Land Clearing Contractors in Iowa
Find land clearing contractors serving Iowa properties for brush clearing, lot clearing, tree and stump removal, forestry mulching and full site clearing. We list 10 land clearing contractors across 1 Iowa metro, each confirmed on the company’s own website (checked October 2026). Choose a city to compare them.
Browse Iowa Land Clearing Contractors by City
- Des Moines land clearing contractors: 10 verified
Iowa Land Clearing Contractors at a Glance
| City | Contractors | Also stump grinding |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 10 | 2 |
Counts come from the listings on each city page. The Contractors column is the number of land clearing companies listed; each confirms land clearing 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 Land Clearing Contractors Charge in Iowa?
Angi reports an average land clearing project cost of $3,780 in 2026, and HomeGuide estimates $1,200 to $8,000 per acre. These measure different things: one is per project, the other per acre. Stump removal, debris haul-off and grading are often priced separately. No published source gives a reliable Iowa-specific average, so use these as national planning figures and get local quotes. See land clearing cost per acre for prices by vegetation, lot size and method.
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 a Contractor in Iowa
Walk the property with each bidder or send the same marked site plan. Ask what happens to stumps and roots, whether debris is hauled, burned or mulched, who checks tree, grading and stormwater permits, and what condition the site will be in when the crew leaves. Compare written quotes for the same scope, not headline prices.
For background, read the land clearing guide, land clearing cost per acre and land clearing permits.
Sources
- Iowa: 811 requirement (Iowa Code 2026)
- Iowa: Construction stormwater permit (no date)
- Iowa: Open burning rules (IAC supplement 2/5/25)
- Angi: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated September 28, 2026)
- HomeGuide: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (written November 20, 2025)
Reviewed October 16, 2026. Confirm permit requirements for your parcel with the city or county.