Brush and lot clearing · Lock Haven, PA
Brush removal and lot clearing with machines.
Overgrown lots, thick brush and grown-in fence lines are machine work for us: we clear them with a mini excavator and skid steers around Lock Haven, PA. Clearing is often the first step before a build, a driveway or a yard you can use again.
- Overgrown lots and fence lines
- Mini excavator and skid steers
- 811 called before we dig
- Hourly machine time available
Brush clearing is not tree removal.
Brush clearing is ground-level work: thick growth, saplings, vines and the small stumps they leave. Taking down full-size trees is a different job with its own page, tree and stump removal.
Plenty of lots need some of each. If yours does, say so at the estimate and both go on the same written price.
Ways to clear a lot.
Most brush jobs fall into one of these.
Know your lines before clearing.
Fence-line clearing runs right to the edge of your property, so the line should be known before the machine starts. If the corners aren’t marked, have a surveyor set them before the work begins.
Stump digging and grading also wait for PA One Call (811), which state law requires, so buried utility lines are marked before the machine breaks ground.
Clearing for a new build.
On a lot headed for a house, garage, driveway or patio, clearing runs straight into site work: stumps out, ground graded, then footings or a base dug. We do that work too, as part of our excavation and site work, and our foundation digging guide covers what comes after the clearing.
See a finished example on our lot clearing and site prep project page. If a gravel drive comes next, our guide to gravel driveway base depth covers what goes under it.
Rules for clearing ground around Lock Haven.
Grading and stump digging disturb soil, and some local rules start once a set amount of ground is disturbed. If the work needs a permit, getting it and paying for it falls to the homeowner, and at the site walk we’ll pass along what we know.
Clinton County
Clinton County planning staff point out that once earth disturbance goes past 5,000 sq ft, a project may also need approval from the Clinton County Conservation District.
City of Lock Haven
Inside the city, the 2023 stormwater ordinance exempts work that disturbs less than 5,000 sq ft of earth and adds less than 500 sq ft of impervious area from its volume and rate controls and site-plan requirements. Past either limit, the project needs a stormwater site plan approved by the city.
Floodplain
In a FEMA-mapped floodplain inside the city, construction or development needs a permit from the Floodplain Administrator. The city regulates from FEMA maps dated June 16, 2016, and it also sets what fill can be used there and how steep fill slopes may be.
Rules change. Check with the township or borough before you plan around them; we go over what we know at the site walk.
Questions.
What’s the difference between brush removal and tree removal?
Brush removal clears thick growth, saplings, vines and small stumps at ground level, usually across a lot or along a fence line. Tree removal takes down full-size trees and deals with their stumps. Many properties need some of each, and both can go on one written price.
Do I need a permit to clear my lot near Lock Haven?
It depends on how much ground is disturbed and where. Inside the City of Lock Haven, projects under 5,000 sq ft of earth disturbance and 500 sq ft of impervious area are exempt from the city’s stormwater site-plan rules, and Clinton County planning staff flag Conservation District approval above 5,000 sq ft. If a permit applies, the homeowner applies for it and covers the cost.
Can you clear a lot for a new house or garage?
Yes. Clearing for a build is part of our excavation and site work, which also covers grading, drainage, and footing and foundation digging. One estimate can cover the clearing and the site work that follows.
Can I just hire the machine and an operator?
Yes. Our machine time is billed by the hour with our operator, and the rates are on the machine time page. It suits jobs where you know exactly what you want cleared.
Will you clear right up to my property line?
Fence lines are part of brush clearing. Before any clearing at the edge of a property, the line should be known; if the corners aren’t marked, a surveyor can set them so the work stays on your side.
Get a price on clearing your lot.
Request a free estimate online or call (570) 397-9800, and after seeing the lot we’ll price the clearing, stump work and grading in writing.