French drain cost in Dalton, GA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $520 – $1,800
- Per linear ft
- $8.60 – $30
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −14%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #291
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Dalton, GA usually costs $520 to $1,800 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $8.60 to $30 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $190 less. Construction laborers earn a median of $16.98 an hour in the Dalton area, 25% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Dalton, GA, standard level
$900 to $1,400
About $15 to $23.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 46% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $760 |
| Labor | $420 | $660 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $900 | $1,400 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Dalton, GA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $620 | $970 | 54% |
| Labor | $240 | $540 | $840 | 46% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $520 | $1,150 | $1,800 | 100% |
Where the Dalton price comes from
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, Dalton wages are 0.77 times the national level. Labor makes up about 46% of the midpoint estimate (52% at national prices).
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Dalton is at 96.3 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 89.8: $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 Dalton. The wage table below marks each row.
Is Dalton cheap or dear? The local comparison
Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 60 linear ft range from $1,150 to $1,250 across Dalton and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton, GAthis page | $520 – $1,800 | $1,150 | |
| Chattanooga, TN35 miles | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +7% |
| Gainesville, GA70 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +3% |
| Atlanta, GA80 miles | $570 – $2,000 | $1,250 | +10% |
| Knoxville, TN95 miles | $560 – $2,000 | $1,250 | +9% |
| Huntsville, AL105 miles | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +4% |
| Georgia (statewide) | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | +6% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +16% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Dalton ranks #291 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Dalton is 6% below the Georgia figure.
Elsewhere in Georgia
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | 2,889,670 jobs | $570 – $2,000 | $1,250 | +10% |
| Augusta, GA | 231,930 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +4% |
| Savannah, GA | 198,360 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +4% |
| Columbus, GA | 116,380 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Gainesville, GA | 103,870 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +3% |
| Athens, GA | 95,800 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +2% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Dalton against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro, CA | 65,430 jobs | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +33% |
| Terre Haute, IN | 65,120 jobs | $610 – $2,150 | $1,400 | +18% |
| Harrisonburg, VA | 65,460 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +9% |
| Muskegon, MI | 62,340 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +16% |
Planning more than one job in Dalton?
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Dalton wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sod installation comes out highest (−7%) and gravel driveway lowest (−16%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $5,950 – $11,900 | −13% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,100 – $8,550 | −16% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,050 | −7% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,100 – $4,600 | −12% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,350 – $8,450 | −16% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $30,600 – $95,700 | −15% |
Pick a size, pick a tier: french drain pricing in Dalton
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Dalton. 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
$520 to $1,050
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$900 to $1,400
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,300 to $1,800
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $260 – $520 | $450 – $710 | $650 – $900 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $520 – $1,050 | $900 – $1,400 | $1,300 – $1,800 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,050 – $2,050 | $1,800 – $2,850 | $2,600 – $3,600 |
What local crews earn in Dalton
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 Dalton the blend is 0.77.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $16.98 an hour, which is 25% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $12.27 and $20.63 an hour. BLS counts 240 of them working in the area, 36.8 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 $19.65 an hour, 32% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $18.28 and $23.07 an hour. About 200 work in the metro. That is 30.6 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 Dalton metro, so we used the Georgia statewide median: $22.22 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $18.78 and $24.25 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $55 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $75. That is a swing of roughly 6.3% to 4.9% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Dalton has 65,300 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 276th 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% | $12.27 | $16.98 | $20.63 | $22.66 | 0.75 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $18.28 | $19.65 | $23.07 | $28.78 | 0.68 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $18.78 | $22.22 | $24.25 | $23.56 | 0.94 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.77 | |||||
Specs and site conditions that change a Dalton bid
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.
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.
Dalton weather and the french drain calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Chattanooga Lovell Ap (20 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 Dalton are February through June and September through December: 9 of 12. Outside them, January has an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F), and July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
In January the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 56 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Dalton gets about 55 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 4 inches of snow. The wettest months are March, July and December (5.3 inches in March). Inside the workable window, May and October are the driest, at 3.9 and 3.6 inches. The station averages about 58 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 | 51 | 32 | 5.0 | Cold |
| Feb | 56 | 36 | 5.0 | Workable |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.3 | Workable |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 4.9 | Workable |
| May | 81 | 59 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 5.1 | Hot |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.7 | Hot |
| Sep | 84 | 64 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Nov | 62 | 40 | 4.8 | Workable |
| Dec | 53 | 35 | 5.3 | Workable |
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Detailed french drain report for Dalton, GA, $9
Multi-page report for Dalton, GA: 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 Dalton: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Dalton?
For 60 linear ft, expect $520 to $1,800 in the Dalton area. A standard-spec job lands at $900 to $1,400. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Dalton?
About $8.60 to $30 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 Dalton or Chattanooga?
Chattanooga is 35 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,250, which is 7% more than Dalton ($1,150). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Dalton?
About 46% at the midpoint, or $540 out of $1,150. Materials are 54% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Dalton?
$520 to $1,800. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Dalton?
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 Dalton area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Dalton expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Georgia?
Dalton is 6% below the Georgia statewide estimate ($1,250 at the midpoint). We cover 10 metros in Georgia; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Dalton?
The BLS median is $16.98 an hour in the Dalton area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $12.27 to $20.63.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Dalton?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $520 to $1,050 and premium work $1,300 to $1,800. 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 Dalton?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are February through June and September through December. May 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 Dalton
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.