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Land Clearing project guide
Brush, trees, stumps and roots removed by mulcher, dozer or excavator, sized to the lot and what you plan to do with it.
Key facts
Rules and figures that come up in nearly every land clearing quote, with the public source for each one.
| Fact | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stormwater permit trigger | Land clearing counts as construction disturbance: 1 acre or more needs NPDES stormwater permit coverage. | EPA, Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities (NPDES)As of September 2026 |
| 811 locates | Call 811 a few business days before any digging, including stump removal and trenching for fence lines. | Common Ground Alliance, 811 Before You DigAs of September 2026 |
| Operator wages | The median construction equipment operator earned $58,320 per year in May 2024. | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook HandbookAs of September 2026 |
Project guide
Land clearing removes trees, brush, stumps and roots so a parcel can be built on, farmed, fenced or simply seen. The method drives the price. A forestry mulcher grinds standing brush and small trees into chips in a single pass and leaves the ground surface intact; a dozer with a root rake pushes everything into piles for burning or hauling; an excavator with a thumb pulls stumps and stacks logs. Grubbing, which means pulling stumps and roots, is a separate step from clearing and is required anywhere a foundation, driveway or septic field will go. Selective clearing around trees you want to keep takes more hand work and more time than clearing a lot wall to wall.
GradeLine lists 6,437 land clearing contractors.Compare their work and equipment, then confirm availability and service area before requesting a quote.
Listed businesses are based in Spokane, Holly Hill, , Elizabethtown, Flintville, Valley Falls, though most crews travel well beyond their home city.
Forestry mulching typically runs $150 to $250 per hour or $1,500 to $4,000 per acre for light to moderate brush. Full clearing and grubbing of a wooded acre commonly costs $3,000 to $8,000 and can exceed $10,000 for dense hardwood or steep ground. Individual stump grinding is usually $100 to $400 per stump depending on diameter.
Ranges are national and approximate; regional labor rates, material prices and site conditions move them in both directions.
Forestry mulching typically runs $150 to $250 per hour or $1,500 to $4,000 per acre for light to moderate brush. Full clearing and grubbing of a wooded acre commonly costs $3,000 to $8,000 and can exceed $10,000 for dense hardwood or steep ground. Individual stump grinding is usually $100 to $400 per stump depending on diameter.
Flag the boundaries and the keep trees with tape, share the survey if you have one, and tell the contractor what the land is for; a pasture and a house site call for different finish work.
The main cost items are acreage, tree density and trunk diameter: a lot of 12-inch hardwoods costs far more than one with saplings; slope, soft ground and how close a machine can get to the work; what happens to the debris: mulching in place, burning, chipping, hauling to a landfill or selling merchantable timber. A site visit helps the crew see which ones apply.
Many cities and counties require a tree removal or land disturbance permit above a certain acreage or trunk size, and open burning needs a permit almost everywhere. Clearing near a creek, wetland or shoreline can trigger state or federal review, and some counties protect specific species such as live oaks.
Pick a state to see the land clearing contractors listed there. Most crews travel well beyond their home city, so confirm the service area before requesting a quote.
Contractor directory
6,437 contractors found

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excavation, site prep, land clearing, hauling trucking, erosion control, foundations
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excavation, grading, site prep, land clearing, trenching underground, pond water management
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excavation, grading, site prep, land clearing, trenching underground, septic systems
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erosion control, excavation, grading, hauling trucking, land clearing, site prep
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