Excavation Contractors in New York
Find excavation contractors serving New York properties, for site preparation, land grading, trenching, foundation and basement digs, pond excavation and other earthwork. We list 164 excavation contractors across 4 New York metros, each confirmed on the company’s own website (checked October 2026). Choose a city to compare them.
Browse New York Excavation Contractors by City
- Albany excavation contractors: 45 verified
- Buffalo excavation contractors: 38 verified
- New York excavation contractors: 41 verified
- Rochester excavation contractors: 40 verified
New York Excavation Contractors at a Glance
| City | Contractors | Also land clearing | Also forestry mulching | Also stump grinding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 45 | 23 | 6 | 6 |
| Buffalo | 38 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
| New York | 41 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| Rochester | 40 | 21 | 3 | 4 |
| Total listings | 164 | 71 | 11 | 15 |
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 New York?
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 New York-specific average. For the full breakdown, see excavation cost.
New York Rules That Affect Your Project
| Rule | What it requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Call 811 before digging | Excavators and contractors must contact New York 811 (online ITIC or by calling 811) at least two working days but no more than 10 days before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays. | Source |
| Construction stormwater permit | NYSDEC issues SPDES General Permit GP-0-25-001 for construction stormwater (effective Jan 29, 2025, expires Jan 28, 2030). Coverage is required for soil disturbance of one or more acres; 5,000 sq ft or more in the NYC East of Hudson watershed; and, inside New York City, 20,000 sq ft or more (or 5,000 sq ft or more of new impervious area), including smaller parts of a larger common plan of development. | Source |
| Burning cleared brush | Statewide, burning trash, leaves and treated or painted wood is banned. Downed limbs and branches under 6 inches in diameter and 8 feet long may be burned on site only in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents, and never from March 16 through May 14. Open fires of organic agricultural waste are allowed on contiguous farmland over 5 acres. The DEC page does not list land-clearing or construction debris as an allowed exception, so large land-clearing burn piles are not authorized by these rules. | Source |
Local rules vary by city:
- Albany: In Albany, clear-cutting (removing more than 50% of trees or vegetation per acre in a five-year cycle) on a parcel over one acre is not allowed without approval of a major development plan, and any grading needs a city stormwater, grading and erosion permit.
- Buffalo: In Buffalo, any development must keep on-site trees of 6 inches DBH or more unless a listed exception applies, and soil disturbance of one-quarter acre (10,890 sq ft) or more requires a SWPPP as part of site plan review.
- New York: In New York City, a project that can drain to a City sewer and disturbs 20,000 sq ft or more of soil (or adds 5,000 sq ft or more of impervious area) needs an NYC DEP Stormwater Permit, and any work on or within 50 feet of a street tree needs an NYC Parks Tree Work Permit.
- Rochester: In Rochester, stripping or grading more than 10,000 sq ft, moving more than 50 cubic yards of soil or fill, or doing any site preparation in a floodplain, wetland or on steep slopes requires a City site preparation permit under Chapter 39.
How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in New York
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
- New York: 811 requirement (modified 2026-04-09)
- New York: Construction stormwater permit (no date (permit effective 2025-01-29))
- New York: Open burning rules (no date)
- 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.