Yard grading and swales in Mobile, Alabama
Surface water follows the shape of the ground. Here's how regrading and swales fix yards that send water to the house.
Soil settles against a foundation, flower beds get built up a few inches at a time, a new patio goes in a little high, or a fence blocks the shallow channel between two houses. Any of these can turn a yard that used to drain into one that sends water toward the house. Regrading restores slope away from the foundation, and a swale gives water a shallow, grassed path to the street, a ditch or a low corner that can take it.
Signs grading is the problem
- Soil or mulch up against the siding or above the slab edge
- Water entering your yard from a neighbor's lot or the street
- Puddles that always form along the same wall
- A side-yard swale cut off by a fence, shed or garden bed
How does a regrading job go?
- Find the flow. The contractor shoots grades or watches a storm to see where water comes from and where it can leave the lot.
- Check permits and 811. Grading disturbs the shallow layer where utility lines run, and some jobs need city or county review.
- Shape and compact. Soil is moved to slope away from the house and compacted so it doesn't settle back.
- Cover it. Sod or seed and straw hold the new grade in place before the next heavy rain washes it out.
What about permits and flood zones?
In the City of Mobile, the Engineering Department's land disturbance guide offers a simpler path for single-family and duplex lots when less than 4,000 square feet is disturbed and natural drainage patterns don't change. Larger work moves into permit tiers, with Tier 2 starting at an acre of disturbance. If your lot is in a mapped flood zone, filling and grading falls under the city's flood zone development permit, and fill in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a "No-Rise" certification from an Alabama professional engineer unless the project qualifies for the simpler path. Raising one yard can push water onto the next, which is why these rules exist. Outside city limits, check with your town or Mobile County first.
The contractor sets the price after walking the lot, checking how much fall there is to an outlet and seeing what's buried in the way. We don't quote prices, and a number given over the phone before anyone has seen the yard is a guess at best.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can I just truck in fill to raise a low yard?
Check first. In the City of Mobile, fill in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a No-Rise certification unless the project qualifies for the simpler single-family path, and fill can change where water goes.
What is a drainage swale?
A shallow, usually grassed channel that carries surface water across a yard toward a street, ditch or other outlet.
Related services
More background: Mobile County drainage guide.
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.