Hardscaping in Scarborough, Maine.
Scarborough's erosion-control ordinance, Chapter 420, contains a definition worth reading before a patio goes in. Its list of impervious surfaces names rooftops, walkways, patios and driveways, then goes further and counts pervious pavers and pervious concrete as impervious as well. The ordinance covers any construction activity that strips, grades, fills or excavates ground on a parcel, and it expects an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before that digging starts.
That framing suits how a hardscape should be built anyway. Every patio, walkway, flight of granite steps, fire pit or outdoor fireplace we build begins with excavation, a compacted base and a pitch chosen for where the water should go. In this town the last of those decisions carries more weight than it does in most places.
Where a patio's runoff goes in Scarborough
The town operates under the state's MS4 stormwater permit, and two of its streams carry an impaired label: Maine DEP has placed Phillips Brook on the 303(d) list for aquatic life and habitat, and the town classes Red Brook as urban impaired. Scarborough's 2021 Comprehensive Plan traces much of the Phillips Brook problem to runoff from hard surfaces and undersized drainage in the lower watershed.
On a house lot that becomes a handful of practical choices. A paver terrace is pitched toward lawn or a planted edge rather than onto the driveway apron, stockpiled base stone stays covered and clear of catch basins, and silt fence goes up before the excavator opens the ground. Chapter 420 also calls for a stabilized construction entrance of aggregate over filter fabric so trucks do not carry gravel onto the street.
Marsh edges, dunes and the 75-foot line
The town's Shoreland Zoning Ordinance, first adopted in 1992, reaches 250 feet inland from the upland edge of coastal wetlands, a category that includes the tidal ground around the marsh and along the Libby, Nonesuch and Scarborough rivers. In the Shoreland Overlay and Stream Protection Overlay districts, new structures must sit at least 75 feet from the water or wetland edge; in the Resource Protection District the distance is 250 feet. A fire pit terrace or stone seating wall near the marsh gets that line drawn on the plan from the first sketch.
At Higgins Beach, the town's character-based zoning notes that Maine DEP's Chapter 355 Coastal Sand Dune Rules may also apply. Granite steps or a walkway in that neighborhood start with a question about the dune system, not an afterthought about it.
Patios · Pavers · Fireplaces · Stone
How we handle hardscaping
From paver and flagstone outdoor patios to cobblestone entries, granite steps, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits, boulder installs, bluestone, natural rock work and stone veneer on house exteriors, we design and build hardscapes that hold their lines through Maine freeze and thaw. Every base is excavated, compacted and pitched for drainage before a single stone is set.
See the full hardscaping service page or everything we do in Scarborough, Maine.
Hardscaping in nearby towns
- Hardscaping in South Portland
- Hardscaping in Cape Elizabeth
- Hardscaping in Portland
- Hardscaping in Westbrook
- Hardscaping in Saco
More services in Scarborough
- Retaining Walls in Scarborough
- Landscaping in Scarborough
- Landscape Design in Scarborough
- Planting & Garden Beds in Scarborough
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Scarborough
- Lawn Aeration & Overseeding in Scarborough
- Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal in Scarborough
- Commercial Mowing & Cleanups in Scarborough
- Excavation & Land Clearing in Scarborough
- Septic Systems in Scarborough
- Tree & Shrub Services in Scarborough
- Tree Removal in Scarborough
Sources for the local facts on this page
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