Looking for an excavation company in Wichita? Whether you're building a house, pouring a shop slab, fixing a yard that floods every spring, or replacing a sewer line, the job starts with moving dirt. (For a backed-up or broken lateral, start with sewer line repair in Wichita: a camera run decides whether it's one pit or a new line.) We take on excavation work in Wichita and around it in Derby, Andover, Maize, Goddard, Haysville, Park City, Valley Center, Bel Aire, Augusta, and Newton, and the pages here explain how each kind of dig usually goes.
Why digging around Wichita is its own animal
- Clay that moves. Much of Sedgwick County has clay soils with a high shrink-swell potential: they swell when wet and shrink and crack when dry. That affects how deep footings go, how backfill is placed, and how a lot should drain.
- River sand and shallow groundwater. Near the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers, and across much of the valley, the ground is sandier river deposit and groundwater can sit closer to the surface. Deep holes can take on water and sandy trench walls can cave, so dewatering and shoring come up more often.
- Frost depth. Under the Wichita-Sedgwick County building code, frost depth in Wichita is 24 inches, so exterior footings go at least that deep below undisturbed ground.
- Flat ground, heavy rain. A lot of the area is flat, so getting water to drain away from a house takes deliberate grading rather than relying on a natural slope.
Excavation services in Wichita and Sedgwick County
| Job | What it usually involves |
|---|---|
| Site prep and grading | Stripping topsoil, cutting and filling to grade, building pads for houses, shops, and driveways. Grading and drainage, including gravel driveways and driveway grading. |
| Yard drainage problems | Regrading so water runs away from the foundation, swales, and moving water off a low spot, or a buried drain where regrading can't do it. Grading and drainage; French drain installation. |
| Basement and foundation digs | Digging a basement or footings for a new home or addition, plus backfill. Basement excavation and foundations. |
| Trenching | Trench digging for sewer and water service lines, electrical and gas conduit, and drain lines. Trenching and utility lines; sewer line repair; water line replacement. |
| Ponds and dirt work | Digging or cleaning out a pond, hauling fill, spreading dirt, building pads. See pond digging and construction and dirt work and fill dirt. |
| Septic systems and lagoons | Digging the tank hole, lateral field or lagoon for a new rural home, with a licensed wastewater installer. Septic system installation. |
| Retaining walls | Cutting back a slope, digging the base trench, drainage stone and pipe behind the wall, hauling the cut dirt. Retaining wall excavation. |
| Demolition dig-outs | Removing an old foundation, slab, pool, or buried tank after a structure comes down, then backfilling. Demolition excavation and foundation removal. |
Tell us about the dig
(316) 869-0053Hiring excavation contractors in Wichita
Kansas has no statewide license for excavation or general contractors. Licensing is local, and in Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County it runs through MABCD, so most of the vetting falls on you. Before you sign with an excavation company in Wichita:
- Match the outfit to the job. A small skid-steer operator is often the right fit for a yard regrade or a shop pad. A basement dig with haul-off needs a full-size excavator, dump trucks, and a crew that works with foundation contractors regularly.
- Ask how they handle our clay and water. Someone who digs here every week should have a ready answer for shrink-swell clay (compacted lifts, not loose dirt shoved against a wall) and for groundwater in the river valley.
- Get the 811 ticket number. Under Kansas law the excavator files the locate request. Ask for the ticket before the machine is unloaded.
- Know which trades are involved. Work on a sewer or water service (a sewer line repair or replacement, or a water line replacement) needs a licensed plumber. Ask whether the company has one on staff or works alongside one, and check a license with MABCD if you're unsure.
- See the insurance certificate. A cut gas or fiber line gets expensive fast. A written certificate of liability insurance is a reasonable thing to ask for.
- Plan around the weather. Spring is the busy, wet season. Saturated clay can stall a dig for days after a heavy rain, so build some slack into the schedule.
Which contractor for which job
| Job | Usually the right fit |
|---|---|
| Yard regrade, swale, small shop or shed pad, spreading fill | A skid-steer or compact-track-loader operator |
| Basement dig, house or large building pad, pond, demolition dig-out | A full excavation crew with an excavator, dump trucks and haul-off |
| Sewer or water service line from the house to the street | A plumbing contractor with excavation equipment, or an excavator working with a licensed plumber |
| French drain or buried downspout lines | A drainage or excavation contractor who does them regularly (see French drains) |
Call the number on this page, tell us what the job is and where, and we'll talk it through with you.
Before anyone digs
Kansas law requires a locate request through Kansas 811 before excavating — at least two full working days ahead. Many jobs also need a permit from the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD), and work in a city right-of-way or easement needs a City of Wichita permit. See permits and Kansas 811, or the one-page before you dig in Sedgwick County checklist.
Common questions
How much does excavation cost in Wichita?
It depends heavily on the job: how much dirt moves, whether it has to be hauled off or brought in, how deep you go, access for equipment, and whether groundwater or utilities complicate things. See what drives the cost. Every job is priced on its own details, so tell us what needs digging and where.
What kind of digging do you do?
Grading and drainage, French drains, basement and footing digs, trenching for sewer, water and utility lines, septic holes, retaining wall cuts, demolition dig-outs and general dirt work. Call or send a request with your town and the job, and we'll call you back.
What areas do you cover?
Wichita and Sedgwick County, including Derby, Andover, Maize, Goddard, Haysville, Park City, Valley Center, Bel Aire, and out to Augusta and Newton.