Landscaping in Allendale, NJ

Working in Allendale

Allendale is a small borough of about 3.1 square miles with a long history of wet ground. The Celery Farm, now a 107-acre freshwater wetland preserve, was Wolf Swamp until it was drained in 1888 for onion and celery fields. Even with drainage ditches and a pump house, the farm kept flooding, and a 1945 flood destroyed an entire crop.

The Allendale Brook runs through the Celery Farm and takes the overflow from Lake Appert, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook also passes through the borough. Properties in the low areas near these waters drain slowly and stay soft in wet seasons. The borough sits at about 292 feet of elevation, and lots on higher ground away from the brooks handle rain better.

Allendale's rules pay close attention to how near work sits to lot lines and how much soil moves. Front-yard fences within 15 feet of a lot line are held to 5 feet, and any soil disturbance over 50 cubic yards needs a permit. We check both on the survey before we plan a yard.

What we build in Allendale

Before you build in Allendale

Permits and rules in Allendale

Allendale's Building Department takes fence zoning applications online. The borough fee is $40, and the application needs a current survey showing the fence location plus stakes marking the line on site. A construction permit is required for fences over 6 feet and for fences that enclose pools.

A soil movement permit is required for any soil disturbance over 50 cubic yards in a 12-month period, filed with the Code Enforcement Office at Borough Hall and reviewed by the Borough Engineer. Tree removal permits come from the Construction Department for $20. A tree counts at 6 inches in diameter measured four feet above the ground, and an owner may remove up to six live trees in a 12-month period.

Lots near the Allendale Brook or the Celery Farm wetlands can fall under NJDEP flood hazard area and riparian zone rules, which apply along regulated waters that drain 50 acres or more. We check the state mapping against the survey, prepare the fence and soil applications, and give you a written scope and fixed price after the site visit.

When to schedule work in Allendale

The borough compost site is open April 8 to December 12 in 2026, on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings, for residents with a permit, and the borough posts a leaf collection schedule each fall. With no curbside brush or grass pickup, we schedule cleanups with removal included: spring cleanups in April, and fall cleanups in November after most leaves are down.

Spring is the wettest time in the low parts of town, so we book drainage installs from late spring through fall, when trenches stay open and dry. Patios and fences go in well from May through November. In winter we plow and salt driveways and walks.

All services in Allendale

Guides for Allendale homeowners

• Fence permits and property lines. A fence is one of the few projects where a few inches of placement can start a legal dispute.
• 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.
• 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.
• Downspout drainage options: where roof water should go. Most wet basements and soggy foundation beds we look at in Rockland and Bergen start at a downspout that empties within a foot or two of the wall.

Nearby

We also work in Ramsey, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Ho-Ho-Kus, Wyckoff, Mahwah, Midland Park, Ridgewood, and across Bergen County.

Questions