Landscaping in Saddle River, NJ

Working in Saddle River

Saddle River covers just under 5 square miles, requires at least 2 acres per home, and has about 686 residents per square mile, one of the lowest densities in Bergen County. The Saddle River runs through the borough. Properties here are measured in acres, so the work is long driveways, large lawns, entry gates, and deer fencing, not small-yard layouts.

Most homes in Saddle River draw water from a private well and treat sewage in their own septic system, according to the Board of Health. Both are underground and easy to damage with equipment, so we locate the well, the tank, and the field before any design and keep patios, kitchens, trenches, and heavy machines away from them.

The borough does not collect leaves, brush, or yard waste, and yard waste cannot be left in the road, drains, or right-of-way. On a 2 acre property that adds up quickly, so disposal is part of every cleanup we plan here.

What we build in Saddle River

Before you build in Saddle River

Permits and rules in Saddle River

Fence permits come from the Construction Official, with the fee set under the Uniform Construction Code. In any required yard, a fence or wall used as a fence may be up to 6 feet tall, but a solid fence is limited to 3 feet. Solid means less than 50 percent open. Chain link cannot have slats and is not allowed in front of the house, and the finished side faces the street or the neighbors. We plan privacy with open fence styles and planted buffers for that reason.

Tree removal permits are also filed with the Construction Official. A permit is needed for any deciduous tree 8 inches or more in diameter or any evergreen 15 feet or taller, and on lots of 2 acres or more up to five such trees may come out in 12 months. The permit has to be posted where it can be seen from the street. We do not remove trees, but we flag early any tree our layout would affect.

Soil permits come from the Borough Clerk, and projects that disturb more than 5,000 square feet can also need Bergen County Soil Conservation District certification. On a large property, a full rear yard build can cross that line, so we map the disturbance area before the design is final.

When to schedule work in Saddle River

In fall we set cleanup visits for each property instead of following a town leaf schedule, because Saddle River has none. The DPW handles snow on borough roads. Snow may not be plowed or thrown back onto a plowed road, and there is no street parking from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. We push driveway snow to the sides of the property, not into the road.

Excavation for patios, kitchens, and drainage is best done late spring through early fall, when the lawns are firm enough to carry equipment without rutting. We lay ground protection mats on the route from the driveway to the work area and repair the lawn at the end.

All services in Saddle River

Guides for Saddle River 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.
• 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.
• 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 Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Ho-Ho-Kus, Ramsey, Midland Park, Ridgewood, Hillsdale, Montvale, and across Bergen County.

Questions