
| Labor | $530 | $830 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,000 | $1,600 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Lake Havasu City, AZ
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $620 | $970 | 48% |
| Labor | $300 | $680 | $1,050 | 52% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $580 | $1,300 | $2,050 | 100% |
Where the Lake Havasu City price comes from
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $20.77 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Lake Havasu City is 0.97 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 52% of the total.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Lake Havasu City metro is 96.2 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 60 linear ft comes to $620, compared with $650 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (94.1) and land at $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 Lake Havasu City. The wage table below marks each row.
Pick a size, pick a tier: french drain pricing in Lake Havasu City
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Lake Havasu City wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 3 common sizes.
Basic
$580 to $1,150
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,000 to $1,600
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,450 to $2,050
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $290 – $580 | $510 – $800 | $730 – $1,000 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $580 – $1,150 | $1,000 – $1,600 | $1,450 – $2,050 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,150 – $2,300 | $2,050 – $3,200 | $2,900 – $4,050 |
Climate in Lake Havasu City: timing your French drain job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Lake Havasu City (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
October through April is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Lake Havasu City (7 of 12 months). May, June, July, August and September have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Lake Havasu City gets about 4 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, February and December (0.8 inches in January). Inside the workable window, April and October are the driest, at 0.2 and 0.3 inches. The station averages about 178 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 43 | 0.8 | Workable |
| Feb | 70 | 46 | 0.6 | Workable |
| Mar | 78 | 51 | 0.5 | Workable |
| Apr | 86 | 58 | 0.2 | Workable |
| May | 95 | 67 | 0.0 | Hot |
| Jun | 105 | 76 | 0.0 | Hot |
| Jul | 109 | 83 | 0.3 | Hot |
| Aug | 108 | 82 | 0.4 | Hot |
| Sep | 102 | 75 | 0.4 | Hot |
| Oct | 89 | 62 | 0.3 | Workable |
| Nov | 75 | 50 | 0.3 | Workable |
| Dec | 64 | 42 | 0.5 | Workable |
Lake Havasu City against nearby metros and the rest of Arizona
Of the five closest metros, none is cheaper than Lake Havasu City. St. George comes closest at about $1,300.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City, AZthis page | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | |
| Las Vegas, NV80 miles | $620 – $2,150 | $1,400 | +6% |
| Prescott Valley, AZ100 miles | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +4% |
| St. George, UT110 miles | $590 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +1% |
| Flagstaff, AZ110 miles | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +4% |
| Riverside, CA155 miles | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | +22% |
| Arizona (statewide) | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +4% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +3% |
Across 300 US metros, Lake Havasu City comes in at #176 from the top. The priciest is San Francisco, CA at $1,900; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $1,100 (midpoints, 60 linear ft). Statewide, Lake Havasu City is 4% below the Arizona figure.
Other Arizona metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | 2,375,760 jobs | $610 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +5% |
| Tucson, AZ | 389,630 jobs | $580 – $2,000 | $1,300 | level |
| Prescott Valley, AZ | 72,300 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +4% |
| Yuma, AZ | 68,880 jobs | $590 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +1% |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 66,610 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +4% |
Cities with a workforce like Lake Havasu City's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Lake Havasu City against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield, MA | 56,810 jobs | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +11% |
| Cheyenne, WY | 48,470 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | level |
| Punta Gorda, FL | 57,530 jobs | $560 – $2,000 | $1,250 | −3% |
| Texarkana, TX | 57,580 jobs | $520 – $1,850 | $1,150 | −10% |
Lake Havasu City labor market for French drain
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Lake Havasu City is 0.97 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 50% of the weighting: a median of $20.77 an hour, 8% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.65 and $22.78 an hour. About 650 work in the metro. That is 115.1 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $24.78 an hour, which is 14% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.21 and $28.77 an hour. BLS counts 220 of them working in the area, 38.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Lake Havasu City metro, so we used the Arizona statewide median: $30.16 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $27.17 and $31.59 an hour.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($22.78 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $30. At the 25th percentile ($17.65) it shrinks by about $50. The total moves by 2.4% or 3.7%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 56,490 jobs in the Lake Havasu City-Kingman area. That makes it the 299th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.04% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $17.65 | $20.77 | $22.78 | $22.66 | 0.92 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $22.21 | $24.78 | $28.77 | $28.78 | 0.86 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $27.17 | $30.16 | $31.59 | $23.56 | 1.28 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.97 | |||||
Specs and site conditions that change a Lake Havasu City bid
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).
Where the water goes
A sump pump adds $500-$1,800 and a dry well $50-$3,000+. Discharging to a storm drain can mean extra permit fees.
Related projects, priced for Lake Havasu City
Because every project leans on different trades, Lake Havasu City's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, retaining wall runs −6% and gravel driveway −7%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,600 – $12,700 | −6% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,450 | −7% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,100 | −6% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,850 | −7% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,750 – $9,350 | −7% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $33,700 – $105,500 | −7% |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $1,000 to $1,600 for Lake Havasu City, AZ is attached.
Detailed french drain report for Lake Havasu City, AZ, $9
Multi-page report for Lake Havasu City, AZ: 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 Lake Havasu City: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Lake Havasu City?
For 60 linear ft, expect $580 to $2,050 in the Lake Havasu City area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,000 to $1,600. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Lake Havasu City?
About $9.70 to $34 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 Lake Havasu City or Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is 80 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,400, which is 6% more than Lake Havasu City ($1,300). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Lake Havasu City?
About 52% at the midpoint, or $680 out of $1,300. Materials are 48% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Lake Havasu City?
$580 to $2,050. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Lake Havasu City?
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 Lake Havasu City area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Lake Havasu City expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Arizona?
Lake Havasu City is 4% below the Arizona statewide estimate ($1,350 at the midpoint). We cover 6 metros in Arizona; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Lake Havasu City?
The BLS median is $20.77 an hour in the Lake Havasu City area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.65 to $22.78.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Lake Havasu City?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $580 to $1,150 and premium work $1,450 to $2,050. 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 Lake Havasu City?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are October through April. April 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 Lake Havasu City
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.