Landscaping in New City, NY
New City is the county seat and mostly 1960s to 1980s colonials on half-acre lots with mature trees. The common call is a backyard that stays wet into June and a patio that has settled. We regrade, run drainage to the street or a dry well, and rebuild the patio on a proper base.
Working in New City
New City stayed mostly rural until the 1950s. Once the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Palisades Interstate Parkway opened, the hamlet filled in with suburban subdivisions, while areas like South Mountain Road and Lake Lucille stayed wooded. Most New City yards we work on have mature shade trees, roots running under the lawn, and a grade that was set when the house went up and has not been changed since.
USDA soil maps for New City show Wethersfield and Cheshire soils, loamy glacial till with gravel and cobbles, often mapped with urban land where the ground was graded for houses. Wethersfield soil sits on dense, very firm till that typically starts two to three feet down. Rain soaks into the upper layer, hits that dense layer, and moves sideways, which is why a New City lawn can look fine in August and stay soft for days after a spring storm.
The Hackensack River starts in New City at Sweet Swamp, and the Demarest Kill runs through the hamlet as one of its tributaries. A New York State DEC flood study of the Hackensack watershed named two high-risk flood areas in New City. Lake DeForest sits on the east side, between New City and Congers. We look at where the water comes from before we draw a patio or a drain.
What we build in New City
Backyard regrade and French drain
The most common New City call is a back lawn that stays soft after rain because water is sitting on the dense till under the topsoil. We reshape the yard so it falls away from the house, run perforated pipe in washed stone along the low line, and carry the water in solid pipe to an outlet on the property or, with a town road opening permit, to the street.
Drainage & ExcavationPatio rebuilt on a real base
Patios laid on topsoil in New City settle unevenly because the soil under them stays wet for weeks each spring. We dig down to firm subsoil, lay filter fabric, compact processed stone in lifts, and set the pavers with a slight pitch away from the house so water runs to the lawn instead of the foundation.
Hardscape & LightingFence replacement on the survey line
Clarkstown does not require a building permit for most fences, but zoning still caps a solid fence along a lot line at 4 1/2 feet and an open fence at 6 feet. We lay the fence out from the survey, choose a style that fits the height allowed on each side, and set the posts in concrete below the frost line.
Fencing & PrivacySeating wall and fire pit on a sloped yard
Many New City backyards have one flat spot near the house and a rise behind it. We cut a level terrace, hold the uphill side with a seating wall under 4 feet, build a fire pit on a compacted stone base, and add low-voltage lights in the wall caps, with the transformer connected by a licensed electrician.
Outdoor Kitchens & LivingFall cleanup timed to the town leaf route
Clarkstown vacuums loose leaves by route in November and keeps a map of when crews are expected on each street. We time the last cleanup to that route, pile the leaves on the lawn at the curb instead of in the road, and cut back beds and clear yard drains during the same visit.
Seasonal & SpecialtyText a few photos of the area or send the form. We come out, walk it with you, and send a written scope and a fixed price.
Before you build in New City
Permits and rules in New City
New City is a hamlet in the Town of Clarkstown, so town offices handle the permits. The Clarkstown Building Department reviews building permits, and the Clarkstown Highway Department controls any digging in a town road, curb, or sidewalk.
Clarkstown's building code exempts most fences and retaining walls from a building permit. A fence that is part of a pool enclosure is the exception and does need one. Zoning rules still apply to every fence: a solid fence or freestanding wall along a lot line can be up to 4 1/2 feet tall, an open fence up to 6 feet, and a taller solid fence must be set back from the line by two-thirds of its height. Fences at street intersections have to meet Town Code Section 250-6.
A drain line that has to cut into a town street, curb, or sidewalk needs a road opening permit from the Superintendent of Highways, backed by a cash deposit or bond that covers restoring the pavement. The town's tree preservation law requires a permit to remove any tree on a steep slope, or more than one tree 8 inches or wider in diameter per 5,000 square feet of lot within three years. We do not remove trees, so we flag any tree a design would affect before the plan is final.
When to schedule work in New City
Grading and drainage in New City go best from late spring through early fall, after the ground above the dense till has dried enough to carry a mini excavator without rutting the lawn. Patios and walls can be built any time the ground is not frozen. Clarkstown limits gardening equipment in residential zones to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, and our crews work inside those hours.
Town curbside yard waste pickup runs March through October, with brush tied in bundles no longer than 5 feet and no heavier than 50 pounds. Brush pickup stops during the November leaf program and resumes in April, and on or after December 21 the town takes remaining leaves only in biodegradable bags. We book New City fall cleanups for early to mid November so the piles are out before the trucks reach your street.
All services in New City
Guides for New City homeowners
- Yard drainage in Rockland County. Most wet yards in Rockland come down to clay soil, a bad grade, and roof water with nowhere to go.
- Hudson Valley seasonal yard checklist. The lower Hudson Valley gets hard winters, wet springs, and a long leaf season, and a yard that is checked at the right times avoids most of the expensive repairs.
- Retaining wall permits and engineering. In most New York and New Jersey towns, a retaining wall over 4 feet needs an engineered design and a permit, and walls under that limit can still need one if they hold up a driveway or a slope.
- Regrading a yard to slope away from the house. When the ground next to a house is flat or tilts toward the foundation, rain runs to the wall and soaks in beside it.
Nearby
We also work in Congers, Valley Cottage, Nanuet, Pomona, Monsey, West Nyack, Nyack, Blauvelt, and across Rockland County.
Questions
Do I need a permit for a fence in New City?
Usually not. Clarkstown exempts most fences from a building permit, but the zoning height limits still apply, and a fence that encloses a pool does need a permit.
How tall can a backyard fence be in New City?
A solid fence on the property line can be 4 1/2 feet. An open style such as aluminum or picket can be 6 feet, and a taller solid fence has to sit back from the line by two-thirds of its height.
Why does my New City lawn stay wet for days after rain?
The Wethersfield soil common here sits on dense till a couple of feet down, so water stops and spreads instead of soaking in. Regrading and a French drain with a real outlet move that water off the lot.
Can my yard drain be piped to the street?
Only with a road opening permit from the Clarkstown Superintendent of Highways if the work cuts the pavement, curb, or sidewalk. When an outlet on your own property works, we use that first.
Does a retaining wall need a permit in Clarkstown?
The town's building code exempts most retaining walls from a building permit. We keep every wall at 4 feet or under and break a bigger grade change into two or more terraced walls.
Which way does the finished side of the fence face?
In Clarkstown the owner chooses which direction the finished side faces. We go over it with you before the posts go in.
My yard is near the Demarest Kill. Can drainage stop it from flooding?
We can grade the yard and move roof and surface water away from the house, but no yard drain can stop a stream from rising. The state's flood study named two high-risk areas in New City, so on those lots we plan the drainage around where flood water goes.
Something to haul away first? See junk removal in New City.
Have a project in New City? Tell us about it.
Three quick steps. We call you back to set up a free on-site estimate, usually the same day.
- Call or text(845) 367-4123
- Emailgeneral@landtechenterprise.com
- Based inPomona, NY
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