Land Clearing in Alachua County, Florida
Forestry mulching and underbrushing across Alachua County. 8 finished jobs and 44 machine days on the ground here since 2024.
Jobs completed in the county
Towns worked
Machine days on the ground
Working in Alachua County since
What Alachua County work looks like
Eight finished jobs in Alachua County, across three towns. Hawthorne accounts for four of them. Sizes run from 0.5 acres up to 66 acres. Three of them finished inside a single eight hour machine day.
The largest was 66 acres in Hawthorne, Jun 2025. Of the four jobs where the scope named a machine, three ran with the skid steer mulcher and one with the dedicated mulcher. Which machine your lot needs is the main thing that moves the price, and we work that out from photographs before you commit.
finished in one machine day
Alachua County, Jan 2024 to May 2026.
Every Alachua County job we have finished
All 8 completed jobs in the county, taken straight off our schedule. Acreage is as the owner described it at quote time. Machine days are hours on the ground divided by eight.
| When | Town | Size | Machine | Machine days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | Hawthorne | 5 acres | Mulcher | 4 |
| Mar 2024 | Hawthorne | 1 acres | Mulcher | 1 |
| Apr 2025 | Alachua | 3 acres | Skid steer mulcher | 2 |
| Apr 2025 | Micanopy | 1 acres | Mulcher | 1 |
| Jun 2025 | Hawthorne | 64 acres | Skid steer mulcher | 18 |
| Jun 2025 | Hawthorne | 66 acres | Dedicated mulcher | 15 |
| Dec 2025 | Micanopy | 3 acres | Mulcher | 2 |
| May 2026 | Alachua | 0.5 acres | Skid steer mulcher | 1 |
Where in Alachua County we have worked
Every marker is a town with at least one finished job, sized by how many. The dashed lines are the neighbouring counties.
Which machine your lot needs
Which machine we send is the single biggest thing that moves your price, and it comes down to the thickest stems on the property. Measure the two or three biggest and tell us.
The everyday machine and the one most jobs need. Saw palmetto, gallberry, yaupon and ordinary understory. Narrow enough for tight infill lots, and light enough on tracks to work ground that is still damp.
The bigger head, for real timber and heavy hardwood regrowth. It costs more per day but it finishes jobs the skid steer would still be chewing on.
Not sure what you have? Send photographs with something in frame for scale and we will tell you which machine it is before we quote.
per machine day in Alachua County
We price by the machine day, not by the acre, because an acre of light palmetto and an acre of heavy pepper are not the same job. The rate goes up when the ground needs the larger dedicated mulcher instead of the skid steer.
Most Hawthorne lots finish inside one eight hour day. Heavier ground, or a lot that has to be left fine enough to build on, runs to sixteen hours. Send photographs and the acreage and we will price it before anyone drives out.
Tell us the acreage and roughly what is on it. We reply the same day.
Fully insured. Certificate sent before we start. Free quotes from photographs.
Permits in Alachua County
County tree and clearing rules in Florida almost always apply to the unincorporated county only. If your parcel sits inside city limits, the city code governs instead. Confirm with whichever office covers your parcel before clearing starts, and read our Florida permit guide first.
A building permit generally covers about an acre of clearing. Past that the county wants a Vegetation Removal Permit.
Taking tallow or privet out mechanically, with a mulcher or a skid steer, is permitted work even though the plants are invasive.
Clearing native vegetation along a perimeter fence needs a removal permit alongside the fence permit.
Exotics growing under native trees cannot be taken out mechanically, because of the root zone inside the drip line.
Fees start at 250 dollars for the first acre, then 50 dollars per acre after that.
Proof of ownership, a site plan showing protected vegetation, and an aerial with a vegetation inventory.
We are not the permit office and the code changes. Confirm anything critical with Alachua County Growth Management before you commit.
What we do on Alachua County properties
| Forestry mulching | One machine cuts, grinds and spreads in a single pass. Nothing hauled, nothing burned. |
| Underbrush removal | The most common Alachua County job. Palmetto and pepper out, pines and palms left standing. |
| Selective clearing | You mark what stays. Five acres cleared in Hawthorne around mature trees and palms without touching them. |
| Invasive removal | Chinese tallow, privet and cogongrass. Permitted work in this county. |
| Fence line clearing | A clean line so a fence crew can work. Half a day to a day depending on the run. |
| Site prep | Back dragging and finishing so a builder or surveyor can get to work. |
How a Hawthorne job runs
A few clear pictures and the acreage. Usually enough to price it without a visit.
A machine day rate and an honest day count for the lot. No per acre guesswork.
Material mulched where it stands. You mark anything that has to survive before we start.
Before the machine leaves. If a corner needs another pass it gets one.
Alachua County land clearing questions
Are you licensed and insured?
We carry liability insurance and we will send you the certificate before we start. On the licence question, Florida does not issue a contractor licence for forestry mulching, so there is no mulching licence for anyone to hold. Insurance is the thing that actually protects you, and that is the document worth asking every contractor for.
Do I need a permit to clear my lot in Hawthorne?
Often yes. A building permit generally covers around an acre. Beyond that, or for mechanical removal of exotics, or for clearing a native fence line, Alachua County wants a Vegetation Removal Permit. We tell you which applies before the machine is booked.
How big a tree can the machine handle?
The skid steer mulcher handles stems up to 8 inches in diameter, which covers most underbrushing work. The larger dedicated mulcher takes trees up to 24 inches. Which machine comes out changes the day rate, so tell us the biggest stems on the lot and we will send the right one.
Can you clear around trees I want to keep?
Yes, and in Alachua County it is most of what we do. On a five acre Hawthorne job we took the understory out and left the mature trees and palms untouched. Mark what stays, or walk the lot with the operator first.
What happens to the brush and trees?
It stays on the ground as mulch. Nothing piled, hauled off or burned. On sand that is an advantage, because the mulch holds the soil through the wet season instead of letting it wash.
How long does an acre take?
One acre of ordinary underbrush is usually an eight hour day. Heavier ground, or a lot that has to be finished fine enough to build on, runs to sixteen hours.
Can you work in the wet season?
Usually. Tracked machines spread their weight and do far less damage than wheels on soft ground. Dry season is faster and cheaper, so if the job can wait it is worth waiting.
Towns in Alachua County
Get a price on your Alachua County lot
Send a few photographs and the acreage. Most Alachua County jobs can be priced from that without anyone driving out.