Yard drainage in Tillmans Corner, Alabama
Drainage help for Alabama's largest census-designated place, just southwest of the Mobile city line along I-10.
Tillmans Corner is an unincorporated community in southern Mobile County with 17,731 residents at the 2020 census, which makes it the largest census-designated place in Alabama. It borders the City of Mobile to the northeast and Theodore to the southeast, with Interstate 10 along its edge and Exit 13 at Theodore Dawes Road. Its elevation is about 161 feet.
No city hall, so who handles drainage?
Because Tillmans Corner isn't incorporated, there's no city stormwater crew. Public drainage questions go to Mobile County. The county runs a stormwater program under its MS4 permit and takes reports of stormwater runoff problems through its Stormwater Management office. Drainage on your own lot is the owner's job.
What causes trouble here?
Tillmans Corner has older homes on larger lots alongside denser neighborhoods. Older lots can have have shallow roadside ditches that fill with sediment, and yards that slowly lost their slope. Neighborhoods with smaller lots tend to have side-yard drainage blocked by fences, sheds and patios, so water from several yards meets in one place.
Ditches out front
If your downspout line or French drain will empty into a roadside ditch, make sure the ditch itself flows. A drain that ties into a silted-in ditch just moves the puddle to the front yard. Photos of the ditch during a storm help both a contractor and the county.
Common jobs
- French drains in back yards where several lots drain together
- Downspout lines to the roadside ditch
- Regrading around slabs that have settled
- Catch basins at low spots and patios
Common questions
Is Tillmans Corner part of the City of Mobile?
No. It's an unincorporated community, so public drainage and permit questions go to Mobile County, not the city.
Who do I tell about a stormwater problem in Tillmans Corner?
Mobile County's Stormwater Management office takes reports of stormwater runoff problems in the county.
Services in Tillmans Corner
- French drainsStone-and-pipe trenches that pull water out of soggy ground and carry it to a real outlet.
- Downspout drain linesBuried solid pipe that moves roof water away from the slab, crawl space and driveway.
- Yard grading and swalesReshape the yard so surface water flows away from the house instead of toward it.
- Catch basins and channel drainsGrated drains that catch runoff at low spots, patios, pool decks and driveways.
- Crawl space drains and sump pumpsGet standing water out from under raised and crawl space homes, and stop what feeds it.
Nearby areas
Back yard still a pond after the last Gulf storm?
Call the number above and get connected with an independent drainage contractor who works in Mobile County.