Most of the clearing we do is lots. Of the 241 jobs on our record, 163 were an acre or less, and 62 were half an acre or less. If you own a quarter-acre or half-acre lot somewhere in Florida that has grown over, this is what clearing it actually involves, and what it costs.
What a typical lot looks like on our record
Two sizes come up again and again: a quarter acre (22 jobs) and half an acre (28 jobs). They cluster in towns laid out in quarter- and half-acre lots. North Port tops the list with seven small-lot jobs, followed by Palm Coast and Lake Placid with four each, and Bokeelia and Interlachen with three each.
Of the 62 lots of half an acre or less, 61 were done in one machine day or less, and 45 of them with the skid steer mulcher. It is the narrow, tracked machine that fits a tight infill lot and can work ground that is still damp.
What it costs
A lot like that is one machine day: from $3,000 with the skid steer mulcher, transport included. A quarter acre and a full acre usually cost the same, because the day is the unit and most of what you are paying for is the machine, the operator and the time on your ground.
That makes small lots the most expensive ground we clear per acre. Across our record, lots of half an acre or less covered 0.38 acres per machine day, against about an acre for ordinary parcels and more than three acres a day on big tracts. We set out the full numbers in how much land you can clear in a day, and all three machine rates are on our land clearing cost page.
If the lot has trees thicker than 8 inches, or the roots have to come out, it needs a bigger machine and a different rate: the excavator mulcher from $3,500 a machine day plus transport, or the dedicated mulcher from $4,000 plus transport.
Ways to make it cheaper
- Do neighboring lots together. Two adjoining lots in one visit is one trip for the machine, not two. If the lot next door is overgrown too, it is worth a conversation with the owner.
- Mark what stays. Flag the trees you want kept and the boundary before the machine arrives. The operator stops guessing and starts cutting.
- Make sure it can get in. A gate the trailer fits through, or a frontage it can drive straight onto, saves time on the day.
- Pick dry weather if you can. Tracked machines cope with wet ground, but they cope slowly.
What a mulcher leaves behind
A forestry mulcher cuts, grinds and spreads in one pass. What you get back is a lot covered in a layer of mulch, with stumps ground off at the surface. Nothing is piled at the road, nothing is burned and nothing is hauled away.
That is the right finish for most lots: one being sold, one you want to see across, or one that needs to be walked by a surveyor, fenced or simply kept clear. On sandy Florida ground the mulch layer also holds the soil through the wet season instead of letting it wash.
What it does not do is take roots out of the ground or level the lot.
Building on it? Ask your builder this first
If you are clearing to build, ask your builder one question before you book anyone: does the house pad need the roots out?
Mulching leaves the root mass in place. For a driveway, a yard or most of a lot, that is fine. For the footprint of a house, or a pad that has to be compacted, many builders want the roots removed. That is grubbing, which means the excavator mulcher at its own rate. Our guide to grubbing versus clearing explains the difference.
Grading and finished levels are a different contractor again. We clear the ground so the people who come next can get to work. And if your boundary is not obvious, have it surveyed and staked first. We clear to stakes, not to guesses.
Permits
Tree and clearing rules in Florida are set locally. County rules usually apply to unincorporated land; if your lot is inside city limits, the city’s code governs instead. Thresholds and fees differ from place to place, so confirm with whichever office covers your lot before clearing starts. Our Florida land clearing permit guide is a good place to start. We are not the permit office and we do not file applications.
Getting a price on your lot
Text us a few photographs: one from the road, one from inside, and one with something in frame for scale. Tell us the lot size and what you want left standing. Most lots can be priced from that without anyone driving out, and we usually reply the same day.
Call or text 813-733-6607. Insured, and we send the certificate before the machine moves. Every lot behind the numbers above is published on our job record.
