Excavation Contractors in Michigan

Find excavation contractors serving Michigan properties, for site preparation, land grading, trenching, foundation and basement digs, pond excavation and other earthwork. We list 49 excavation contractors across 2 Michigan metros, each confirmed on the company’s own website (checked October 2026). Choose a city to compare them.

Browse Michigan Excavation Contractors by City

Detroit excavation contractors: 14 verified
Grand Rapids excavation contractors: 35 verified

Michigan Excavation Contractors at a Glance

City	Contractors	Also land clearing	Also forestry mulching	Also stump grinding
Detroit	14	8	4	4
Grand Rapids	35	14	2	5
Total listings	49	22	6	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 Michigan?

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

Michigan Rules That Affect Your Project

Rule	What it requires	Source
Call 811 before digging	An excavator must notify MISS DIG 811 at least 3 business days before excavating or blasting. Notice can be given by calling 811 or through the MISS DIG website.	Source
Construction stormwater permit	EGLE’s Water Resources Division requires NPDES stormwater coverage for construction that disturbs one acre or more and has a point-source discharge to waters of the state. Coverage comes through Permit-by-Rule and depends on first getting a Part 91 soil erosion (SESC) permit. Sites of 1 to 5 acres are covered automatically once the SESC permit is issued; sites of 5 acres or more must also file a Notice of Coverage with EGLE. Separately, a local Part 91 SESC permit is typically needed for any earth change over 1 acre or within 500 feet of a lake or stream.	Source
Burning cleared brush	EGLE says open burning of trees, logs, brush and stumps must be done more than 1,400 feet from the boundary of an incorporated city or village. A burn permit is required when the ground is not snow-covered (from DNR offices in the north, local fire departments or municipalities in the south), and local laws may ban open burning. Demolition and remodeling waste should go to a construction and demolition landfill.	Source

Local rules vary by city:

Detroit: Clearing or grading that adds or replaces 21,780 square feet (half an acre) or more of impervious surface triggers Detroit’s post-construction stormwater rules, which do not apply to building a single detached house.
Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids requires a soil erosion (SESC) permit before any earth change over 2,500 square feet, or any earth change within 500 feet of a wetland, stream, lake or floodplain.

How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in Michigan

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.