Land clearing: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering land clearing

Land clearing is a heavy-equipment job where the risk and the cleanup decide how the customer feels about the work. Win the job by walking the lot first, marking what stays, and showing a debris and stump plan before any machine starts.

What customers ask

  • Which trees will you keep, and how do you protect them?
  • What happens to the stumps, and will the holes be filled?
  • Where do the logs and the brush go?
  • How long will the clearing take, and how will the lot look afterward?
  • Do I need a permit or a burn approval?
  • Will you damage my fence, drive or utilities?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask what the land will be used for, which trees matter most and where the lines and boundaries are.
  • On site, walk the lot with the owner, flag the trees to keep, and check the overhead and buried lines before you quote.
  • In the quote, separate the felling, the stump work, the debris handling and the grading, so the customer sees each part.
  • Explain the drop zones and the tree protection plan in plain words, and show where the equipment will work.
  • Put the debris plan in writing, including whether the logs stay, the brush is chipped or the material is hauled.
  • Finish with the holes filled and the ground graded, and walk the customer through the finished site before final payment.

What to put on your profile

  • Before and after photos of cleared lots, shot from the same spot with the finished ground visible
  • Equipment you run, such as chainsaws, feller bunchers, stump grinders and excavators
  • Types of clearing you do, such as lot clearing, tree removal, brush control and stump grinding
  • Your service area and whether you also offer wood chips, firewood or log handling as part of the job

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer a regrowth check and a follow-up treatment for stumps that resprout, explained as part of finishing the job
  • Suggest a grading or seeding plan for the cleared ground, with the timing explained
  • Mention tree health checks or pruning for the trees left standing, as information

Licenses and permits

Land clearing is commonly done under a contractor license in many areas, and tree removal near structures or power lines may require specific certification. Confirm what applies where you work with your state or local licensing agency, your local building department and any tree or burn authority that covers your job, and keep your insurance current.

Questions

What do I do when a tree is too close to a house for a safe drop?

Stop the felling, tell the customer, and quote a sectional removal or a crane lift that keeps the structure safe. Document the decision and the reasoning in writing.

Should I offer to leave the logs on site?

Only if the customer wants them and the site allows it, since logs can attract pests and block the grading. Put the log decision and the handling in writing.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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