Landscaping in Paramus, NJ

Working in Paramus

Paramus covers about 10.5 square miles and is mostly flat, with Farview Avenue at its highest point. When it became a borough in 1922 it was celery farms and dirt roads, and the postwar building boom turned that farmland into neighborhoods and shopping corridors. About 55 percent of the housing was built between 1940 and 1969, and about 85 percent is single-family homes.

Saddle River County Park runs along the west side of the borough and Van Saun County Park sits on the east. The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook joins the Saddle River at the Dunkerhook area, where Paramus meets Ridgewood, Glen Rock, and Fair Lawn. On flat lots, water has little slope to follow, so drainage needs to be designed on purpose.

Borough rules also affect how we schedule. Contractors may not work in residential zones before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and Paramus's Sunday ordinance bars most work and business on Sundays. We schedule Paramus residential jobs Monday through Saturday within those hours.

What we build in Paramus

Before you build in Paramus

Permits and rules in Paramus

The Building Department at 1 Jockish Square handles fences, sheds, patios, and driveways. Fences need a building permit with the fence highlighted on a site survey. Patios and driveways need a site work permit with the work drawn to scale on the survey, showing dimensions and setbacks. We prepare the drawings and file them.

Trees on developed private property in Paramus can be pruned or removed without a permit, unless the lot is undeveloped or has a Zoning Board planted buffer. Town trees usually stand 10 to 20 feet from the curb and are maintained only by the Shade Tree and Parks Commission. We keep driveways and trenches at least 5 feet from borough trees and do not cut their roots.

Soil work goes through the Borough Engineer. A ministerial permit covers up to 400 cubic yards in a 12-month period, and the engineer can reclassify an application as major if it creates drainage or erosion problems for neighboring lots. Projects disturbing more than 5,000 square feet can also need Bergen County Soil Conservation District certification.

When to schedule work in Paramus

In 2026 the curbside leaf machine window runs from October 5 through November 29, and after November 30 leaves must follow the vegetative waste rules. Leaves and grass in pails or paper bags are picked up on Wednesdays. We schedule fall cleanups to finish before the window closes so nothing is left at the curb.

Flat Paramus yards stay wet longest in early spring, so we schedule excavation for late April onward and use March and early April for layout, surveys, and permit filings. We also plow and salt driveways and commercial lots through the winter.

All services in Paramus

Guides for Paramus homeowners

• 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.
• Fence permits and property lines. A fence is one of the few projects where a few inches of placement can start a legal dispute.
• What drives paver patio cost. A paver patio is typically priced by the square foot and by the base work under it.

Nearby

We also work in Oradell, Fair Lawn, Emerson, Glen Rock, Ridgewood, Ho-Ho-Kus, Hillsdale, Midland Park, and across Bergen County.

Questions