French drains and yard drainage in Tallahassee, Florida

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Give us your address and describe where the water collects.

2. We connect you

   We pass it to an independent drainage contractor who serves Leon County.

3. They call you back

   They look at the yard, explain the options and quote you directly.

Who calls us?

Homeowners across Tallahassee and the rest of Leon County: Killearn and Bradfordville on the north side, the neighborhoods around Lake Jackson, Midtown and the older streets near downtown, SouthWood, and Woodville and the farm roads to the south. Most are dealing with one of a few problems. A low part of the lawn never dries out. Runoff from the hill behind the house heads straight for the foundation. Gutters dump onto a flower bed that's now a mud pit. Or a slope sheds red clay and pine straw onto the sidewalk every time it rains. We also hear from buyers and sellers whose inspection report flagged grading or gutter discharge before closing, and from landlords near the universities who want a wet crawl space fixed between tenants.

Why does Tallahassee get so much standing water?

Mostly because it rains a lot, and hard. The 1991 to 2020 normals for Tallahassee International Airport put average precipitation at about 58.8 inches a year, and much of that comes in short, heavy summer downpours that drop more water than the ground can take in at once. Low-lying spots are known to flood during extreme rains, including the Franklin Boulevard area beside downtown and the Killearn Lakes subdivision north of the city.

The ground matters too. Tallahassee sits at the southern end of the Red Hills, and the city's terrain runs from near sea level to just over 200 feet, which is steep for Florida. Upland soils here, such as the Orangeburg series, have a sandy surface over a sandy clay loam subsoil. When a storm saturates the sandy top layer, water hits the slower clay below and starts moving sideways, downhill, often toward whatever house sits at the bottom of the slope. That sideways flow is exactly what a French drain or curtain drain is built to catch.

What's different south of the Cody Scarp?

Drive south out of Tallahassee and you drop down a long hill: the Cody Scarp, an ancient shoreline. South of it is the Woodville Karst Plain, flatter country where the limestone is close to the surface and covered only by thin sands and clays. Sinkholes are common there, and streams like Munson Slough disappear into the ground and reappear at springs. Dye traces show that water entering Ames Sink comes out at Wakulla Spring about ten days later. On that side of the county, where stormwater ends up isn't just a yard question; it's a water quality question. Our Leon County drainage guide has the details and sources.

Which fix fits my yard?

• French drains catch water that's soaking through the soil or seeping off a slope, and carry it away in a gravel-filled trench with perforated pipe.
• Downspout drain lines move roof water underground in solid pipe and let it out well away from the house.
• Regrading and swales reshape the surface so runoff flows around the house to a safe spot instead of toward it.
• Sump pumps and crawl space water deal with water that has already collected under a raised floor.
• Channel drains and dry wells catch sheet flow at driveways and patios, or hold water on lots with no place to pipe it.

Signs your yard needs drainage work

• Puddles still sitting in the lawn a day after the storm moved through
• Red clay, sand or pine straw washing onto the driveway or sidewalk
• Gutters overflowing, or downspouts emptying right next to the slab
• Water lines, mildew or a musty smell in the garage or crawl space
• Soil eroding from under a patio, walkway or the edge of the slab
• A depression in the yard that keeps getting deeper

Where is the water allowed to go?

Somewhere it won't become a neighbor's problem or a shortcut into the aquifer. Good drainage plans end at a street gutter where permitted, an existing ditch or swale, a pop-up emitter in a part of your own yard that soaks water in, or a designed detention area. The City of Tallahassee's aquifer protection program states that drainage wells are prohibited, so be wary of anyone who suggests piping roof water into a sinkhole or a deep hole in the ground. Inside city limits, ask the City about permits for larger regrading. In unincorporated Leon County, Development Support and Environmental Management issues environmental management permits and reviews stormwater standards.

Do I have to call Sunshine 811?

Yes, for almost any drainage job. Florida's dig law requires notice to Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before excavating, not counting weekends and holidays. A homeowner digging on a single-family lot is exempt only for digging up to 10 inches deep, and a French drain trench or buried downspout line usually goes deeper than that. If you hire a contractor, the contractor should file its own locate request.

Does a drainage contractor need a Florida license?

Florida's contractor statute exempts only casual, minor work with a total contract price under $2,500, and that exemption doesn't apply if the job is part of a bigger project or the person advertises as a contractor. Beyond that, which license applies depends on the work, so ask what license the company holds and look it up on the Florida DBPR website. Our hiring tips list the other questions worth asking.

Are you a drainage company?

No. Tallahassee French Drains is a referral service. We connect you with an independent drainage contractor who serves your address, and that contractor quotes the job, does the work and stands behind it. Read our Leon County drainage guide before you hire anyone.

Areas we cover

• Tallahassee
• Bradfordville and Killearn Lakes
• Lake Jackson and northwest Tallahassee
• Woodville and south Leon County

Planning ahead? Read our Leon County drainage guide.