Running power to a detached garage, shop, or shed is one of the most common trenching calls we get in Central Minnesota — and one of the most misunderstood, because two different trades split the work. Here is what the trench itself actually costs in 2026, how the job divides between the trenching crew and your electrician, and what to expect along the way. With a dedicated trencher in our own fleet, we keep the trench side fast, clean, and affordable.
The Short Version
- Typical residential trenching: $10–$20 per linear foot in Central MN
- The split: we dig and backfill — your licensed electrician runs the line
- Example: a 100-foot house-to-garage run is often a few hundred dollars on the trench side
- 811 first: Gopher State One Call is free and required — we coordinate it
What trenching costs per foot
Typical residential trenching in Central Minnesota runs $10 to $20 per linear foot, and where a job lands in that range comes down to three things: depth, soil, and access. A straight run across open lawn in decent soil sits at the low end. Our rocky glacial soil is the usual wildcard — when the trencher starts pulling up field rock or grinding through mature tree roots, production slows and the price climbs. Long, open runs are also cheaper per foot than short, chopped-up ones, because setup gets spread across more footage.
How the job splits with your electrician
This is the part most homeowners have not heard, and it is where the savings live. The trenching crew and the electrician each do what they are best at. We dig the trench to the burial depth your electrician and local code specify, the electrician supplies and lays the conduit and wire and makes the connections at both ends, the inspection happens, and then we come back and backfill. You are never paying licensed-electrician hourly rates for a machine to move dirt — which is exactly what happens when one outfit does it all and marks up the digging. The split keeps every dollar in the right column and keeps the whole job to code.
A real example: power to a detached garage
The classic job: a 100-foot run from the house to a detached garage so the shop finally has real power. On the trench side, a run like that is often a few hundred dollars — dug, inspected, and backfilled. We quote it firm after a quick look at the route, because the difference between open lawn and a run threading past trees, a septic line, and a paver patio is real. Send us the rough footage and a couple of photos and you will have a number fast.
Call 811 first — we take care of it
Before any trench gets cut, the underground utilities have to be located. In Minnesota that is Gopher State One Call (811) — it is free, it is required, and we coordinate the locate as part of the job. Gas, power, and communication lines get marked before the trencher ever shows up. It costs you nothing and it is not optional, so there is no reason to skip it — and we never do.
More than just power
Once people find out what a trench actually costs, the wish list tends to grow. Common runs we cut alongside or instead of electrical:
- Water lines — trenched deep enough to sit safely below frost
- Sump and downspout discharge — pipe roof and sump water away from the foundation for good
- Irrigation — supply lines for sprinkler systems
- Low-voltage and fiber conduit — landscape lighting, internet to the shop, security cameras
If you are opening up the yard once, think about everything you might ever want on the other end of it. Empty conduit dropped into an open trench is the cheapest utility you will ever install.
What your yard looks like after
A dedicated trencher cuts a narrow slot, not a backhoe crater. The spoil sits in a tidy row beside the cut, goes right back in at backfill, and gets compacted so the line does not settle into a visible trough. Where the run crosses lawn you care about, we can finish with screened black dirt and a seed-ready surface — by next season the only evidence is that the garage lights turn on. See our trenching service for more.
Get a number
Call or text (320) 360-8285 with the rough footage — house to garage, meter to shop, whatever the run is — and we will get you a fast quote for the trench side. Already have an electrician? Perfect, we will coordinate directly with them. Electricians: we are happy to be your go-to trenching partner — you run wire, we move dirt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typical residential trenching in Central Minnesota runs $10–$20 per linear foot. The big drivers are depth, soil, access, and total length — rocky glacial soil and tree roots push jobs toward the high end, while long open-lawn runs are the cheapest per foot.
No — and that is the point. We dig the trench to the depth your electrician and local code specify, your licensed electrician supplies and runs the conduit and wire, and we backfill after inspection. The split saves you money and keeps everything to code.
Yes — Gopher State One Call (811) locates underground utilities before any digging in Minnesota. It is free and it is required, and we coordinate it as part of every trenching job.
Related: Trenching • Excavation • Land Clearing