Paver patios, drainage and garden bed work for DeKalb homes, run out of a shop in Cortland one town east on Lincoln Highway.
Our shop is in Cortland, the next town east on Lincoln Highway, which makes DeKalb the closest work we do. That shows up in small ways rather than big ones: we can look at a yard on short notice, come back mid-build when something changes, and swing by after a storm without it turning into a scheduling problem.
It also means we know what this ground does. DeKalb is flat former prairie, so water does not run off so much as wait. Most jobs here start with where the water is going and end with a patio or a walk, and this is how a paver patio actually gets built in this part of the state. For everything else, see our services, or the other towns we serve.
DeKalb gives you almost no slope to work with, and the city asks for a permit on nearly everything. Both change how a job gets planned.
This is flat prairie ground. With very little fall across a lot, water does not drain away on its own, so every patio, walk and bed here gets pitched and piped on purpose rather than left to gravity.
DeKalb requires a building permit for virtually all construction inside city limits, and the published exceptions are narrow. Patios, driveways and sidewalks share one application; fences and mass grading each have their own.
An existing gravel driveway can be maintained but not expanded. Widen it at all and the city requires the whole driveway to be hard surfaced, which turns a small ask into a full replacement.
The gravel rule pushes most DeKalb driveway and patio projects straight to pavers or concrete. If it has to be hard surfaced anyway, it may as well look like something.
Flat ground gives you no help at all. We build the fall in, tie it somewhere sensible, and pull a mass grading permit when the job is big enough to need one.
A cut edge is what keeps beds reading as maintained on a lot with no grade to define them. It is the cheapest thing that makes a whole yard look finished.
The next town north. A 3D plan first, then regrading, trench edging, new beds and irrigation to fix a front yard that pooled after every heavy rain.
South end of the county. A full property redesign built off a 3D plan: trench edging, garden beds, irrigation and a new stone walkway.
What homeowners here ask us most, answered straight.
Almost certainly. DeKalb requires a building permit for virtually all construction, alteration and repair inside city limits, and the published exceptions are short: replacement windows and doors that do not change the opening, re-roofing that leaves the sheeting in place, and exterior siding. Patios, driveways and sidewalks share a single application; fences and mass grading each have their own. Submissions go through the city's BS&A online portal, and both homeowners and contractors need a registered account linked to their name record. Building and Code Compliance is at 164 East Lincoln Highway, (815) 748-2070.
Not without hard surfacing all of it. DeKalb allows an existing gravel driveway or parking area to be maintained but not expanded, and any expansion triggers a requirement that the entire driveway be hard surfaced under Section 12.03.1 of the Unified Development Ordinance. So if you are thinking about a parking pad or widening for a second car, price the full replacement first, because that is usually the real number.
It is lighter here than in some neighbouring towns. DeKalb has a Landmark Commission that meets as needed, and its published duties are reviewing National Register nominations, promoting local districts and landmarks, and preservation education. The city publishes historic district maps along with preservation incentives, including a property tax assessment freeze for owner-occupied historic residential buildings. If your property sits in a district or is landmarked, confirm what applies before exterior work — the commission's staff liaison is the City Manager's office at (815) 748-2391.
Eight inches. DeKalb's property maintenance code prohibits weeds and plant growth over eight inches, and defines weeds as grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees and shrubs. Cultivated flowers and gardens are specifically excluded, so a planted bed is not the problem — the lawn and the fence line are. It is the main reason rental owners here put cleanups on a schedule instead of calling once it already looks bad.
Permit and code requirements described on this page reflect City of DeKalb guidance published as of September 2026. Codes change. Confirm current requirements with the city before starting work.
DeKalb sits in the middle of our service area rather than at the edge of it. These are other towns we are in regularly.
Tell us what the driveway or the yard is doing and we will tell you straight what it needs. Free on-site estimate, no pressure.
