Landscaping in Delaware County, PA: older yards, stream banks and local help
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Delaware County homeowners know before hiring a landscaper?
Delaware County packs a lot of older housing into a small area. The county describes itself as the fourth most populous in Pennsylvania on the third smallest land mass, 184 square miles divided into forty-nine municipalities. The Census Bureau estimates that 22.1 percent of its 229,715 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, and that 24.0 percent are in buildings with more than one unit. Water is part of the picture too: the county conservation district organizes its pages around Chester, Crum, Darby and Cobbs, and Ridley creeks.
Why does the age of the house matter outdoors?
Because of what may be in the soil. The county says it saw considerable residential development after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, continuing after the Second World War. Penn State Extension says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have used lead-based paint, that paint chips and dust collect in the soil, often most heavily near the foundation, and that lead stays in soil for decades or centuries.
That matters for the jobs landscapers most often do against a house: foundation beds, edging, vegetable gardens and play areas. Penn State recommends testing soil in exactly those places, asking the laboratory for total lead, and says young children are most at risk. The ordinary lawn and garden fertility test does not measure lead, so ask for it specifically.
Does work near a creek need a permit?
It can. The Delaware County Conservation District holds two delegation agreements with the state Department of Environmental Protection: one for erosion and sediment control under Chapter 102 and one for dams and waterways under Chapter 105. The district says many activities in streams, lakes, ponds or wetlands need a state permit, and it handles general permits 1 to 9, which include bank rehabilitation and protection. It links a guide on what you can and cannot do to a stream without a permit.
If a landscaper proposes to shore up an eroding creek bank, place stone along a stream or regrade into a wet area, ask whether a permit is needed before the work is priced. Away from water, the state's erosion rules still apply: every earth disturbance needs erosion controls, and a written plan once it reaches 5,000 square feet.
The district's office is at Rose Tree Park, 1521 N. Providence Road, Media, open Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, phone (610) 892-9484. It updated its erosion and sediment fee schedule on April 20, 2026.
Where can you get gardening advice in the county?
At Smedley Park. The Penn State Extension office is in the Lewis House, 20 Paper Mill Road, Springfield, and its Garden Hotline is free. Master Gardener volunteers take walk-in questions on Tuesday mornings from 10 am to 1 pm and answer the phone at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March through October, Tuesdays only in winter. They cover lawns, mulch, weeds and insects and can identify plants. Soil test kits are sold at the same office.
Can you swap invasive shrubs for native ones?
The state ran a program for it in 2026, and one of its giveaways was in the county. Under the Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program, property owners who removed invasive trees or shrubs, such as Callery pear, burning bush, Japanese barberry or privet, and sent photos as proof could collect free native trees and shrubs. One pickup was in Darby, at Little Flower Park, on May 9, 2026. Participants had to register, and anyone who took part in 2025 could not take part again in 2026. If a landscaper is removing those shrubs for you anyway, check whether the program is running again.
How do you check a contractor or complain?
For patios, walls, walkways and drainage, the Attorney General says landscapers must register as home improvement contractors, and the state's contractor search can be filtered to Delaware County.
The county also runs an Office of Consumer Affairs, which offers voluntary mediation and takes complaints about home repair and remodeling, referring suspected fraud to the District Attorney or the Attorney General. It is in the Government Center Building, 201 West Front Street, Media, phone 610-891-4865. With owner occupancy at 69.6 percent of occupied homes, close to the state's 69.3 percent, a good share of households here are renters, who should agree outdoor work with the owner first.
For the state rules behind all of this, see what Pennsylvania requires. Businesses serving the county are on the Delaware County landscapers page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Your County at a Glance: History, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Permitting (Conservation District), Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- 25 Pa. Code § 102.4. Erosion and sediment control requirements., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- Garden Hotline (Delaware County Master Gardeners), Penn State Extension
- Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Lead in Residential Soils: Sources, Testing, and Reducing Exposure, Penn State Extension
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General