How much does it cost to clear land?
Clearing is one line on a land project, not the whole bill. The clearing itself is crew days multiplied by a crew day rate, and our bid engine assumes 0.6 acres per day on medium density, flat, easy access ground. Permits, erosion control, stump disposal and haul off are priced separately.
Why there is no average price on this page
LandWorkPro does not publish an average price per acre. We hold real invoice totals from closed jobs, and as of 2026-09-03 the number of closed land clearing jobs with a recorded acreage is one. Our own anonymity floor requires at least five contributing operators before any figure is published, so one job is not a number we will print. What is on this page instead is the arithmetic and the production rate our bid engine actually uses.
What actually drives the number
- The clearing itself
- Crew days times the crew day rate. At 0.6 acres per day, a five acre tract of typical ground is roughly eight crew days before any condition multiplier.
- Permits and land disturbance
- Most counties require a land disturbance permit above a threshold acreage, and burning usually needs its own permit. These are pass through costs and vary by jurisdiction, so they belong on the estimate as named line items.
- Erosion control
- Silt fence, matting and seeding are often a condition of the clearing permit rather than an optional extra. If a quote does not mention erosion control, ask whether the permit requires it.
- Stump handling
- Grinding and grubbing are different operations at different prices, and the choice is driven by what the land is for afterwards, not by preference.
- Debris and haul off
- Burning on site, chipping, or hauling to a facility. Haul distance and tipping fees drive this, and a long haul can rival the clearing line on a small tract.
- Timber value
- Merchantable timber can offset the bill. Whether that credit goes to the landowner or the contractor is a negotiation, and it should be explicit in writing before work starts.
Work out your own number
The free crew day calculator takes your rate, your acreage and the site conditions and returns your crew days and your break even. No account needed.
Open the crew day calculatorCommon questions
What is usually left out of a land clearing quote?
Permits, erosion control and stump disposal are the three that most often surprise a landowner. None of them are hidden fees; they are separate scopes that a clearing price does not automatically include. Ask which of the three are in the number you have been given.
Should I clear land before or after I have a site plan?
After, wherever possible. Grubbing requirements, erosion control and where debris can be stacked all depend on what is being built and where. Clearing first often means paying twice, once to clear and again to move material that ended up in the way.
Can I keep the timber value?
Sometimes. If the tract carries merchantable timber, that value is real and it is negotiable. Get it settled in writing before work starts, because once the material is on the ground the conversation is much harder.
Does LandWorkPro publish average land clearing prices?
No. Our anonymity floor requires at least five contributing operators before we publish a figure drawn from closed jobs, and as of 2026-09-03 we have one closed land clearing job with a recorded acreage. We publish the method instead.