Pro MJL Landscaping and Construction

Swampscott's Conservation Commission enforces the Wetlands Protection Act, and the town's coastal banks, beaches, and rocky shore carry a 100-foot buffer with a strict no-disturb inner zone — so most shoreline landscape work needs an Order of Conditions, and coastal-bank and velocity-flood-zone review is routine given the exposure. Public shade trees, common on older streets, are protected under state law. Retaining walls and seawalls over four feet need a building permit and engineering — frequently relevant on the town's slopes — and pools, significant grading, and stormwater work require permits.

Swampscott pricing runs high given North Shore labor, tight access, and coastal conditions. Weekly mowing typically runs $50-85; spring cleanup $300-800; fall cleanup $350-1,000. Bark mulch installed runs roughly $90-140 per yard. Retaining walls on sloped lots run $40-70 per square face foot. Irrigation typically lands $5,000-9,000. Stone patios and walls run $12-20K, with seawall-adjacent and difficult-access lots costing more. Full design-build with salt-tolerant plantings and hardscape usually lands $30K-110K, and oceanfront estate work climbs higher once coastal review and resilient construction are factored in.

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 Swampscott page.