# How much does land clearing cost per acre in Florida?

> Florida land clearing cost per acre by density and acreage, why small parcels cost more per acre and what acreage quotes leave out. Try the cost calculator.

URL: https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/land-clearing-cost-per-acre/

Per-acre ranges for light, moderate and heavy growth, how the total changes from one acre to five, the Florida conditions that push a tract up the band, and the costs that sit outside it.

Last Updated: October 31, 2026 · Written by Flatwood Land Clearing Palm Bay

As national budgeting ranges, land clearing costs about $1,200 to $2,500 per acre for light growth, $2,500 to $4,500 for moderate and $4,500 to $8,000 for heavy. [Flatwood Land Clearing Palm Bay](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/) prices acreage across Palm Bay and south Brevard from the density, stumps, wet ground and debris plan on each tract, and Florida pine and palmetto ground often lands mid-band or higher. A heavy clear and grub with every stump pulled and hauled can exceed the heavy band.

**In short**

- Per acre, by density: light $1,200 to $2,500, moderate $2,500 to $4,500, heavy $4,500 to $8,000, as national budgeting ranges.
- Totals by size: one acre $1,200 to $8,000, two acres $1,900 to $15,000, five acres $4,500 to $35,000.
- The per-acre cost falls as acreage rises, because moving machines and setting up is a fixed cost.
- In Florida flatwoods, saw palmetto root mass, wet ground from June to November and the debris plan move the number most.
- Permits, wildlife checks, fill, grading and erosion control sit outside most per-acre figures.

## Per-acre ranges by density

These are national budgeting ranges, not quotes and not company rates. Density is the first thing that sets where a tract falls.

| Density | National budgeting range | What it looks like on Florida ground |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Light | $1,200-$2,500 per acre | Scattered slash pine, thin brush, open sand or old pasture between |
| Moderate | $2,500-$4,500 per acre | Pine and cabbage palm over a continuous saw palmetto floor |
| Heavy | $4,500-$8,000 per acre | Closed canopy, dense palmetto root mass, many stumps, Brazilian pepper thickets |

What the ranges cover varies by quote. Some include stump removal and hauling, some stop at cutting and piling. Comparing per-acre quotes only works once you know which finish each one is pricing: cleared, grubbed, mulched in place or hauled. The [clearing vs grubbing](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/clearing-vs-grubbing/) guide explains the difference, and the [land clearing cost estimator](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/tools/land-clearing-cost-estimator/) runs these ranges for your size and density.

## What the total looks like by acreage

Per-acre figures are easier to compare; totals are what you budget. These national ranges show how the total grows with size, and how it does not grow in a straight line.

| Parcel size | National budgeting range | Implied range per acre |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Eighth acre | $600-$2,000 | $4,800-$16,000 |
| Quarter acre | $800-$3,000 | $3,200-$12,000 |
| Half acre | $1,000-$5,000 | $2,000-$10,000 |
| One acre | $1,200-$8,000 | $1,200-$8,000 |
| Two acres | $1,900-$15,000 | $950-$7,500 |
| Five acres | $4,500-$35,000 | $900-$7,000 |

The implied per-acre column is simple division, and it shows the pattern. Small parcels carry the same trip, setup and walk-through as large ones, spread over less ground. That is why a Palm Bay platted lot, averaging 0.27 acre, is priced per lot rather than per acre; the [Palm Bay lot clearing cost guide](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/lot-clearing-cost-palm-bay/) covers lots.

## What pushes a Florida tract up the band

| Driver | Why it matters | Effect on price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Saw palmetto root mass | Trunks run along and under the sand and resprout, so areas that must stay clear need them grubbed or root-raked | More machine time and more debris per acre |
| Finish level | [Forestry mulching](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/forestry-mulching/) leaves roots in; clearing and grubbing takes them out | Grubbing costs more than mulching the same ground |
| Wet ground | Across much of the Palm Bay area the wet layer sits about a foot down from June to November | Slower machines, tracked equipment, sometimes a wait for drier months |
| Debris plan | Florida land clearing piles need 300 feet from any occupied building to burn | Acreage may allow burning; smaller tracts chip, mulch or haul |
| Tree size | Larger pines and oaks take longer to fell and process | More time per acre, and on some land, tree permits |
| [Brazilian pepper](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/brazilian-pepper-removal/) | Resprouts from stumps and roots | Removing root crowns adds cutting, grubbing and disposal |
| Access | Gates, canals, soft spots and the distance from the road | Smaller machines or extra trips |

Florida’s wet season is the most local of these. NOAA’s normals for Melbourne put about 55 percent of the year’s 50.79 inches of rain in June through September, and the USDA soil survey rates about 90 percent of Palm Bay’s mapped soil as poorly or very poorly drained. Machines that work easily on dry April sand can rut and bog in August. The [best time to clear land](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/best-time-to-clear-land-in-florida/) guide covers timing.

## What’s inside a Florida land clearing price per acre

An acreage price bundles machine time, labor, trucking, disposal and permits. Some parts have public local figures and some do not.

| Part of the price | What sets it | Local figure or source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Machine operator time | Density, palmetto root mass and whether the ground is mulched or grubbed | Construction equipment operators in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metro earn a mean $24.84 an hour, about 22% below the $31.87 national mean (BLS) |
| Saw and ground labor | Tree count and how much is felled and cut up by hand | Tree trimmers earn a mean $21.48 locally vs $26.91 nationally (BLS) |
| Trucking and haul-off | Loads of logs, slash and stumps, and the drive to the disposal site | Heavy truck drivers earn a mean $24.30 locally vs $28.71 nationally (BLS) |
| Disposal | Weight or volume that leaves the site | Brevard County charges at its landfill and mulching sites per its posted gate rates |
| Local clearing permit | Who governs the parcel | Unincorporated Brevard’s small-scale permit is $240; city permits per each city’s current fee schedule |
| State stormwater coverage | Disturbing an acre or more | Florida DEP construction stormwater permit; notice of intent fee per DEP’s current form |
| Erosion control | Silt fence on the low side, stabilizing bare sand | No public figure for residential work; scope to check |
| Wildlife checks | Gopher tortoise burrows within 25 feet of work | No public figure; FWC’s permit page lists no fee; agent cost is scope to check |

The wage data points one way. Local equipment operators, tree crews and truck drivers all earn less than the national means, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ([metro estimates](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_37340.htm), May 2025). A wage is not a billing rate, since the hourly rate on a quote also carries the machine, fuel, transport, insurance, licensing and overhead. But when Florida acreage lands at the top of the national band, local labor is not the reason. Ground and growth are.

## Permits and checks on acreage

Larger parcels meet thresholds that house lots do not. Disturbing an acre or more brings Florida DEP’s construction stormwater permit. Under the state’s thresholds, a project area over five acres needs an Environmental Resource Permit even with no wetland on it, and any work in a wetland needs one at any size; [clearing near wetlands](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/clearing-near-wetlands/) explains both. In unincorporated Brevard, the county’s small-scale permit stops at half the understory or one acre, whichever is less, so clearing more goes through other county review. The [Brevard permit guide](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/palm-bay-land-clearing-permits/) covers each jurisdiction.

Gopher tortoise burrows and scrub-jay habitat are more likely on larger, drier tracts. Each can add an authorized agent or a timing limit. Bona fide agricultural land is exempt from Palm Bay’s clearing permits, but that exemption does not reach wildlife rules or wetlands, and it does not apply to clearing for a house.

## Illustrative budgets

These are illustrative, built only from the ranges above. They are not quotes or past jobs.

**Two acres of moderate pine and palmetto, a home site in Malabar.** Half an acre cleared and grubbed for the house, driveway and drainfield, the rest mulched under the pines. The total sits inside the two-acre band of $1,900 to $15,000, lower than clearing and grubbing all of it, because most of the ground is mulched rather than grubbed. Add the town’s permit and any erosion control.

**Five acres of light growth on old pasture.** Scattered pines and brush, cleared and burned under Florida Forest Service authorization where the 300-foot setback works. At $1,200 to $2,500 per acre, about $6,000 to $12,500, inside the five-acre band. If the land is being cleared for construction, add state stormwater coverage, since the disturbance is over an acre.

**One acre of heavy palmetto and pepper, everything hauled.** Every stump and root crown out, all debris trucked to a county site. The heavy band of $4,500 to $8,000 per acre, or above it with long hauls. Add disposal at the county’s gate rates.

## What an acreage quote usually leaves out

- Fill, grading and drainage shaping, which are earthwork rather than clearing
- Stormwater coverage and erosion control on disturbed ground
- Survey and any wetland determination
- Gopher tortoise survey and relocation, if burrows are near the work
- Seed or sod on bare sand after clearing
- Follow-up treatment of Brazilian pepper and palmetto regrowth

Timber rarely closes the gap. UF/IFAS’s timber price updates show low Florida pine stumpage and note that markets for some products are simply not present in some areas. Treat timber value as something to check on a large stand, not a credit. [Lot clearing](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/lot-clearing/), [clearing and grubbing](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/clearing-and-grubbing/) and [pasture clearing](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/pasture-clearing/) explain each finish, and the [forestry mulching cost guide](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/forestry-mulching-cost/) prices the cheapest one.

Get a per-acre number for your land

The ranges here are for planning. A site visit narrows them to this tract's growth, wet ground, access and debris plan. Call, or send the parcel number and a few phone photos.

## Three more questions

### Why does a small lot cost more per acre than a large tract?

Because part of every job is fixed. Moving machines to the site, setting up, walking the lines and marking keepers cost about the same on a quarter acre as on two acres. Spread over less ground, they raise the per-acre figure. A quarter-acre lot at $800 to $3,000 works out to $3,200 to $12,000 per acre, well above the per-acre density bands.

### Does brush-only clearing cost less per acre than full clearing?

Usually, because the trees stay and nothing is grubbed. As a broad national budgeting range, brush removal runs about $800 to $3,000 per acre, against $1,200 to $8,000 per acre for clearing by density. On palmetto ground, cutting the tops without grubbing the trunks leaves regrowth, so the lower price buys a different finish.

### Can a government program help pay to clear farmland?

On working agricultural land, possibly. USDA NRCS's Environmental Quality Incentives Program includes practices such as brush management and woody residue treatment, and FWC's Landowner Assistance Program helps private owners reach programs like it. Current Florida payment rates and eligibility are confirmed with the local NRCS office. These programs are written for agricultural land, not for clearing a house lot.

## More guides on clearing a lot

- [Cost GuideWhat it costs to clear a lot in Palm Bay](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/lot-clearing-cost-palm-bay/)
- [Cost GuideForestry mulching cost per acre](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/forestry-mulching-cost/)
- [Cost GuideStump grinding cost in Palm Bay](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/stump-grinding-cost/)
- [Decision GuideForestry mulching vs land clearing](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/forestry-mulching-vs-land-clearing/)
- [Decision GuideClearing vs grubbing](https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/guide/clearing-vs-grubbing/)

## Contact Flatwood Land Clearing Palm Bay

- Phone: [(321) 513-1820](tel:+13215131820)
- Email: [office@flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com](mailto:office@flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com)
- Address: 3555 SE Bayside Lakes Blvd, Palm Bay, FL 32909
- Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-2pm (America/New_York). Outside these hours, emergency calls only.
- Request an estimate: https://flatwoodlandclearingpalmbay.com/contact/#estimate