Wayne Carboni Landscaping

Franklin's Conservation Commission enforces the Wetlands Protection Act and a local bylaw across the 100-foot buffer of every mapped wetland — and there are a lot of them. Any patio, pool, lawn expansion, or significant grading inside that buffer needs an Order of Conditions. The town has a tree preservation policy for public-shade trees and certain protected species; removal in the right-of-way needs Tree Warden approval. Retaining walls over four feet need a building permit, pools need both building and electrical permits with mandatory fencing, and stormwater management is required for larger design-build projects that increase impervious cover.

Franklin pricing sits in the middle of the MetroWest range — lower than Needham or Wellesley, comparable to Milford and Mansfield. Weekly mow runs $50-80, spring cleanup $300-650, fall cleanup $350-850, and bark mulch $90-125 per yard installed. Lawn irrigation for a typical half-acre subdivision lot runs $5,500-8,500 for a six-to-eight-zone system. Bluestone patios run $10-16K, and full design-build projects with patio, plantings, lighting, and drainage typically land in the $25K-80K range, with larger pool-and-hardscape combos easily reaching $100K+.

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 Franklin page.