French drain cost in Los Angeles, CA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $750 – $2,600
- Per linear ft
- $12.50 – $43.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +25%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #10
- 1 = most expensive
Local price for a French drain in the Los Angeles area: $750 to $2,600 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 25% higher than the US figure. Construction laborers earn a median of $28.28 an hour in the Los Angeles area, 25% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Los Angeles, CA, standard level
$1,300 to $2,050
About $22 to $34.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 59% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $540 | $840 |
| Labor | $770 | $1,200 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,300 | $2,050 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Los Angeles, CA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $310 | $690 | $1,050 | 41% |
| Labor | $440 | $990 | $1,550 | 59% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $750 | $1,700 | $2,600 | 100% |
What is behind the Los Angeles number
Labor is 59% of the midpoint bill here, against 52% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is construction laborers (50%), operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (30%), pipelayers (20%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Los Angeles the blended ratio comes out at 1.42.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Los Angeles is at 106.6 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $690 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 113.6: $0 to $0.
Cost by quality level and size in Los Angeles
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Los Angeles. 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
$750 to $1,500
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,300 to $2,050
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,850 to $2,600
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $370 – $750 | $660 – $1,050 | $940 – $1,300 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $750 – $1,500 | $1,300 – $2,050 | $1,850 – $2,600 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,500 – $3,000 | $2,600 – $4,100 | $3,750 – $5,250 |
The best months for French drain in Los Angeles
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Culver City (in the city). 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 Los Angeles: 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.
Los Angeles gets about 14 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, February and December (3.5 inches in February). The station averages about 7 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 | 67 | 48 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Feb | 67 | 49 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Mar | 68 | 51 | 2.2 | Workable |
| Apr | 71 | 53 | 0.6 | Workable |
| May | 72 | 57 | 0.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 75 | 60 | 0.1 | Workable |
| Jul | 78 | 63 | 0.0 | Workable |
| Aug | 79 | 64 | 0.0 | Workable |
| Sep | 78 | 62 | 0.1 | Workable |
| Oct | 76 | 58 | 0.6 | Workable |
| Nov | 71 | 52 | 0.9 | Workable |
| Dec | 66 | 47 | 2.5 | Workable |
What nearby projects cost in Los Angeles
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Los Angeles wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, gravel driveway comes out highest (+23%) and sod installation lowest (+12%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $8,050 – $15,000 | +13% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $3,100 – $12,600 | +23% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,650 – $3,700 | +12% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,800 – $5,850 | +13% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,650 – $11,600 | +16% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $42,500 – $133,000 | +18% |
Why two Los Angeles quotes can differ
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.
Is Los Angeles cheap or dear? The local comparison
Same job, same size (60 linear ft), priced for the nearest metros. Los Angeles is the priciest of the group. Oxnard is the cheapest at $1,600.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CAthis page | $750 – $2,600 | $1,700 | |
| Oxnard, CA55 miles | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −6% |
| Bakersfield, CA90 miles | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −6% |
| Santa Maria, CA110 miles | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −5% |
| San Diego, CA110 miles | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −5% |
| Riverside, CA120 miles | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −5% |
| California (statewide) | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −20% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Los Angeles ranks #10 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Los Angeles is 1% above the California figure.
Elsewhere in California
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 2,373,920 jobs | $840 – $2,950 | $1,900 | +13% |
| Riverside, CA | 1,716,760 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −5% |
| San Diego, CA | 1,538,060 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −5% |
| San Jose, CA | 1,134,970 jobs | $820 – $2,850 | $1,850 | +10% |
| Sacramento, CA | 1,080,590 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
| Fresno, CA | 476,890 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −6% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Los Angeles against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 9,492,000 jobs | $770 – $2,700 | $1,750 | +3% |
| Chicago, IL | 4,513,280 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
| Dallas, TX | 4,049,800 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | −22% |
| Houston, TX | 3,289,720 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −25% |
Who does the work: Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles the blend is 1.42.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $28.28 an hour, which is 25% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.75 and $37.31 an hour. BLS counts 21,730 of them working in the area, 34.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $44.66 an hour, 55% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $31.40 and $60.51 an hour. About 8,780 work in the metro. That is 14.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
For pipelayers (47-2151, weighted 20%) the local median is $38.59 an hour, which is 64% above the national $23.56. The middle half of them earn between $29.75 and $49.25 an hour. BLS counts 500 of them working in the area, 0.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.1), so the local bench is thinner than average.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $140 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $85. That is a swing of roughly 5.1% to 8.3% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim has 6,271,560 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 2nd 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% | $22.75 | $28.28 | $37.31 | $22.66 | 1.25 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $31.40 | $44.66 | $60.51 | $28.78 | 1.55 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $29.75 | $38.59 | $49.25 | $23.56 | 1.64 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.42 | |||||
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French drain in Los Angeles: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Los Angeles?
For 60 linear ft, expect $750 to $2,600 in the Los Angeles area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,300 to $2,050. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Los Angeles?
About $12.50 to $43.50 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 Los Angeles or Oxnard?
Oxnard is 55 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,600, which is 6% less than Los Angeles ($1,700). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Los Angeles?
About 59% at the midpoint, or $990 out of $1,700. Materials are 41% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Los Angeles?
$750 to $2,600. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Los Angeles?
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 Los Angeles area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Los Angeles expensive for French drain compared with the rest of California?
Los Angeles is 1% above the California statewide estimate ($1,650 at the midpoint). We cover 23 metros in California; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Los Angeles?
The BLS median is $28.28 an hour in the Los Angeles area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $22.75 to $37.31.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Los Angeles?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $750 to $1,500 and premium work $1,850 to $2,600. 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 Los Angeles?
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 Los Angeles
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.