Elliott Tree

Whitman's Conservation Commission enforces the Wetlands Protection Act, and the town's brooks, Shumatuscacant tributaries, and wetlands carry a 100-foot buffer (200 feet along perennial streams) with a no-disturb inner zone — so work near water generally needs an Order of Conditions before grading, clearing, or planting. Public shade trees, common on older streets, are protected under state law. Retaining walls over four feet typically need a building permit and engineering, and pools, significant grading, and stormwater and drainage work require permits, which matters on Whitman's flat, sometimes wet lots.

Whitman pricing sits at the lower end of the South Shore range given modest lots. Weekly mowing typically runs $40-65; spring cleanup $200-600; fall cleanup $250-750. Bark mulch installed runs roughly $80-120 per yard. Drainage work on flat lots runs $2,500-9,000 depending on scope. Irrigation typically lands $4,000-7,500. Compact paver patios and walkways run $8-15K. Full design-build with plantings, drainage, and hardscape usually lands $18K-55K, with smaller lot projects coming in lower.

Massachusetts requires a written contract and a Home Improvement Contractor registration for most residential landscaping work; ask for the registration number and check it before paying a deposit.

More on permits, costs, rebates and common questions, plus every other landscaping contractor serving the town, on the Landscaping in Whitman page.