Landscaping in Mahwah, NJ

Working in Mahwah

Mahwah is the largest municipality in Bergen County at about 26 square miles, more than twice the size of the next largest. It takes in neighborhoods such as Cragmere Park, Fardale, Darlington, and West Mahwah, and its western side runs into the Ramapo Mountains with the Ramapo River flowing through. Campgaw Mountain Reservation, Darlington County Park, and the Ramapo Valley County Reservation are all inside township lines.

The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook starts in Mahwah and marks part of the line with Wyckoff, so the southeast side has its own stream to deal with. Ground near the river and the brooks stays wet after storms. On the mountain side the lots are steeper, and runoff picks up speed before it reaches a driveway or a foundation.

Part of the township is in the Highlands Preservation Area under the state Highlands Act, and Mahwah also opted into the Planning Area. Single-family homes were described as exempt from Highlands rules, but the township's own soil code is strict: moving more than 20 cubic yards on a lot in a year needs an application.

What we build in Mahwah

Before you build in Mahwah

Permits and rules in Mahwah

Mahwah's Planning and Zoning Department, which the tree code calls the Department of Land Use, handles fence zoning applications, and every new or replacement fence needs one. The township fee for a fence zoning permit is $50. Construction permits under the state Uniform Construction Code are separate.

Soil movement is where most outdoor projects in Mahwah need the most lead time. The code exempts up to 20 cubic yards per lot per year, requires an Administrative Review application from 21 to 100 cubic yards, a Professional Review application above that, and a public hearing before the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment at 1,000 cubic yards or more. A new driveway needs both a soil movement permit and a zoning permit.

Removing any private tree 6 inches or more in diameter requires a Tree Preservation, Removal and Replacement application approved before cutting, and replacement is set by size, up to four new trees for a tree 30 inches or larger. Lots along the Ramapo River can also fall under NJDEP flood hazard and riparian zone rules, where the protected strip is 50, 150, or 300 feet depending on the water. We check all of this before we design and file what the job needs.

When to schedule work in Mahwah

Grass clippings are collected curbside in brown paper bags from April 2 to October 16 in 2026, and fall leaf pickup runs October 26 to December 7. We book spring cleanups in April and set fall cleanups so the leaves are at the curb before the township's last pass.

Soil movement applications take review time, so a summer grading or patio job should be planned and filed in late winter or early spring. The low ground near the Ramapo River is usually too soft for equipment early in spring, so we schedule work there for summer and fall. In winter we plow and salt driveways, including the steeper ones on the mountain side.

All services in Mahwah

Guides for Mahwah homeowners

• 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.
• 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.
• 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, Upper Saddle River, Allendale, Saddle River, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, and across Bergen County.

Questions