Land Clearing Contractors in New York
Find land clearing contractors serving New York properties for brush clearing, lot clearing, tree and stump removal, forestry mulching and full site clearing. We list 100 land clearing 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 Land Clearing Contractors by City
- Albany land clearing contractors: 30 verified
- Buffalo land clearing contractors: 21 verified
- New York land clearing contractors: 22 verified
- Rochester land clearing contractors: 27 verified
New York Land Clearing Contractors at a Glance
| City | Contractors | Also forestry mulching | Also stump grinding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 30 | 9 | 11 |
| Buffalo | 21 | 3 | 10 |
| New York | 22 | 2 | 8 |
| Rochester | 27 | 3 | 10 |
| Total listings | 100 | 17 | 39 |
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 New York?
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 New York-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.
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 a Contractor in New York
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
- 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)
- 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.