French drain cost in Toledo, OH
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $640 – $2,250
- Per linear ft
- $10.50 – $37
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +6%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #101
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Toledo, OH usually costs $640 to $2,250 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $10.50 to $37 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $80 more. Construction laborers earn a median of $24.38 an hour in the Toledo area, 8% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Toledo, OH, standard level
$1,100 to $1,750
About $18.50 to $29 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 58% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $640 | $1,000 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,100 | $1,750 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Toledo, OH
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $940 | 42% |
| Labor | $370 | $820 | $1,300 | 58% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $640 | $1,450 | $2,250 | 100% |
Why Toledo prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $24.38 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Toledo is 1.17 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 58% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Toledo is at 93.6 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $610 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 91.5: $0 to $0.
Toledo: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Toledo. 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
$640 to $1,250
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,100 to $1,750
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,600 to $2,250
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $320 – $640 | $560 – $870 | $800 – $1,100 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $640 – $1,250 | $1,100 – $1,750 | $1,600 – $2,250 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,250 – $2,550 | $2,250 – $3,500 | $3,200 – $4,450 |
Specs and site conditions that change a Toledo bid
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).
Planning more than one job in Toledo?
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Toledo wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, retaining wall comes out highest (+4%) and sod installation lowest (−5%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $7,500 – $13,700 | +4% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,500 – $10,200 | +1% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,150 | −5% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,450 – $5,150 | −1% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,000 – $10,000 | level |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $37,000 – $115,500 | +2% |
Toledo against nearby metros and the rest of Ohio
Same job, same size (60 linear ft), priced for the nearest metros. Detroit is the priciest of the group at $1,500. Ann Arbor is the cheapest at $1,400.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo, OHthis page | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | |
| Ann Arbor, MI50 miles | $610 – $2,150 | $1,400 | −3% |
| Detroit, MI85 miles | $660 – $2,300 | $1,500 | +4% |
| Fort Wayne, IN85 miles | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +1% |
| Lansing, MI95 miles | $630 – $2,200 | $1,450 | level |
| Flint, MI100 miles | $660 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +3% |
| Ohio (statewide) | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +2% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −6% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Toledo ranks #101 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Toledo is 2% below the Ohio figure.
Elsewhere in Ohio
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | 1,105,580 jobs | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +8% |
| Cincinnati, OH | 1,101,030 jobs | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +2% |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,031,130 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +6% |
| Dayton, OH | 372,660 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | level |
| Akron, OH | 319,560 jobs | $660 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +3% |
| Canton, OH | 163,080 jobs | $630 – $2,200 | $1,400 | −1% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Toledo against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen, TX | 296,700 jobs | $490 – $1,750 | $1,100 | −23% |
| Stockton, CA | 289,660 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | +12% |
| Syracuse, NY | 300,130 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +1% |
| Portland, ME | 288,480 jobs | $610 – $2,150 | $1,400 | −4% |
Toledo 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, Toledo Metcalf Fld (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 Toledo are April through November: 8 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January, February, March and December the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 118 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Toledo gets about 32 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are April, May and August (3.5 inches in May). Inside the workable window, October and November are the driest, at 2.4 and 2.3 inches. The station averages about 18 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 | 34 | 20 | 1.8 | Cold |
| Feb | 36 | 22 | 1.8 | Cold |
| Mar | 47 | 29 | 2.3 | Cold |
| Apr | 60 | 40 | 3.3 | Workable |
| May | 71 | 51 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Aug | 82 | 63 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.1 | Workable |
| Oct | 64 | 45 | 2.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 50 | 34 | 2.3 | Workable |
| Dec | 38 | 26 | 2.1 | Cold |
What local crews earn in Toledo
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 Toledo the blend is 1.17.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $24.38 an hour, which is 8% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.59 and $33.94 an hour. BLS counts 1,520 of them working in the area, 52.1 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 $30.95 an hour, 8% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $26.86 and $44.97 an hour. About 780 work in the metro. That is 26.8 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For pipelayers (47-2151, weighted 20%) the local median is $36.96 an hour, which is 57% above the national $23.56. The middle half of them earn between $29.45 and $40.07 an hour. BLS counts 30 of them working in the area, 1.0 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 $150 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $45. That is a swing of roughly 3.0% to 10.3% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Toledo has 291,530 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 87th 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% | $21.59 | $24.38 | $33.94 | $22.66 | 1.08 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $26.86 | $30.95 | $44.97 | $28.78 | 1.08 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $29.45 | $36.96 | $40.07 | $23.56 | 1.57 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.17 | |||||
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French drain in Toledo: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Toledo?
For 60 linear ft, expect $640 to $2,250 in the Toledo area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,100 to $1,750. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Toledo?
About $10.50 to $37 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 Toledo or Ann Arbor?
Ann Arbor is 50 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,400, which is 3% less than Toledo ($1,450). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Toledo?
About 58% at the midpoint, or $820 out of $1,450. Materials are 42% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Toledo?
$640 to $2,250. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Toledo?
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 Toledo area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Toledo expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Ohio?
Toledo is 2% below the Ohio statewide estimate ($1,450 at the midpoint). We cover 8 metros in Ohio; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Toledo?
The BLS median is $24.38 an hour in the Toledo area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $21.59 to $33.94.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Toledo?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $640 to $1,250 and premium work $1,600 to $2,250. 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 Toledo?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through November. October and November 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 Toledo
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.