French drain cost in Seattle, WA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $750 – $2,650
- Per linear ft
- $12.50 – $44
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +26%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #9
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Seattle, WA usually costs $750 to $2,650 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $12.50 to $44 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $350 more. Construction laborers earn a median of $28.72 an hour in the Seattle area, 27% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Seattle, WA, standard level
$1,300 to $2,100
About $22 to $34.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 60% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $520 | $820 |
| Labor | $800 | $1,250 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,300 | $2,100 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Seattle, WA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $300 | $670 | $1,050 | 40% |
| Labor | $460 | $1,000 | $1,600 | 60% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $750 | $1,700 | $2,650 | 100% |
Where the Seattle price comes from
Labor is 60% 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 Seattle the blended ratio comes out at 1.46.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Seattle is at 104.0 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $670 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 111.1: $0 to $0.
Specs and site conditions that change a Seattle 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.
Is Seattle cheap or dear? The local comparison
Same job, same size (60 linear ft), priced for the nearest metros. Seattle is the priciest of the group. Yakima is the cheapest at $1,550.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WAthis page | $750 – $2,650 | $1,700 | |
| Bremerton, WA40 miles | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −6% |
| Olympia, WA60 miles | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
| Yakima, WA90 miles | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −10% |
| Bellingham, WA95 miles | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
| Portland, OR135 miles | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −7% |
| Washington (statewide) | $720 – $2,550 | $1,650 | −4% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −21% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Seattle ranks #9 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Seattle is 4% above the Washington figure.
Elsewhere in Washington
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokane, WA | 255,820 jobs | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −9% |
| Olympia, WA | 130,300 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
| Kennewick, WA | 129,490 jobs | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −6% |
| Yakima, WA | 97,010 jobs | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −10% |
| Bremerton, WA | 93,740 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | −6% |
| Bellingham, WA | 91,390 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −1% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Seattle against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 2,373,920 jobs | $840 – $2,950 | $1,900 | +12% |
| Minneapolis, MN | 1,951,650 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | −2% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 2,375,760 jobs | $610 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −20% |
| Detroit, MI | 1,904,530 jobs | $660 – $2,300 | $1,500 | −13% |
Cost by quality level and size in Seattle
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Seattle. 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 $2,100
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,900 to $2,650
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $380 – $750 | $660 – $1,050 | $940 – $1,300 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $750 – $1,500 | $1,300 – $2,100 | $1,900 – $2,650 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,500 – $3,000 | $2,650 – $4,150 | $3,750 – $5,300 |
What nearby projects cost in Seattle
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Seattle wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, inground pool comes out highest (+25%) and sod installation lowest (+14%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $9,200 – $16,300 | +25% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $3,100 – $12,600 | +24% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,700 – $3,750 | +14% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,950 – $6,100 | +18% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,950 – $12,400 | +24% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $45,300 – $141,500 | +25% |
What local crews earn in Seattle
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 Seattle the blend is 1.46.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $28.72 an hour, which is 27% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $23.67 and $37.03 an hour. BLS counts 13,040 of them working in the area, 62.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $46.04 an hour, 60% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $36.13 and $58.78 an hour. About 4,860 work in the metro. That is 23.3 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 $40.78 an hour, which is 73% above the national $23.56. The middle half of them earn between $36.50 and $46.66 an hour. BLS counts 610 of them working in the area, 2.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $130 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $80. That is a swing of roughly 4.6% to 7.6% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue has 2,086,210 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 13th 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% | $23.67 | $28.72 | $37.03 | $22.66 | 1.27 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $36.13 | $46.04 | $58.78 | $28.78 | 1.60 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $36.50 | $40.78 | $46.66 | $23.56 | 1.73 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.46 | |||||
Seattle 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, Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo (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 Seattle: 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.
Seattle gets about 38 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 4 inches of snow. The wettest months are January, November and December (5.8 inches in November). The station averages about 2 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 | 47 | 37 | 5.1 | Workable |
| Feb | 50 | 37 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Mar | 54 | 39 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Apr | 59 | 43 | 3.0 | Workable |
| May | 65 | 48 | 2.2 | Workable |
| Jun | 70 | 53 | 1.6 | Workable |
| Jul | 77 | 57 | 0.8 | Workable |
| Aug | 77 | 57 | 1.0 | Workable |
| Sep | 71 | 53 | 1.7 | Workable |
| Oct | 61 | 47 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Nov | 52 | 41 | 5.8 | Workable |
| Dec | 47 | 37 | 5.5 | Workable |
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French drain in Seattle: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Seattle?
For 60 linear ft, expect $750 to $2,650 in the Seattle area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,300 to $2,100. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Seattle?
About $12.50 to $44 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 Seattle or Bremerton?
Bremerton is 40 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,600, which is 6% less than Seattle ($1,700). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Seattle?
About 60% at the midpoint, or $1,000 out of $1,700. Materials are 40% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Seattle?
$750 to $2,650. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Seattle?
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 Seattle area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Seattle expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Washington?
Seattle is 4% above the Washington statewide estimate ($1,650 at the midpoint). We cover 7 metros in Washington; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Seattle?
The BLS median is $28.72 an hour in the Seattle area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.67 to $37.03.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Seattle?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $750 to $1,500 and premium work $1,900 to $2,650. 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 Seattle?
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 Seattle
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.