Excavation Contractors in Florida
Find excavation contractors serving Florida properties, for site preparation, land grading, trenching, foundation and basement digs, pond excavation and other earthwork. We list 61 excavation contractors across 4 Florida metros, each confirmed on the company’s own website (checked October 2026). Choose a city to compare them.
Browse Florida Excavation Contractors by City
- Jacksonville excavation contractors: 20 verified
- Miami excavation contractors: 17 verified
- Orlando excavation contractors: 7 verified
- Tampa excavation contractors: 17 verified
Florida Excavation Contractors at a Glance
| City | Contractors | Also land clearing | Also forestry mulching | Also stump grinding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | 20 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| Miami | 17 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| Orlando | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Tampa | 17 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| Total listings | 61 | 38 | 8 | 9 |
Counts come from the listings on each city page. The Contractors column is the number of excavation companies listed; each confirms excavation on its own website. The other columns count companies whose sites also confirm that service, so one company can appear in more than one column.
How Much Do Excavation Contractors Charge in Florida?
Excavation typically costs $2.50 to $15 per cubic yard for ordinary soil, or $100 to $300 per hour for an excavator with an operator, according to HomeGuide’s 2026 guide. Its average total project is $1,100 to $5,600, with trenching at $5 to $12 per linear foot and pond digging at $300 to $3,200. These are national figures; no published source gives a reliable Florida-specific average. For the full breakdown, see excavation cost.
Florida Rules That Affect Your Project
| Rule | What it requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Call 811 before digging | Notify Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before you want to dig. Business days do not include Saturdays, Sundays, or state and national holidays. | Source |
| Construction stormwater permit | The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) administers coverage under its NPDES Construction Generic Permit (CGP). Coverage is needed when a project disturbs one acre or more, or less than one acre if it is part of a larger common plan of development or sale, and discharges stormwater to surface waters of the state or to an MS4. Sites of 5+ acres are ‘large’ and 1 to under 5 acres are ‘small’; a coverage term is five years. DEP says it is proposing updates to the CGP. | Source |
| Burning cleared brush | Open burning of land-clearing debris (residential or non-residential) requires authorization from the Florida Forest Service (FFS) before burning. The debris must come from the same property, burning is limited to daytime and must end one hour before sunset, and the fire must be at least 1,000 feet from occupied buildings not owned by the landowner and at least 100 feet from paved public roads, wildlands, brush or combustible structures, with extinguishing equipment ready. Debris that cannot meet these conditions must be burned in an air curtain incinerator under DEP rules. Residential yard trash from homes of no more than two family units does not need FFS authorization but has its own setbacks (pile no more than 8 feet across; 150 ft from others’ occupied buildings, 50 ft from paved roads, 25 ft from wildlands/brush). | Source |
| State residential tree law | Under Section 163.045, Florida Statutes, a city or county can’t require a permit, fee or mitigation to remove a tree on a single-family residential lot if the owner has signed documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. Mangroves are excluded. | Source |
Local rules vary by city:
- Jacksonville: In Jacksonville you need a city permit before removing a protected tree, which on most lots means a tree of 6 inches DBH or more within 20 feet of a street, 8 inches or more within 10 feet of another property line, or 11.5 inches or more elsewhere on the lot.
- Miami: In the City of Miami almost all work on a regulated tree (12 ft tall with 2-inch DBH or more), including removal, pruning over 25% or significant root pruning, needs a city tree permit, and wetlands, mangroves and natural forest communities also fall under Miami-Dade County permits.
- Orlando: In Orlando any non-exempt tree 10 inches DBH or larger is protected and cannot be removed without a Tree Removal Permit, unless Florida law exempts it (homeowners with qualifying arborist documentation do not need a permit).
- Tampa: Tampa requires a site clearing permit before any site clearing or demolition on a parcel where protected or grand trees, wetlands or other sensitive areas are within 30 feet of the proposed work, and protected trees start at just 5 inches DBH.
How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in Florida
Send every bidder the same plans and dimensions. Ask whether the price is per cubic yard, per hour or a fixed total; whether spoil haul-off, imported fill, rock and compaction testing are included; who handles permits and utility locates; and what the finished grade will look like.
For background, read site preparation, excavation cost and land grading.
Sources
- Florida: 811 requirement (no date (page copyright 2025))
- Florida: Construction stormwater permit (2025-11-06 (page last modified))
- Florida: Open burning rules (2024-04-01 (page last modified))
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Excavation Cost? (written February 5, 2026)
Reviewed October 16, 2026. Prices are attributed national estimates. Confirm permit requirements for your parcel with the city or county.