French drain cost in Santa Maria, CA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $710 – $2,500
- Per linear ft
- $12 – $41.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +19%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #22
- 1 = most expensive
Local price for a French drain in the Santa Maria area: $710 to $2,500 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 19% higher than the US figure. Construction laborers earn a median of $26.99 an hour in the Santa Maria area, 19% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Santa Maria, CA, standard level
$1,250 to $1,950
About $21 to $32.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 58% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $530 | $830 |
| Labor | $720 | $1,150 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,250 | $1,950 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Santa Maria, CA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $300 | $680 | $1,050 | 42% |
| Labor | $410 | $920 | $1,450 | 58% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $710 | $1,600 | $2,500 | 100% |
Where the Santa Maria 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 $26.99 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Santa Maria is 1.31 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 58% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Santa Maria is at 105.2 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $680 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 108.8: $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 Santa Maria. The wage table below marks each row.
The best months for French drain in Santa Maria
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Santa Maria Public Ap (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 Santa Maria: 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.
Santa Maria gets about 13 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, February and March (2.9 inches in February). The station averages about 6 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 | 65 | 41 | 2.7 | Workable |
| Feb | 65 | 43 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Mar | 66 | 44 | 2.6 | Workable |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 0.9 | Workable |
| May | 69 | 49 | 0.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 71 | 52 | 0.1 | Workable |
| Jul | 73 | 55 | 0.0 | Workable |
| Aug | 74 | 55 | 0.0 | Workable |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 0.1 | Workable |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 0.5 | Workable |
| Nov | 70 | 44 | 1.1 | Workable |
| Dec | 64 | 40 | 2.0 | Workable |
How Santa Maria compares
Of the five closest metros, 3 are cheaper than Santa Maria. Visalia is the lowest at about $1,450 (midpoint, 60 linear ft), 135 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria, CAthis page | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | |
| Oxnard, CA55 miles | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −1% |
| San Luis Obispo, CA65 miles | $720 – $2,550 | $1,650 | +1% |
| Bakersfield, CA95 miles | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −1% |
| Los Angeles, CA110 miles | $750 – $2,600 | $1,700 | +5% |
| Visalia, CA135 miles | $650 – $2,300 | $1,450 | −9% |
| California (statewide) | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | +4% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −16% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Santa Maria ranks #22 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Santa Maria is 3% below the California figure.
Elsewhere in California
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 6,271,560 jobs | $750 – $2,600 | $1,700 | +5% |
| San Francisco, CA | 2,373,920 jobs | $840 – $2,950 | $1,900 | +18% |
| Riverside, CA | 1,716,760 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −1% |
| San Diego, CA | 1,538,060 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | level |
| San Jose, CA | 1,134,970 jobs | $820 – $2,850 | $1,850 | +15% |
| Sacramento, CA | 1,080,590 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | +4% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Santa Maria against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield, MA | 201,240 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | −6% |
| Manchester, NH | 199,560 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | −19% |
| Santa Rosa, CA | 205,260 jobs | $760 – $2,650 | $1,700 | +7% |
| Savannah, GA | 198,360 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | −25% |
Specs and site conditions that change a Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Santa Maria wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, gravel driveway comes out highest (+16%) and concrete slab lowest (+9%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $7,800 – $14,600 | +9% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,900 – $11,900 | +16% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,650 – $3,650 | +11% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,700 – $5,650 | +9% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,350 – $10,900 | +9% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $40,500 – $126,500 | +12% |
Santa Maria: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Santa Maria. 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
$710 to $1,450
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,250 to $1,950
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,800 to $2,500
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $360 – $710 | $620 – $980 | $890 – $1,250 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $710 – $1,450 | $1,250 – $1,950 | $1,800 – $2,500 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,450 – $2,850 | $2,500 – $3,900 | $3,550 – $5,000 |
Who does the work: Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria the blend is 1.31.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $26.99 an hour, which is 19% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.80 and $32.79 an hour. BLS counts 1,150 of them working in the area, 57.3 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 $39.18 an hour, 36% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $31.38 and $54.35 an hour. About 400 work in the metro. That is 19.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Santa Maria metro, so we used the California statewide median: $36.63 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $29.74 and $45.46 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $90 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $65. That is a swing of roughly 4.0% to 5.6% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara has 200,760 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 114th 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% | $22.80 | $26.99 | $32.79 | $22.66 | 1.19 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $31.38 | $39.18 | $54.35 | $28.78 | 1.36 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $29.74 | $36.63 | $45.46 | $23.56 | 1.55 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.31 | |||||
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Detailed french drain report for Santa Maria, CA, $9
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French drain in Santa Maria: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Santa Maria?
For 60 linear ft, expect $710 to $2,500 in the Santa Maria area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,250 to $1,950. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Santa Maria?
About $12 to $41.50 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 Santa Maria or Oxnard?
Oxnard is 55 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,600, which is 1% less than Santa Maria ($1,600). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Santa Maria?
About 58% at the midpoint, or $920 out of $1,600. Materials are 42% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Santa Maria?
$710 to $2,500. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Santa Maria?
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 Santa Maria area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Santa Maria expensive for French drain compared with the rest of California?
Santa Maria is 3% below 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 Santa Maria?
The BLS median is $26.99 an hour in the Santa Maria area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $22.80 to $32.79.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Santa Maria?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $710 to $1,450 and premium work $1,800 to $2,500. 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 Santa Maria?
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 Santa Maria
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.