TL;DR
A berm is a constructed mound of soil, shaped long and low with smoothly tapered sides, used in landscaping to screen views, deflect noise, direct surface drainage, or raise planting beds for visual depth. Build quality lies in the proportions, with a height of 18 to 24 inches typical and a base 4 to 6 times the height so mowers can climb it and the mass looks natural, built over compacted fill rather than buried debris.
What it means
A berm is a constructed mound of soil, shaped long and low with smoothly tapered sides, used in landscaping to screen views, deflect noise, direct surface drainage, or raise planting beds for visual depth. Build quality lies in the proportions, with a height of 18 to 24 inches typical and a base 4 to 6 times the height so mowers can climb it and the mass looks natural, built over compacted fill rather than buried debris. Placement must respect drainage, since one set across a flow path dams water against the house or a neighbor. Landscape plans draw them with contour lines, and grading permits can apply above certain heights.
Where it sits in the glossary
Berm is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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