Construction-Ready Lot Clearing in Austin

Pad-ready. Graded to your plan.

Clear Ground clears lots under one acre to bare, construction-ready dirt in Austin and the Texas Hill Country: trees cut, stumps grubbed, debris hauled or ground, rough grade set. A lot runs $4,500–$12,000 per lot, usually one to three days on site. Most jobs start 1–3 weeks after approval.

Request a Quote Land Clearing Overview

Before

Overgrown lot · Protected tree to keep

After · Pad Ready

The same lot cleared to bare dirt with the oak left standing (illustration) — Illustration

Cleared · Grubbed · Graded

1–3 Days

Typical on site

< 1 Acre

Lot size

48hr

Written quote after the walk

Mobilization

Service Overview

What is construction-ready
lot clearing?

Lot clearing takes an undeveloped or overgrown residential lot, with cedar, live oak, caliche, old fencing and debris, and delivers bare, graded ground your next trade can mobilize onto. It covers lots under one acre. Sites of one acre and up are priced as full site clearing.

This is not forestry mulching. The outcome is bare dirt to spec, not a mulched finish. Stumps are grubbed, not ground flush. Grade is cut and filled to your drainage plan.

It is the usual first phase for pool builds, infill construction and residential development in the Austin metro and Hill Country.

Outcome 01

Bare ground to spec

Vegetation removed, stumps grubbed below grade, surface cleared to bare dirt. No organic material left in the construction zone.

Outcome 02

Grade set to plan

Rough grade cut and filled to your drainage plan and checked against it before handoff. Your engineer keeps the final say on design.

Outcome 03

Photo record

Before-and-after photos for your pool builder, GC or reviewer. A drone topo scan is available as an add-on at $500–$1,500 per scan.

The Difference

How is this different from a standard clear and grub?

Standard clear & grub

Quote by eye from the truck

Rock found after mobilization

Protected trees found mid-clear

Grade checked with a level

Change orders when the ground does not match

Clear Ground lot clearing

Site walk before the quote

Rock probed and priced up front

Root zones flagged before clearing

Finish grade checked against your plan

Written scope that states haul-off

A drone models the ground surface. Rock, footings and buried lines below the surface are found with test holes, probing, 811 locates and GPR where needed.

How it works

HOW DOES A LOT CLEARING JOB RUN?

1/4

BEFORE MOBILIZING

STEP 1

WE WALK THE LOT WITH YOU.

We measure the trees, note vegetation density and access, and probe for rock. Protected trees get their root zones marked on a site map. An optional drone scan adds an aerial map of the surface. The quote follows what we found.

SITE WALK · TREE MEASUREMENTS · ROCK PROBING · WRITTEN QUOTE

Aerial map of an Austin infill lot with tree root zones drawn over it (illustration) — Illustration

2/4

CLEARING

STEP 2

THE RIGHT MACHINE FOR THE LOT.

A tight infill lot with a protected oak and a narrow setback calls for different equipment than an open acre on limestone. The CAT 299D3 XE with mulching head processes vegetation. The CAT 305.5E2 compact-radius mini excavator grubs stumps and grades, and its compact radius lets it work close to structures and flagged root zones. Rock is milled or hammered as the site requires.

CAT 299D3 XE · CAT 305.5E2 · MULCHING HEAD · HYDRAULIC HAMMER

Compact-radius excavator clearing a tight Austin infill lot around a preserved oak (illustration)

3/4

GRADING

STEP 3

GRADED TO YOUR PLAN.

When clearing is done we cut and fill to the elevations on your plan and check the finish against it. Protected trees are photographed standing. Jobs on lots this size usually take one to three days on site, so there is no weekly progress cycle to manage.

ROUGH GRADE · GRADE CHECK · PROTECTED-TREE PHOTOS

Completed bare graded lot with a preserved oak in the corner (illustration) — Illustration

4/4

HANDOFF

STEP 4

A LOT YOUR NEXT TRADE CAN START ON.

You get a walk-through and the before-and-after photo record. If you added a drone scan, the model and report come typically 2–3 business days after the flight. 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. Your engineer or surveyor still owns the design and any sealed drawings.

WALK-THROUGH · PHOTO RECORD · OPTIONAL SCAN REPORT

Drone-derived 3D surface model of a cleared lot on a laptop screen (illustration) — Illustration

Pricing

How much does lot clearing cost in Austin?
$4,500–$12,000 per lot.

Every lot clearing quote starts with a site walk. Vegetation density, terrain, rock and access set the price. The range below is for residential lots of roughly a quarter acre up to one acre in the Austin metro and Hill Country.

Lot Clearing (Construction-Ready)

Lot Clearing
(Construction-Ready)

Complete vegetation removal and grubbing to bare dirt. Trees, brush and roots come out to construction-ready spec. Debris is hauled or ground, as the bid states. The lot is delivered clean and ready for the next phase.

$4,500–$12,000 per lot

Residential lot · Austin metro and Hill Country · 0.25–1 acre lot

Duration: typically 1–3 days · Size: under 1 acre
Equipment: CAT 299D3 XE with mulching head · CAT 305.5E2 mini excavator
Includes: site walk · root-zone flagging · before-and-after photos

What Moves the Price

Lot size

The main variable. A quarter-acre lot sits near the bottom of the range and a full acre of dense cedar and oak sits near the top.

Vegetation density

An overgrown lot with large-stem cedar takes longer than open scrub with scattered mesquite.

Stump grubbing

Grubbing takes the whole root ball out and costs more than grinding flush. Construction-ready spec calls for grubbing so roots do not interfere with a foundation or pool shell.

Debris and off-site haul

Old fencing, dumped material and bulky waste that must leave the site add to the base price. The bid states this up front.

Surface limestone

Rock at or near the surface adds rock milling, priced at $2,500–$6,000 per acre. Deeper rock moves to excavation rates.

Protected trees

Root-zone flagging is included. Many trees with overlapping root zones slow the work. See the Austin tree rules.

Prices reviewed: September 2026. Ranges for Austin and Central Texas; your site walk sets the final number. See all pricing or the land clearing calculator.

Included in Every Job

Site walk and written quote

Root-zone flagging

Before-and-after photos

Operator and fuel

Typical Project Flow

Lot clearing is
phase one of what comes next.

One mobilization can carry the lot through clearing and rough grade. Your excavation crew or pool builder then starts on a lot that is ready for them.

Site Walk

Trees, rock and access walked with you

Lot Clearing

Clear, grub, mill · You are here

Rough Grade

Cut and fill to plan

Excavation

Pool shell, pad prep or foundation dig

Handoff

Photo record to the next trade

Equipment

The iron behind
the work.

Clearing

CAT 299D3 XE

Vegetation processing

High-flow compact track loader with an FAE forestry mulching head. It handles vegetation, and stump processing, and does most of the clearing on lot jobs.

Grubbing, rock & grading

CAT 305.5E2

Stump grubbing · Rough grading · Hammer

Compact-radius mini excavator with a hydraulic hammer, built for tight residential and infill lots. A Kobelco SK75 with a 1,500 lb hammer covers heavier rock work.

Optional scan

DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise

Surface model · Orthomosaic

Models processed in Pix4D; cut/fill checked in InSite Elevation Pro. RTK-corrected drone photogrammetry, checked against ground points on site.

Who This Service Is For

Who hires us for
lot clearing?

Pool Builders

Hill Country · Lakeway · Westlake · Spicewood · Austin MSA

Hit limestone at 18 inches? That is a Hill Country Tuesday.

Your crew shows up to dig and the lot is not ready. Stumps are still in the ground and nobody has confirmed the oak is safe. Now you are managing the problem.

We walk the lot, probe for rock, grub stumps below construction grade and hand you a cleared, graded lot with a photo record, so your crew starts digging.

What You Get: Rock probed and priced before mobilizing
Root zones flagged and cleared around
Bare dirt to construction-ready spec
Photo record for your excavation crew

See how we work with pool builders →

Infill Developers

East Austin · Hyde Park · Bouldin · Cherrywood · Clarksville

Tree rules can stall a permit. We plan around them before we clear.

An infill lot in Austin carries tree rules, drainage review and constrained access that make a full-size excavator impractical. A crew that damages a protected root zone hands you a permit problem.

We handle selective clearing, root-zone flagging and rough grading in one mobilization, and give your engineer photos to attach for City review. See also residential lot prep clearing for tight urban lots.

What You Get: Root-zone flagging before clearing begins
Photos of protected trees before and after
Rough grade to your engineered plan
Coordination with your arborist when required

See how we work with developers →

Frequently Asked

Lot Clearing Questions

Stumps are grubbed, not ground flush, because a flush stump can still interfere with a foundation or pool shell. Vegetation is removed, and grade is cut and filled to your drainage plan. Your excavation crew can mobilize without finding something the clearing crew left behind.

$4,500–$12,000 per lot for a lot under one acre. Lot size, density, rock and haul-off set the number. See pricing.

It is common. A drone sees only the surface, so we find rock with test holes and probing on the site walk. Shallow limestone is milled in place, with a milling head rented for the job, at $2,500–$6,000 per acre. Deeper rock is broken with an excavator and hydraulic hammer and priced per cubic yard. Call 811 at least two business days before any digging.

Yes. We flag the root zone before the first pass and work outside it. In Austin, trees 19 inches and larger are protected, and heritage species at 24 inches and larger. The limits on work near roots are on the Austin tree rules page. Nearby cities have their own rules.

The outcome. Forestry mulching grinds vegetation in place and leaves a mulch layer, at $2,000–$5,200 per acre. Lot clearing leaves bare dirt with stumps grubbed and grade set. Mulching suits estates and ranchettes. Lot clearing suits pool builds and construction. They are separate services on separate price cards.

Yes, and it costs less than two separate trips. Rough grading alone runs $2,500–$8,000 per lot. Most residential lot jobs are scoped as clear, grub, grade and hand off. See rough grading to spec.

We answer the same business day. Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk. If your schedule is tight, call (512) 880-8888 and we will tell you whether we can hit it.

Get a written quote
for your lot.

We walk the lot, agree the scope with you and send a written quote. Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk. One crew, one call.