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Excavation Contractors in Greenville, South Carolina

Find excavation contractors serving Greenville, South Carolina, for site preparation, land grading, trenching, foundation and basement digs, pond excavation and other earthwork. Compare local excavation companies, check which services each one offers, and contact them directly about your project.

Excavation Contractors Serving Greenville

27 excavation contractors serving Greenville confirm on their own websites that they offer excavation (checked October 2026). Each listing links to the page where the company describes the service, so you can check it yourself.

Excavation Services in Greenville

ServiceWhat to ask the contractor
Site preparationWhich stages are included: clearing, grubbing, excavation, grading, compaction
Foundation and basement excavationEngineered depths, soil conditions, spoil haul-off
Land gradingDrainage direction, imported fill, compaction testing
TrenchingUtility locates, trench safety, backfill
Pond excavationDepth, spoil placement, spillway

How Much Do Excavation Contractors Charge in Greenville?

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

Greenville Permits and Local Rules

In Greenville, clearing that removes canopy trees 6 inches DBH or larger during permitted development must be offset by replacement or fee-in-lieu, and land substantially cleared for forestry is barred from development applications for 36 months.

RuleWhat it means for your projectSource
Tree removal and replacementTree protection applies to land-disturbing activities that need a permit. Removing or injuring canopy trees 6 inches DBH or larger (non-invasive) requires replacement equal to the total DBH removed, or a fee-in-lieu capped at $25,000 per acre. Removing trees without the required permit can bring retroactive mitigation fees plus an extra fine of $25,000 per disturbed acre for new construction and non-single-family sites.Source
Heritage treesA heritage tree is a healthy tree 20 inches DBH or more in a setback or buffer, 40 inches DBH or more anywhere in the City, or one of cultural importance. Heritage trees cannot be cut, removed or harmed without written approval through a Heritage Tree Disturbance Form, and removal adds a $45 per caliper inch fine; this applies even to existing single-family homes bought on or after July 1, 2021.Source
Forestry clearing waiting periodAgricultural and forestry tree removal is exempt from tree protection, but if a site is substantially cleared for those purposes, no development applications are accepted for 36 months after clearing ends. The owner must show the clearing was a commercial timber operation with a forestry plan; a timber sale alone does not count.Source
City stormwater permitsA minor stormwater permit is required for development disturbing more than 10,000 square feet or 50% or more of the parcel. A major stormwater permit is required for disturbance over 1 acre, 0.25 acre or more of new impervious surface, or any development in a regulatory floodplain, among other triggers.Source
Floodplain compensatory storageDisturbance of natural riverine floodplains must be avoided, and development may not raise flood levels. Any flood storage lost in a regulatory floodplain must be replaced with compensatory storage of at least 1.5 times the volume lost, and some projects need a Conditional Letter of Map Revision before a floodplain development permit is issued.Source
Call 811 before diggingState law requires a locate request to SC811 before any excavation begins. For a normal request, operators have three full working days to mark their lines (working days exclude the day you submit, weekends and holidays); you may dig the next working day once Positive Response shows all locates are complete. A normal ticket is valid for 15 working days. Underwater excavation needs at least 10 working days’ notice and large projects at least 30 days. Private lines are the owner’s responsibility to have marked. SC811 reports that a new state law (HB 3571) took effect May 22, 2026.Source
Construction stormwater permitThe SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), under EPA delegation, issues coverage under the NPDES Construction General Permit SCR100000. Coverage is required for projects that disturb more than one acre, or that are part of a larger common plan that disturbs one acre or more. Sites within one-half mile of a coastal receiving water body must also apply. The re-issued permit takes effect March 30, 2026 and expires March 30, 2031.Source
Burning cleared brushSCDES Regulation 61-62.2 prohibits open burning except as listed. Burning land-clearing debris (outside predominantly residential areas) is allowed only if: the burn is at least 1,000 feet from public roadways and far enough from neighboring homes and businesses; the wind blows smoke away from roads and occupied sites; only plant material generated on site is burned, with salvageable timber and pulpwood removed first; burning starts between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. with no material added between 3 p.m. and 9 a.m.; and no more than two 30-by-30-foot piles burn within a six-acre area at once. Local ordinances still apply. Separately, S.C. Code 48-35-10 requires notifying the State Forester before outdoor burning of woods, brush or debris; that chapter does not apply inside town or city limits (48-35-30) and bars burning during a declared forest fire emergency (scstatehouse.gov/code/t48c035.php).Source

Confirm requirements for your parcel with the city or county before work starts. See land clearing permits for a full checklist.

How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in Greenville

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 before you call, read site preparation, excavation cost and land grading. If the site still has trees and brush, start with Greenville land clearing contractors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do excavation contractors charge in Greenville?

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. Get quotes from local contractors for your exact scope.

What’s the difference between excavation and land grading?

Excavation digs out or moves earth to reach required depths. Land grading shapes the surface to set slope and drainage. Many sitework contractors do both, but quotes often price them separately.

How are excavation contractors priced?

By the cubic yard, by the machine-hour or as a fixed total. HomeGuide lists $2.50 to $15 per cubic yard for soil and $100 to $300 per hour for an excavator with an operator. Ask which unit a quote uses before comparing bids.

More South Carolina Directories

Sources

Listings checked October 2026 against each company’s website. Prices are attributed national estimates, not Greenville quotes. Permit summaries are a starting point; confirm requirements for your parcel with the city or county.