Dig a Drainage Swale in Backyard — Swales and Berms to Move Water
Every heavy rain sends a sheet of water across the yard toward the house or the garage, and you want it steered somewhere it can go.
JMB Builders will dig a drainage swale in your backyard, build a berm, or both, across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. A swale is a shallow, wide grass channel shaped to carry surface water around the house to a safe outlet; a berm is a low mound that turns water aside. We shape it by machine, topsoil it and seed or sod it. Priced per project.
- Priced per project
- Shaped by skid steer or mini excavator
- Topsoil and seed or sod to finish
- Gopher State One Call (811) before digging
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A lot of yard water problems are surface water. Rain runs off a neighbor's higher lot, a street or a hill and crosses yours on its way down. A swale catches that sheet of water in a wide, shallow grass channel and carries it around the house to the street, a ditch or low ground at the back. A berm does the same thing from the other side: a low, rounded mound that the water hits and follows instead of running straight at the building.
The shape matters more than the size. Too steep and the swale erodes into a ditch and is hard to mow. Too flat and water sits in it. It has to fall the whole way to an outlet, stay on your lot or go where the city allows, and not dump water onto the neighbor. Many lots in newer subdivisions already have a drainage swale on the plat along the lot line; it cannot be filled or blocked.
We shoot the grades before we quote, then shape the swale or berm by machine, spread topsoil and finish it with seed and erosion blanket or sod so it holds in the first storm.
What you supply
- Photos or a video of the water running during a storm, and where it comes from
- The lot survey or plat if you have it, so we can see any drainage easement
- Where the water can leave the lot: street, ditch or back of the lot
- Sprinkler heads, invisible fence and private lines marked
What JMB supplies
- A site visit to check the fall from where water enters to where it can leave
- Gopher State One Call locate before any digging
- Swale cut and shaped by skid steer or mini excavator, with a gentle, mowable side slope
- Berm built from the swale soil or imported fill, compacted and shaped
- Topsoil spread and finished with seed and erosion blanket, or sod, as quoted
- Rock at the outlet or in a steep section where grass alone would wash out
- Extra soil spread or hauled off, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Length of the swale or berm and how much soil moves
- Whether soil from the cut builds the berm or fill has to be brought in
- Seed and erosion blanket vs. sod to finish
- Rock lining at the outlet or on steeper sections
- Access for a machine and lawn protection on the way in
- Trees, fences, sheds or landscaping in the path
A video of the water moving during a storm tells us more than anything else. Send it with photos of the whole yard and the survey if you have one.
How long it takes
Most backyard swales or berms: one to two days of machine work, then seed or sod. Seeded swales need a few weeks to fill in before a big storm.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Grass swale around the house
A wide, shallow channel that picks up water coming toward the house and carries it along the side yard to the front or back. Mowed like the rest of the lawn.
Berm on the uphill side
A low, rounded mound that deflects runoff from a higher lot or street. Often paired with a swale on its uphill side so the water has a clear path.
Rock-lined swale
Where the fall is steeper or the flow is heavy, the bottom is lined with fabric and rock so it does not wash out. Also works as a dry creek bed look.
Restoring a platted drainage swale
Rebuilding the lot-line swale shown on the subdivision plat after it was filled in by landscaping, a fence or settled soil.
Dig a Drainage Swale in Backyard — Swales and Berms to Move Water: questions, answered
What is the difference between a swale and a berm?
A swale is a shallow, wide channel dug into the ground that carries water along it. A berm is a low mound built up above the ground that water runs around. They are often built together: the soil dug out of the swale builds the berm on its downhill side.
How deep should a drainage swale be?
Shallow and wide rather than deep. A good yard swale has gentle side slopes you can mow, and a bottom that falls steadily to the outlet. Too deep or steep and it erodes and becomes a ditch; too flat and water sits in it. The depth is set by the grades we shoot on site.
Can I build a berm to stop water from my neighbor's yard?
You can redirect water on your own lot, but you cannot block a natural drainage path or send more water onto another neighbor. Many subdivisions also have a platted drainage swale along the lot line that has to stay open. We check the survey and the flow before we design it, and the city may have its own rules.
Will a swale be soggy all the time?
A swale built with enough fall drains out within hours after a rain. If it stays wet, the soil is heavy clay or the outlet is too high. In those spots we add a French drain under the swale bottom so the last of the water leaves too.
Does a swale need a permit in Minnesota?
Usually not for a small yard swale on your own lot, but it depends on the city, and work inside a drainage easement, near a wetland or on a shoreland lot can need approval. We check with the city before we quote if any of those apply.
How do you keep a new swale from washing out?
It is shaped with gentle slopes, topsoiled, and covered right away with sod or with seed under an erosion blanket. Where the water moves fastest, at a steep drop or the outlet, the bottom gets fabric and rock. Seeded swales need a few weeks of growth before they handle a heavy storm well.
My neighbor's water is draining into my yard in Minnesota — what can I do?
Start by talking to the neighbor, and call the city engineer or public works to find out whether a drainage easement or platted swale runs along the lot line. Water that follows a platted swale is usually meant to cross. On your side, a swale can catch the water and carry it around the house, or a low berm can turn it, as long as it does not push the water back onto the neighbor or another lot. We shape either after the city question is answered.
My neighbor's sump pump drains onto my yard — can a swale fix it?
Many cities have rules on where a sump pump can discharge, so the first call is to the neighbor and then to the city. If the discharge is allowed where it is, a shallow swale or a buried line on your side can carry the water past your house to the street or a low spot. A swale that holds the water on the neighbor's side is not a fix, because it just moves the problem.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
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