Austin infill. Tight lots. Protected trees. Compact-radius machine.
Residential Lot Prep Clearing in Austin
Clear Ground clears tight residential and infill lots in Austin and the Texas Hill Country, working around protected trees with a compact-radius mini excavator. A lot under an acre runs $4,500–$12,000 per lot, usually one to three days on site. It includes root-zone flagging and a before-and-after photo record. Most jobs start 1–3 weeks after approval.
What is residential lot prep clearing?
Tight sites. Careful boundaries.
Most clearing jobs are about scale. This one is about proximity. Protected trees with root-zone limits, neighboring structures within feet, overhead utility lines and City of Austin code all sit on the same small lot. The clearing has to be precise and photographed, and the machine has to fit. For the tree thresholds and root-zone rules themselves, see the Austin tree rules page. Austin's HOME infill rules and how they affect lots are covered on the infill developers page.
How do we work around protected trees?
Root zones flagged first.
In Austin a tree 19 inches or larger is protected, and a heritage species at 24 inches or larger has extra protection. The root zone is one foot of radius per inch of trunk diameter, and City rules limit what can happen inside it. We do not restate the rules here. They are on the Austin tree rules page, with sources. Nearby cities such as West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Bee Cave and Lakeway have their own rules.
Where lots go wrong
How we protect them
Last reviewed: September 2026.
What kinds of residential lots do we clear?
Two, priced on one card.
Both lot types below run on the lot clearing price card, $4,500–$12,000 per lot. Sites of one acre and up are full site clearing.
Urban lots around 5,000–15,000 sq ft in Austin's older neighborhoods such as Bouldin Creek, Zilker, Hyde Park and Travis Heights. These carry the tightest constraints: protected trees whose root zones may cover a large part of the lot, an existing slab or structure, neighbors close by and overhead lines.
Root-zone limits, neighboring fences and structures, and overhead lines. A compact-radius machine is needed. The City may ask for a tree survey before a permit is issued.
Single-family lots where a house is being demolished and the site cleared for a new build. Vegetation clearing is often combined with slab removal and debris clearing. Protected trees add value and cannot be replaced, so the plan protects them first.
Demolition debris is scoped separately from vegetation. Protected trees may sit inside the setback of the old building footprint. The after-clearing photos become the builder's baseline.
Why does a compact-radius excavator matter?
Fits where others don't.
On a tight lot, a conventional excavator's counterweight swings out past the tracks. That swing can clip a fence, a structure or a flagged root zone. A compact-radius machine keeps its body close to the tracks, so it can rotate in a small space.
A machine that fits the lot.
We run a CAT 305.5E2 compact-radius mini excavator with a hydraulic hammer for stump grubbing, grading and rock, and a CAT 299D3 XE compact track loader with a forestry mulching head for vegetation. Neither needs a road closure to reach a residential lot. A Kobelco SK75 covers heavier rock work.
For pool builders and infill developers who have been told "we can't work next to that tree," the answer is usually a smaller machine, a visible flag and a slower pass, not a bigger crew.
How does a residential lot prep job run?
Every protected tree measured. Every root zone marked.
Before any machine enters the lot we walk it with you, measure trunks at 4.5 feet, and calculate the root zone for each protected tree. The result is a site map showing where the machine can work. If the City asks for a formal tree survey with a permit application, an arborist signs it. We coordinate with your arborist and share our map and photos.
Boundaries on the ground before the machine rolls.
Root-zone boundaries are staked and flagged before the machine enters. The operator walks them with us. Where a root zone crosses an area that needs clearing, the plan states the line where machine work stops and hand work or no work begins.
Tight. Precise. Photographed.
The mulching head clears vegetation inside the working envelope and the mini excavator grubs stumps. Debris is ground or hauled, as the bid states. Root extraction of non-protected vegetation can happen in the same mobilization. Nothing is extracted inside a protected root zone.
Trees standing. Lot ready for the builder.
We photograph the protected trees after clearing and walk the lot with you. Your pool builder, architect or GC gets the photos and the root-zone map. A drone topo scan is available as an add-on at $500–$1,500 per scan. Our drone scans measure surfaces, quantities and grades. They are not a boundary survey or a sealed survey by a licensed surveyor, and a drone cannot see below the ground surface.
Get a written quote
for your lot.
We walk the lot, measure the trees, and agree the scope with you. Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk.
How much does residential lot prep clearing cost in Austin?
Lot size, vegetation density, the number of protected trees, machine access and whether root extraction is included set the price. We agree these with you on the site walk before the quote is final.
| Scope | Unit | Duration | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infill or teardown lot clearing, under 1 acre | Per lot | 1–3 days | $4,500–$12,000 |
| Selective clearing around protected trees | Per site | 1–4 days | $5,000–$12,000 |
| Root extraction (mesquite and other resprouters) | Per acre | Same mobilization | $5,000–$8,000 |
| Rough grading to your plan | Per lot | 1–3 days | $2,500–$8,000 |
| Rock milling, where significant | Per acre | Quoted after the walk | $2,500–$6,000 |
Prices reviewed: September 2026. Ranges for Austin and Central Texas; your site walk sets the final number. Lot clearing includes root-zone flagging and a before-and-after photo record. Tree documentation for a permit file is in the selective clearing price table. See all pricing or the land clearing calculator.
Who hires us for residential lot prep?
Contractors on Austin lots who need vegetation cleared before excavation, foundation prep or landscaping, and who have heard "we can't work near that tree" from other crews.
Builders on teardown-rebuild, ADU and lot-split projects who need clearing that is quick, careful around trees, and photographed, because tree preservation is often a permit condition.
Owners preparing a lot for a custom home, ADU, guest house or major landscape project who want the clearing done right once and documented for their builder.
What sets our lot prep apart?
The tree walk and flagging happen before the clearing is scheduled, not the morning of the job. The operator has a visible line.
A compact-radius mini excavator and a compact track loader reach lots that larger equipment cannot work safely.
Dated before-and-after photos of the protected trees give you something to show the City, a lender or a neighbor.
Clearing, rough grading and rock milling can share one visit and one quote.
Residential lot prep questions
Request a Quote.
Root zones marked before the machine arrives.
We answer the same business day. Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk. Call (512) 880-8888 or send the form.