Why will contractors not quote a per-acre price over the phone?

Because the honest answer depends on things nobody can assess without standing on the property. Two neighbouring acres can differ by a large multiple based on tree density alone, and disposal costs vary with what has to be hauled and how far. A contractor who gives a firm per-acre number sight unseen is either quoting the easy version and revising later, or padding for the worst case. Both are worse for you than a site visit, which is free.

Does the type of tree matter?

Yes, more than people expect. Large hardwoods take longer to fell and process and produce far more material to dispose of than the same number of pines. Dense undergrowth and vines slow everything down. And a lot with merchantable timber may be worth handling differently, because the material has value if it is separated properly rather than mulched.

Is it cheaper to clear in winter?

Sometimes, for two reasons. Demand across the region falls sharply between roughly October and February, so scheduling is easier. And with the undergrowth down, a wooded lot is easier to assess and often easier to work. Against that, wet ground is harder to work and a saturated site can stop a job entirely. There is no reliable rule, but if your timing is flexible it is worth asking.

Do I need a permit to clear land in Georgia?

Generally once you disturb an acre or more, under the state Erosion and Sedimentation Act, with review handled locally by the county or city. Buffers around state waters carry their own restrictions regardless of size. Local jurisdictions can and do set stricter rules — Columbia County, for example, requires a land disturbance permit for all land disturbing activity rather than only larger sites. Confirm for your specific parcel before starting.

How much does it cost to clear an acre of land in Georgia?

Short answer

There is no useful single figure, because the cost of clearing an acre in Georgia is driven almost entirely by what is standing on it and what happens to the debris. An acre of open pasture with scattered brush and an acre of mature hardwood that has to be grubbed and hauled off are different jobs by a wide margin, not different by a percentage. The five variables that move the number most are tree density and size, whether stumps are grubbed or left, how far debris has to travel to be disposed of, the slope, and whether equipment can get to the work.

Last reviewed August 2026

This is the most-asked question in land clearing and the one with the least satisfying answer, so it is worth explaining why rather than just declining to give a number.

We do not publish prices. Not because of coyness, but because a per-acre figure for land clearing is close to meaningless. The range between the cheapest and most expensive acre in the CSRA is wide enough that any single number would be wrong for almost everybody reading it, and the people it misled would be the ones making decisions on it.

What is genuinely useful is knowing what moves the number, so you can look at your own property and form a sensible expectation — and so you can tell whether an estimate you have been given is reasonable.

The five things that actually drive it

1. Tree density and size

The single biggest factor. An acre of open pasture with scattered brush is a day’s work with small equipment. An acre of mature hardwood is a different undertaking entirely — more time to fell and process, far more material to handle, larger equipment, and much more to dispose of.

Species matters too. Large hardwoods produce considerably more material per tree than pines of the same count, and dense undergrowth and vines slow every part of the operation.

2. Whether stumps come out

Clearing removes what is above ground. Grubbing removes what is below it — stumps, root balls and buried organic material — and it is a substantial addition to the scope.

It is also not optional if anything is going to be built, driven on, paved or poured. Organic material left in the ground rots, and as it rots whatever sits above it settles unevenly over the following two or three years. That is where the dip in a new driveway comes from.

If you are clearing for pasture or a view, you can skip it. If you are clearing to build, you cannot, and an estimate that omits it is not comparable to one that includes it.

3. Debris disposal and haul distance

Frequently a larger share of the cost than the clearing itself, and the part people forget entirely.

Material has to go somewhere. How far that somewhere is, what the disposal costs, and whether material can be separated for better outcomes all feed directly into the number. An acre near a disposal site and an identical acre forty minutes further out are not the same job.

This is also where you have options. Merchantable timber set aside, firewood stacked, or clean material chipped and left on site can all change the economics — but say so before work starts, because it changes how the crew stages everything.

4. Slope and ground conditions

Steep ground slows equipment, limits what can be used, and increases the erosion control required while the ground is open. Wet or soft ground can stop work outright.

Rock is the other one. Ground that turns out to have rock near the surface changes stump removal and any subsequent grading substantially.

5. Access

Whether equipment can reach the work, what has to be protected on the way in, how close the property lines and neighbouring structures sit, and whether trees have to be taken down in a controlled way rather than simply felled.

A wooded acre behind a house with a narrow side approach is a different job from a wooded acre fronting a road.

What else belongs in the number

Erosion control. Silt fence, construction entrance and inlet protection, required before the ground opens on most permitted sites.

Permitting. Georgia generally requires a land disturbance permit once you disturb an acre or more, reviewed locally. Some jurisdictions are stricter.

Grading, if you are building. Clearing gets you a bare lot. Getting it ready to build on is a separate scope, and it is worth deciding up front whether you want both — it is cheaper and cleaner done as one mobilisation by one contractor than as two visits by two.

How to get a number you can rely on

Have somebody walk the property. It is free, it takes under an hour, and it is the only way to price the actual acre rather than an average one.

When comparing estimates, check they cover the same scope — specifically whether stumps are being grubbed and hauled, whether disposal is included, and whether erosion control and permitting are in or out. Most confusing quote comparisons come down to one of those three, not to the rate.

Work this relates to

Still not sure? Ask us.

We’ll look at the site and tell you straight — including if it’s work we don’t do. Free estimates, no obligation.

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