At a glance
- Mulching, light
- $1,800 – $2,500 / acre stems under 4 inches
- Mulching, medium
- $2,500 – $3,500 / acre 8 to 10 inch trees
- Mulching, dense
- $3,500 – $4,000+ / acre over 10 inches
- Dozer and rake
- $1,000 – $3,500 / acre plus debris removal, which is separate
- Cut and haul off
- $3,395 – $6,155 / acre heavily forested ground
- Stormwater permit
- at 1 acre federal Clean Water Act threshold
- Stump grinding
- $150 – $500 each almost always quoted separately
Forestry mulching runs $1,800 to $2,500 an acre on light brush and $3,500 to $4,000 and up where trees exceed ten inches. A dozer is $1,000 to $3,500 an acre but does not include hauling the debris away. Cut-and-haul on heavy timber is $3,395 to $6,155.
The method you choose moves the price more than the acreage does — and the debris line moves it more than the method.
| Method and density | Typical range | Average | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry mulching — light | $1,800 – $2,500 | — | Grass, brush, stems under 4 in |
| Forestry mulching — medium | $2,500 – $3,500 | — | 8 to 10 in trees |
| Forestry mulching — dense | $3,500 – $4,000+ | — | Over 10 in |
| Dozer and rake | $1,000 – $3,500 | — | Excludes debris removal |
| Cut and haul off — heavy | $3,395 – $6,155 | — | Heavily forested ground |
| Debris hauling | ~$400 / acre + | — | Plus dump fees |
| Stump grinding | $150 – $500 | — | Per stump, separate line |
| Grading after clearing | $2,000 – $5,000+ | — | Home site; a different trade |
Last updated: · Reviewed by Nisar Dalvi
Why do clearing quotes vary so much on the same acreage?
Because three different jobs get called "land clearing," and they cost different money.
- Forestry mulching. One machine grinds standing vegetation into chips that stay on the ground as cover. No trucks, no dump fees, no debris pile. It is the cheapest route on brush and small trees.
- Dozer and rake. Push everything into piles. The clearing price looks low because the piles are still your problem — burning, chipping or hauling comes after, and it is a separate line.
- Cut and haul off. Everything leaves the property. It is the most expensive by a distance, and it is what you need when there is no room to leave material behind.
Compare quotes on what leaves your property, not on the per-acre number. A $1,200-an-acre dozer quote and a $2,400-an-acre mulching quote can finish at the same total once the debris is dealt with.
What does each method cost per acre?
Honest caveat first, because it matters more than the table. No source publishes a full grid of every vegetation density against every method. We went looking for one. What follows is the subset that is actually published; the missing combinations are missing because nobody prices them separately, not because we left them out.
| Vegetation | Forestry mulching | Dozer / cut and haul |
|---|---|---|
| Light — grass, scattered brush | $1,800 – $2,500 | Dozer $1,000 – $3,500 across densities, plus debris removal. Cut-and-haul on heavy timber $3,395 – $6,155. |
| Medium — 8 to 10 in trees | $2,500 – $3,500 | |
| Dense — over 10 in | $3,500 – $4,000+ |
Basis: 2026 clearing-contractor and cost-aggregator pricing. Dozer pricing is published across densities rather than split by them, which is why that column is a single range — reporting it as a neat three-way split would be inventing precision that does not exist.
Where does clearing stop and the next trade start?
This is the most common source of a nasty surprise. A clearing price normally does not include:
- Stump grinding or removal — $150 to $500 per stump. Mulching grinds to grade and leaves the root ball in the ground.
- Grading or leveling — a separate trade, $2,000 to $5,000 and up for a home site.
- Debris hauling and disposal — around $400 an acre plus dump fees where it is a separate line at all.
- Burn permits, where burning is even allowed.
- Erosion control on the cleared ground.
The buyer order runs clearing → grubbing → grading → build. Each step is quoted by a different crew, and pricing them as one job is how budgets blow up.
What size trees can the machine actually handle?
Trunk diameter decides the price far more than tree count does, and the limits are set by the machine's hydraulic flow class:
| Machine | Handles up to |
|---|---|
| Standard-flow skid steer | about 4 inches |
| High-flow skid steer | 6 to 8 inches |
| Extra-high-flow | into 10 inch material |
| Dedicated track machine, 400+ hp | 12 to 15 inches |
Above the head's rating, the economics change completely. Trees have to be felled and handled one at a time instead of ground where they stand, which is slower, more dangerous and priced accordingly.
Basis: mulching-head manufacturer specifications and machine flow classes, 2026. Ask your contractor what head and flow class they are bringing and what it is rated for — it is a fair question and the answer predicts your price.
Do I need a permit to clear land?
At one acre, yes — and it is a federal rule, not a local one. The Clean Water Act NPDES stormwater program covers construction activity that disturbs "1 acre or more of land, or Less than 1 acre of land, but that is part of a common plan of development or sale that will ultimately disturb 1 or more acres of land."
And "construction activity" is not a loophole. The EPA defines it as "earth-disturbing activities such as clearing, grading, and excavating land and other construction-related activities that could generate pollutants." Clearing is named explicitly.
In Florida this is administered as the FDEP Construction Generic Permit, with a stormwater pollution prevention plan that runs $2,000 to $5,000 for a straightforward one-to-five acre project. Budget for it — it is a real line, not paperwork you can absorb.
Three more you will not see coming:
- County tree ordinances. Florida runs these at county level. Santa Rosa requires permits above a set trunk size; Escambia requires development review above 5,000 square feet and separate permits for native hardwoods.
- Burn permits. Issued by the county or state forestry service, usually free or under $100, and suspended during drought declarations.
- Wetlands. The genuine blindside. Federal Section 404 jurisdiction applies regardless of acreage, so a half-acre clearing job can still need a permit if the ground is wet in the wrong way.
Verified at source: EPA NPDES stormwater discharges from construction activities, read 7 August 2026. The acreage threshold and the definition of construction activity are quoted above in the EPA's own words.
Is my timber worth anything?
Usually not enough to matter, and it is better to know that now.
Pine and some hardwoods can be sold to a timber buyer before the dozer work starts, and on the right property that genuinely offsets the clearing bill. Four things have to line up:
- Acreage — buyers typically want 10 to 20 acres or more to be worth mobilizing
- Merchantable species
- Truck access to the stand
- A mill within economic hauling distance
Scattered trees on a residential lot are worth nothing net once felling and hauling are priced in. Where a sale does work, it is the single case in which traditional clearing beats mulching on total cost.
Work out your own number
Our land clearing cost calculator takes acreage, vegetation density and method and returns a range built from the figures on this page.
Clearing only what you need is the cheapest decision available to you — every acre you leave standing is money you keep. Our raw land buying checklist covers what to check before you own the problem at all.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces back to one of these. Open them and check us — that is what they are here for.
- US EPA — Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities The one-acre federal permit threshold for clearing and grading.
- USDA NRCS — Web Soil Survey Free soil series and percolation data for any US parcel.
Links verified August 2026. Tell us at info@landclearingandexcavation.com if one has moved.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to clear an acre of land?
$1,800 to $2,500 an acre for light brush by forestry mulching, rising to $3,500 to $4,000 and up where trees are over ten inches. A dozer runs $1,000 to $3,500 an acre but does not include getting the debris off your property.
Cut-and-haul on heavily forested ground is the expensive end at $3,395 to $6,155 an acre.
Is forestry mulching cheaper than traditional clearing?
Usually — about 20% to 40% cheaper once hauling, disposal and stump grinding are counted, because mulching leaves the material on site as ground cover instead of trucking it away.
Hauling and dump fees alone can add over $2,000 an acre, and that line is what usually decides it.
Two exceptions. Mulching stops being feasible above roughly 10 to 12 inch timber, and if you have salvageable timber worth selling, traditional clearing can come out ahead.
Does land clearing include stump removal?
No, and this is the commonest gap between a quote and a finished site.
Mulching grinds vegetation to grade but leaves the root ball in the ground. Traditional clearing quotes price stump grinding separately, typically $150 to $500 per stump.
If you are putting a foundation, a driveway or a septic drain field over that ground, you need the stumps out. Ask for it as a line item rather than assuming.
Do I need a permit to clear land?
Very possibly, and the threshold is lower than most people expect. Under the federal Clean Water Act NPDES program, construction activity — which explicitly includes clearing, grading and excavating — needs a stormwater permit once it disturbs one acre or more.
It also applies below an acre if your work is part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will ultimately disturb an acre.
On top of that: county tree ordinances, burn permits, and federal wetland jurisdiction, which applies at any size.
What size trees can a forestry mulcher handle?
Capability is set by the machine's hydraulic flow, and the numbers are specific. A standard-flow skid steer head handles about 4 inch material, high-flow reaches 6 to 8 inches, extra-high-flow gets into 10 inch stems, and dedicated 400-plus horsepower track machines reach 12 to 15 inches.
Above the head's rating the price jumps, because trees have to be felled and handled individually rather than mulched where they stand. A machine rated for six-inch stems will not touch a two-foot oak.
Can I sell the timber to offset the clearing cost?
Rarely, and it is worth knowing why before you count on it.
A timber sale is realistic when four things line up: enough acreage — buyers typically want 10 to 20 acres or more — merchantable species, truck access, and a mill within economic hauling distance.
Scattered trees on a residential lot have effectively zero net value once felling and hauling are priced. Where it does work, that is the one case in which traditional clearing beats mulching on cost.
What happens after the land is cleared?
Clearing gets the vegetation off. It does not leave you a building pad.
The usual order is clearing, then grubbing out roots and stumps, then grading, then the build. Grading a home site is a separate trade at $2,000 to $5,000 and up.
Several jurisdictions also require erosion control on freshly cleared ground, which is part of the stormwater permit obligation rather than an optional extra.
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