GUIDE · YARD DRAINAGE
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Use a storm drain when water runs or pools on the surface during rain; catch basins and solid pipe carry it away fast. Use a French drain when ground stays soggy for days or water seeps from a slope; a gravel trench with perforated pipe collects it underground. Many Georgia lake lots need both.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Who does the work
One crew, raw ground to a working system
Key facts
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| French drain (national) | Average $9,250; normal range $500 to $18,000; $10 to $100 per linear foot | HomeAdvisor: French Drain Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026 |
| Yard drainage system (national) | Average $4,633; normal range $2,147 to $7,173 | HomeAdvisor: Yard Drainage System Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026 |
| Catch basins | Concrete $2,000 to $5,000 each; plastic $200 to $500 | Same source as above |
| Lake Oconee drain pipes | May not cross Georgia Power property; they must end at the project boundary and change to swales, French drains or dry creek beds | Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF) |
| Septic fields and runoff | Absorption fields must be protected from stormwater and gutter discharge | GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section F: Dispersal Systems, 2026 |
| Drain field to a drainage ditch | At least 15 feet | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII) |
| Septic tank to a drainage ditch | At least 15 feet | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.05, Septic Tanks (LII) |
| State highway driveway pipes | Designed for the 25-year storm, under a GDOT permit | GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 2: Permit Procedures |
Plain definitions
Start here
Surface runoff. Grade it, then catch it with a swale, a catch basin and solid pipe to a safe outlet.
Storm drain installationUsually a surface low point with nowhere to go. A catch basin or regrading fixes it; a French drain only helps if the soil around it drains.
Groundwater or slow clay. A French drain intercepts it below the surface.
French drain installationWater moving through the soil above clay or rock. A French drain cut across the slope, uphill of the wet area, catches it.
Downspouts first: pipe them away in solid line. Then a foundation drain if the soil stays wet.
Runoff must be kept off the field, but a wet field can also be a failing one. Check the drain field warning signs.
Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: Soil stays saturated, a hillside seeps, or water moves underground toward a house or wall.
OPTION 02
When it fits: Fast surface runoff from roofs, drives and slopes that has to go somewhere now.
OPTION 03
When it fits: Gentle slopes where water can be steered and slowed instead of piped.
How the job runs
Note where water enters the lot, where it pools and how long the ground stays wet. Downspout locations and the driveway are often the source.
HomeAdvisor: Yard Drainage System Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Water needs somewhere downhill to go. On Lake Oconee, a pipe stops at the Georgia Power project boundary and hands off to a swale, French drain or dry creek bed.
Route drains so they do not discharge onto the field, and hold ditches 15 feet from the field and the tank.
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
Drain trenches cross the yard where lines run. File a locate request at least three business days before digging.
Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025)
The trench or pipe runs downhill the whole way to the outlet; a belly holds water and silt.
French drains get filter fabric, clean washed stone and perforated pipe; storm lines get solid pipe, basins and cleanouts.
Stone at the discharge point keeps the outlet from cutting a gully, then the trench line is seeded or mulched.
GA EPD: Field Guide for Determining the Presence of State Waters That Require a Buffer (2017)
What it costs
French drain (normal range)
$500–$18,000
per job
Average $9,250.
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: French Drain Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
French drain by length
$10–$100
per linear foot
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: French Drain Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Yard drainage system
$2,147–$7,173
per job
Average $4,633.
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Yard Drainage System Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Concrete catch basin
$2,000–$5,000
each
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Yard Drainage System Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Plastic catch basin
$200–$500
each
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Yard Drainage System Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Typical third-party market ranges, not our prices. A Class Septic Services estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620The whole story
On the lake, gravity always points at the water, which is exactly where Georgia Power does not want your pipe. Its Lake Oconee guidelines say drainage pipes, whatever their origin, may not run across its property; they end at the project boundary and turn into a swale, French drain or dry creek bed that spreads the water before it reaches the shore. A storm line that simply dumps into the lake at the seawall is not an option there.
Septic fields sit in the middle of this. Georgia's manual requires absorption fields to be protected from excessive surface water, including stormwater and gutter discharge, and county boards can require bigger septic lots where subsurface drainage is needed. A French drain uphill of a field is often part of the plan on a sloping lake lot, and it has to be drawn with the septic layout, not added later.
Off the lake, town rules show up. Milledgeville charges developed properties a stormwater fee based on impervious area, with single-family homes billed one 3,400-square-foot unit. On state routes such as Highway 44 or US 441, a new driveway pipe sits in GDOT right-of-way and needs a GDOT permit, sized for the 25-year storm.
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620A storm drain collects water that is running or pooling on the surface, through grates and catch basins, and carries it away in solid pipe. A French drain collects water that is already in the soil, through a gravel trench and perforated pipe. Surface problems call for storm drains; soggy ground and seeps call for French drains.
Source: HomeAdvisor: Yard Drainage System Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 national figures put French drains at an average of $9,250, with a normal range of $500 to $18,000, or about $10 to $100 per linear foot. Depth, rock, roots, the distance to a legal outlet and what has to be restored over the trench drive the price.
Source: HomeAdvisor: French Drain Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Not across Georgia Power's land. Its Lake Oconee shoreline guidelines say drainage pipes may not cross Georgia Power property or the project boundary; they must end at the boundary and transition to swales, French drains, dry creek beds or similar treatments that slow and spread the water.
Source: Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF)
Only if it is planned with the septic layout. Georgia requires absorption fields to be protected from stormwater and gutter runoff, and drain fields must be at least 15 feet from a drainage ditch. A drain that dumps water onto a field, or pulls effluent out of it, creates a new problem. Show the plan to county Environmental Health.
Source: GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section F: Dispersal Systems
It can. Georgia's definition of state waters includes drainage systems along with rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, except those entirely confined on one owner's property. That can bring buffer and erosion-control obligations, so ask the county before reshaping a ditch that carries water from or onto a neighbor's land.
Source: GA EPD: Field Guide for Determining the Presence of State Waters That Require a Buffer (2017)
Yes. GDOT requires a permit before construction within state highway right-of-way, and residential driveway applications go to the GDOT District Area Office. Driveway and side-drain pipes on state right-of-way are designed for the 25-year storm unless the upstream pipe is designed for less.
Source: GDOT Regulations for Driveway and Encroachment Control, Chapter 1
Milledgeville adopted a stormwater utility in 2019 that bills developed properties by impervious area. Its billing unit is 3,400 square feet, single-family homes pay a flat one unit, and the 2019 FAQ listed a proposed rate of $3.95 per unit per month. Check the city's current rate before budgeting.
Source: City of Milledgeville: Stormwater User Fee FAQ (2019)
Keep going
Sources
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Ready when you are
One moves water that is running across the surface; the other pulls out water soaking the ground. Pick the wrong one and the yard stays wet. On a lake lot, where the pipe is allowed to end matters as much as the pipe.
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