LANDWORKPRO
Land Clearing

Land Clearing Software Built for How You Actually Bid Jobs

Per-acre estimating with method selection, grubbing, erosion control, demolition add-ons, and timber credits. Every line item operators actually need. Not a lawn care app with a bulldozer icon.

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Build a Land Clearing Bid
Acres2.0
0.540
Crew Day Rate$3,500
$2,000$8,000
Clearing Method
Vegetation Density
Terrain
Access
Large Trees (>18" DBH)
0× $
Days on Site
3.3
Your Bid
$12,017
$6,008 per acre
Base cost (mulch)$11,667
Multipliers1.0×
Mobilization$350
What's your real margin on this job?Find Out →
2 ac × $3,500/day ÷ 0.6 apd + $350 mob

How to Price Land Clearing Jobs

Land clearing starts with the same formula as forestry mulching: crew day rate ÷ acres per day. But the numbers are fundamentally different. Land clearing is slower, heavier, and has more moving parts. Where a forestry mulcher might do 1.5–2 acres per day on medium brush, a land clearing crew running a dozer, excavator, and dump trucks might clear 0.5–0.8 acres per day on the same lot.

That slower pace means your per-acre cost is 2–3× higher than mulching. The number of add-on line items that can make or break your margin is significantly larger. Grubbing, erosion control, rough grading, demolition, permit costs, and debris hauling are all real costs that most operators either forget or absorb.

Choosing Your Clearing Method

The method you choose drives everything downstream. Equipment, crew size, debris handling, and timeline. There are three primary approaches:

Grubbing vs. Stump Grinding. When You Need Which

This is one of the most common scope disputes in land clearing. Stump grinding.Removes the visible stump to 4–12 inches below grade. It's fast, relatively cheap ($150–$300/acre), and sufficient for pasture, landscaping, or recreational use.

Grubbing.Pulls the entire root ball out of the ground. It's slower, requires an excavator, and typically runs $1,000–$1,500/acre. You need grubbing when the site will have a building pad, foundation, septic system, or paved surface. Anywhere subsurface roots would cause settling or structural problems.

If the bid says “clearing” but doesn't specify whether grubbing is included, you're setting yourself up for a scope dispute. Always call it out as a separate line item, included or excluded, so the customer knows exactly what they're getting.

The Line Items That Kill Land Clearing Margins

Erosion Control

Most jurisdictions require an erosion control plan before issuing a land disturbance permit. Common line items: silt fence ($3–$5/linear foot installed), straw bales ($8–$12/bale), hydroseed ($0.15–$0.25/SF). On a 5-acre clearing job, erosion control can easily add $2,000–$5,000 to the bid. Operators who forget to include it eat the cost.

Large Tree Surcharges

Trees over 18" DBH (diameter at breast height) slow production dramatically. Your per-acre rate assumes average vegetation. A 30" oak or a cluster of mature hardwoods is a separate line item. Most operators charge $200–$500 per large tree depending on species, lean, and proximity to structures. A 5-acre lot with 8 large oaks is a fundamentally different job than 5 acres of 6" pine.

Permits and Pass-Through Costs

Land clearing permits vary by county and municipality. Common requirements include land disturbance permits, burn permits ($100–$500), tree removal permits (for protected species or size limits), and erosion control certifications. These are all pass-through costs. The customer pays for them, but only if you remember to put them in the bid.

Timber Credits

If the property has merchantable timber (hardwoods over 14" DBH, mature pine plantations), that timber has value. You can reduce the customer's clearing cost with a timber credit ($500–$3,000+ depending on species and volume) or negotiate to keep the timber value yourself. Either way, it needs to be a visible line item on the bid, not a mental adjustment to your per-acre rate.

Demolition as Part of Land Clearing

Many land clearing jobs include structures: mobile homes, barns, sheds, outbuildings. Demolition isn't a separate trade, it's a use case of land clearing. The operator who can clear the lot and handle the demo in one mobilization wins the bid over the customer hiring two separate contractors.

Key demolition line items: structure type (drives crew-day estimate), structure square footage (drives debris volume), haul to dump ($95/load typical), dump fees (jurisdiction-dependent), and salvage credits for recoverable metal or lumber.

What Should Be in Every Land Clearing Bid

LandWorkPro builds all of this into every land clearing bid. Method selection, grubbing toggle, erosion control line items, large tree counter, timber credits, demolition add-ons, and permit costs. All in one estimate that takes 30 seconds to build and sends directly to the customer's phone.

Built by an Operator. For Operators.

Bid Land Clearing Jobs in 30 Seconds

All your line items, multipliers, and add-ons built into one estimate. Sends straight to the customer's phone with deposit collection built in.

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Land Clearing Software Questions, Answered

How do I price land clearing per acre?+
Start with your crew day rate and divide by your realistic acres-per-day. Land clearing is significantly slower than forestry mulching. A medium-density lot typically runs 0.5–0.8 acres per day depending on method. At a $3,500/day crew rate and 0.6 acres per day, your base cost is roughly $5,800/acre before grubbing, erosion control, or debris handling.
What's the difference between mulch, push & pile, and cut & haul?+
Mulch uses a mulcher to grind vegetation in place. Fastest and cheapest but leaves material on site. Push & pile uses a dozer to windrow and stack debris for burning or later removal. Cut & haul involves felling, bucking, and hauling timber off-site. Slowest but recovers timber value. The right method depends on the end use of the land and local burn regulations.
When do I need grubbing vs stump grinding?+
Stump grinding removes the visible stump to below grade level. Grubbing pulls the entire root ball out of the ground. You need grubbing when the site will have a building pad, foundation, or paved surface. Anywhere subsurface roots would cause settling or structural issues. Stump grinding is sufficient for pasture, landscaping, or recreational use. Grubbing typically runs $1,000–$1,500/acre; stump grinding $150–$300/acre.
What permits do I need for land clearing?+
Requirements vary by jurisdiction, but common permits include: land disturbance permits (required in most counties over a certain acreage), burn permits (for on-site debris burning), tree removal permits (for protected species or diameter limits), and erosion control plans (often required before a clearing permit is issued). Always check county and municipal requirements before bidding. Permit costs are pass-throughs that need to be in the estimate.
How do I handle timber credits in land clearing bids?+
If the property has merchantable timber (hardwoods over 14" DBH, pine plantations), the timber has value. You can either give the landowner a credit on the clearing bid (reducing your price) or negotiate to keep the timber value yourself. Common credits range from $500–$3,000+ depending on species, volume, and local mill prices. Always get a timber cruise or estimate before committing to a credit amount.
What should I charge for large trees on a clearing job?+
Trees over 18" DBH slow production significantly and should be priced as separate line items, not absorbed into your per-acre rate. Typical surcharges run $200–$500 per large tree depending on species, lean, and proximity to structures or utilities. A 5-acre lot with 8 large oaks is a fundamentally different job than 5 acres of 6" pine. Your bid needs to reflect that.
What's the best land clearing bidding software for contractors?+
Most land clearing operators bid from a spreadsheet or a pricing guide and end up underquoting jobs by 15-20%. LandWorkPro is the land clearing bidding software built to fix that. Method selector (mulch-in-place, grub and burn, grub and haul, selective, custom), haul distance, burn complexity, timber credits, demolition add-ons, and erosion control are all built into the bid form. Quotes go out from your phone in under 60 seconds. The land clearing estimating tool on this page is the same engine that runs in the app.
Is there a land clearing estimating tool that handles demolition too?+
Yes. LandWorkPro's land clearing software treats demolition as a use case of land clearing, not a separate trade. Mobile homes, barns, sheds, old farmhouses all fit inside the same bid form with structure type, debris cubic yards, dump fees, salvage credits, and permit toggles. One app, one workflow, one quote for the customer whether the job is pure clearing, pure demo, or both.

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