Excavation Contractors in Louisiana

Find excavation contractors serving Louisiana properties, for site preparation, land grading, trenching, foundation and basement digs, pond excavation and other earthwork. We list 22 excavation contractors across 2 Louisiana metros, each confirmed on the company’s own website (checked October 2026). Choose a city to compare them.

Browse Louisiana Excavation Contractors by City

Baton Rouge excavation contractors: 16 verified
New Orleans excavation contractors: 6 verified

Louisiana Excavation Contractors at a Glance

City	Contractors	Also land clearing	Also forestry mulching	Also stump grinding
Baton Rouge	16	7	0	2
New Orleans	6	4	1	1
Total listings	22	11	1	3

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 Louisiana?

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 Louisiana-specific average. For the full breakdown, see excavation cost.

Louisiana Rules That Affect Your Project

Rule	What it requires	Source
Call 811 before digging	Before any excavation or demolition, the excavator or demolisher must give telephonic or electronic notice to the regional notification center (Louisiana 811) at least 48 hours but not more than 120 hours in advance, excluding weekends and listed holidays (La. R.S. 40:1749.13(B)(1)).	Source
Construction stormwater permit	The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) issues LPDES general permits for construction stormwater: LAR200000 covers small construction disturbing 1 acre or more but less than 5 acres (issued 08/25/23, expires 08/24/28), and LAR100000 covers construction of 5 acres or more (issued 10/01/24, expires 09/30/29). Covered sites typically submit a Notice of Intent.	Source
Burning cleared brush	LDEQ summarizes LAC 33:III.1109.D (exception 6) as allowing outdoor burning of trees, brush, grass and other vegetable matter for land clearing and right-of-way maintenance only if winds blow away from a town or city, the fire is at least 1,000 feet from any dwelling not on the property, material has minimal dirt, no heavy oils, rubber or other smoky non-plant material is burned, burning is between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and no traffic hazard is created.	Source

Local rules vary by city:

Baton Rouge: Land clearing on property larger than 2.5 acres in Baton Rouge/East Baton Rouge Parish must preserve or mitigate at least 20% of existing healthy significant trees 24 inches DBH or larger, with two native Class A replacement trees for each tree removed beyond the 80% allowance.
New Orleans: New Orleans’ zoning ordinance prohibits clear-cutting of forests unless the owner has a forest management plan with a replanting plan, prepared by a licensed forester and approved by the State Department of Agriculture.

How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in Louisiana

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

Reviewed October 16, 2026. Prices are attributed national estimates. Confirm permit requirements for your parcel with the city or county.