How Much Does Land Clearing Cost Per Acre in Florida?
National cost guides put land clearing at about $580 to $2,333 an acre for lightly wooded land. Heavily wooded land runs about $3,300 to $6,155 an acre. Brush-only ground costs less, though the guides disagree on how much.
In Florida, that per-acre number is only part of the bill. Stump work and hauling add to it, and so can wildlife and wetland rules. These are market numbers, not our price list. For how the work goes, see our page on land clearing from Tampa to Crystal River.
How do the ranges change from brush to hammock?
Cost guides sort land by how thick the growth is. The Florida labels in the first column are ours; the guides use plainer ones, like lightly forested and heavily forested.
| What is on the land | What it looks like in Florida | Market range per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Light brush | Saw palmetto and vines, few or no trees | $20 to $630 |
| Wooded lot | Pines and oaks spread out, with brush between | $580 to $2,333 |
| Heavy hammock | A closed canopy of live oak and sabal palm | $3,300 to $6,155 |
| Forestry mulching (a method) | Brush and small trees ground where they stand | About $400 to $450 on average |
The table draws on two national cost guides, both updated in December 2025. Each row runs from the lower of their low ends to the higher of their high ends. They split most on brush: one says $20 to $200 an acre, the other $330 to $630.
In Florida, hammock and flatwoods name two very different kinds of land. The Florida Natural Areas Inventory describes mesic flatwoods as an open pine canopy over saw palmetto and low shrubs. It describes a mesic hammock as a closed evergreen canopy, led by live oak and sabal palm. The sabal palm is the cabbage palm, Florida’s state tree.
What moves the price on a Florida lot?
- Tree size and density. A few scattered pines take less time than a stand of big live oaks. One guide says dense growth pushes a job toward the high end of its range.
- Stumps and roots. One guide lists stump removal at $130 to $350 a stump and notes basic clearing may not include it. It defines grubbing as taking out roots and buried debris up to a foot deep. Stump grinding takes a stump below grade instead of pulling it out whole.
- Debris. Forestry mulching leaves the ground-up brush on site. One guide says it takes one machine, with nothing to pile or haul. Hauling adds disposal fees, and Hernando County’s main landfill charges every load by weight.
- Access and ground. A narrow gate or soft, wet ground limits which machines can work. We bring compact machines that fit through a back-yard gate.
- Rules. Tortoise surveys and wetland reviews come before the machines, and both can add cost and time. Florida’s wildlife agency recommends a 660-foot buffer around a bald eagle nest.
What do gopher tortoises add to the cost?
Gopher tortoises live on upland ground all over Florida, including pastures and yards. Florida’s wildlife agency, the FWC, requires a relocation permit before clearing within 25 feet of a potentially occupied burrow. If all work stays at least 25 feet from every burrow, the FWC says a permit may not be needed.
The permit starts with a burrow survey of the whole work area, plus 25 feet around it. The FWC also collects a mitigation contribution. In its table for applications from August 1, 2026, the 10 or Fewer Burrows permit carries a flat $280.
Moving tortoises off the property adds an Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent’s fee and a recipient site’s fee. The FWC says recipient sites set their own prices. A Florida business magazine reported in 2025 that recipient sites charge $5,000 to $6,000 per tortoise. The same report put a burrow survey near $200.
Clearing before the permit is the costly path. The FWC can then require a disturbed site permit, and work stops until the tortoises are moved.
That permit adds $5,590 for each tortoise estimated in the disturbed area, or $2,096 for a single-family property owner. The FWC may refund the add-on for each tortoise found and moved. The disturbed ground must also sit untouched for at least 28 days so buried tortoises can dig out.
Can you burn land clearing debris in Florida?
The Florida Forest Service says land clearing burns need its burn authorization. Its rule sets pile burns back at least 100 feet from paved public roads, and farther from occupied buildings. Land clearing debris cannot be hauled to another property to be burned.
In Hillsborough County, the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) authorizes burns for clearing land for development. The EPC does not permit open burning of yard waste or tree cutting debris there. Its land clearing burn application carries a $300 fee, and EPC staff inspect the site first.
On our jobs, the brush is mulched in place or chipped and hauled off on our trucks. Your written estimate says which one we plan.
Which permits come before land clearing?
National guides list a land clearing permit at about $200 to $250, but Florida counties each set their own rules. Unincorporated Hillsborough County uses a land alteration permit for clearing. Pasco County says it has no lot clearing permit of any kind. Citrus County says it issues permits only when someone is going to build.
Wetlands add a review step. The Southwest Florida Water Management District requires an Environmental Resource Permit before any construction activity that would affect wetlands. In Hillsborough County, a wetland or pond on the lot brings the EPC into the county’s review.
Big trees can need their own permit, even when the rest of the lot does not. Our guide to tree removal permits in Tampa and Hillsborough County covers those rules. We can walk you through your county’s permit page before work starts.
What changes on a house lot versus acreage?
One national marketplace puts clearing land for a new home at $1,200 to $4,000 or more. Two cost guides put a typical clearing job at about $1,300 to $4,500 in total. One says its totals fit lots of a half acre to 2 acres.
A house lot adds steps that open acreage can skip. The stumps and roots come out where the house will sit. In unincorporated Hillsborough County, clearing for a new home waits for a Land Alteration and Landscaping permit. Site preparation before a new build adds grubbing and rough leveling so the builder’s crews can start.
On acreage, the per-acre ranges fit better. Mulching the back acres and clearing bare ground only at the homesite can bring the total down. A bigger tract also means a bigger tortoise survey, because the survey covers the whole work area.
How do you get a real number for your land?
Every lot is different, so the ranges above are a starting point. Tell us the plan: a house, a barn, a pasture or a fence line. We look at the land with you, then put a free estimate in writing. See how we clear lots and acreage, or call or text (813) 293-2948.