Excavation Contractors in Iowa
Find excavation contractors serving Iowa properties, for site preparation, land grading, trenching, foundation and basement digs, pond excavation and other earthwork. We list 18 excavation contractors across 1 Iowa metro, each confirmed on the company’s own website (checked October 2026). Choose a city to compare them.
Browse Iowa Excavation Contractors by City
- Des Moines excavation contractors: 18 verified
Iowa Excavation Contractors at a Glance
| City | Contractors | Also land clearing | Also stump grinding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 18 | 9 | 2 |
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 Iowa?
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 Iowa-specific average. For the full breakdown, see excavation cost.
Iowa Rules That Affect Your Project
| Rule | What it requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Call 811 before digging | Iowa Code 480.4 requires an excavator to contact the notification center (Iowa One Call, 811 or 1-800-292-8989) before any excavation and wait a forty-eight-hour period; the notice is valid for 25 calendar days after that period ends. The only exception is an emergency, when notice must be given as soon as practical. | Source |
| Construction stormwater permit | Construction activity that disturbs one or more acres, or less than one acre when part of a larger common plan that will disturb more than one acre, must be covered by an NPDES stormwater permit, normally General Permit No. 2, applied for with a Notice of Intent through the DNR’s Stormwater General Permit Database. | Source |
| Burning cleared brush | Under 567 IAC 23.2(3)“d”, landscape waste (trees, branches, stumps, brush) originating on the premises may be burned, but burning of landscape waste from clearing, grubbing and construction must be at least one-quarter mile from any building inhabited by someone other than the landowner or tenant doing the burn, and tires may not be used to ignite it. These exemptions do not apply within certain cities (including Des Moines, West Des Moines, Clive, Windsor Heights, Urbandale, Pleasant Hill, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Council Bluffs and Carter Lake) and apply only unless prohibited by local ordinance. | Source |
Local rules vary by city:
- Des Moines: In Des Moines, a city grading permit is required for non-agricultural earth changes such as excavation or fill over 2,500 square feet, disturbance over 20,000 square feet, or 500 square feet or more within 100 feet of a stream, pond or drainageway, and no grading permit issues until a tree removal and mitigation plan is approved.
How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in Iowa
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
- Iowa: 811 requirement (Iowa Code 2026)
- Iowa: Construction stormwater permit (no date)
- Iowa: Open burning rules (IAC supplement 2/5/25)
- 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.