Land Clearing Services in Louisiana: Chinese tallow Cleared on Lots and Acreage from Greater Baton Rouge to Greater New Orleans
Land clearing in Louisiana starts with two facts: Chinese tallow spreads faster than native brush, and southern gumbo clay swallows a dozer after two days of rain. I ran crews across 11 states for 20 years before launching Clearline in 2019, and I know how soft silt slows heavy iron. A track mulcher floats where a dozer sinks. The math stays simple. A skid steer mulcher runs $2,500 to 3,200 a day, with transport inside 60 miles of the crew's yard included. Our crews clear lots, acreage spreads, and building pads from Greater Baton Rouge to the Northshore. Call (888) 709-7985 or send the form. Marisol emails a budget range the same day and books the free estimate with the crew nearest you.
- 48 contiguous
states - Insured
crews - Same-day
budget range
48 statesContiguous coverage
$2,500–3,200Skid steer mulcher, per day
60 milesTransport included
Same dayBudget range by email
Full-Service Land Clearing and Site Preparation Services in Louisiana
Overgrown brush and small trees on your land require the right machinery. We clear land and handle brush removal using clear day rates and per acre pricing for commercial and residential sites. Professional land clearing services also state what they do not touch, so our list ends with that line.
Forestry mulching and land clearing
a single forestry mulcher turns brush and undergrowth into mulch in one pass. Light to medium underbrush costs $1,000 to 2,500 per acre. Heavy, dense overgrowth runs $2,500 to 4,000 per acre.
Complete clear to dirt
grubbing, root raking, stump extraction, and haul-off. Best for construction sites, roads, or agricultural use. Costs run $2,500 to 6,000 per acre depending on mud and tree size.
Lot clearing
standard lot clearing for a half-acre overgrown lot takes one day and runs $2,500 to 3,200.
Brush clearing and removal services
targeted brush removal that wipes out tallow, yaupon, and privet while keeping mature trees intact.
Stump grinding
we grind remaining stumps for $3.50 to 5 per inch of diameter, with a $150 to 200 minimum per stump. Large tracts with dozens of stumps are priced by the day.
Tree removal and tree clearing
selective clearing of small trees and brush across whole tracts at clearing scale, not individual arborism.
Site prep, land grading, and excavation work
site preparation services, prep services, land grading, and pad roughing at $150 to 200 an hour with an excavator or dozer operator.
We do not pour concrete pads, drill water wells, set septic tanks, or demolish houses. I know reliable people across all 48 contiguous states who do. We offer forestry mulching for residential and commercial sites. Every job site gets an insured crew and written pricing before the trailer moves.
Land Clearing Across Louisiana: Greater Baton Rouge, Acadiana, Northshore, Central, and North Louisiana
This state is four kinds of dirt, and each one changes the machine day count. A clearing contractor who treats coastal silt the same as northern sandy loam will misprice the schedule. Our crews operate across all five major regions here.
contiguous states
- 01
Greater Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish
thick gumbo clay, heavy water oak sprouts, and sweetgum. High rainfall means mulchers run where tracked dozers rut the ground.
- 02
Acadiana and Lafayette
low alluvial ground, tallow thickets, and agricultural acreage. Clearing for pasture expansion or farm access requires careful water flow awareness.
- 03
Northshore and Central parishes
St. Tammany and Tangipahoa feature sandy loam under loblolly and slash pine. Yaupon, wax myrtle, and briars dominate the underbrush.
- 04
Shreveport-Bossier and North Louisiana
rolling terrain, heavy pine timber, mixed hardwood, and red clay pockets. Ground holds equipment better in winter than southern parishes.
- 05
Greater New Orleans and coastal edges
high water tables, thick tallow, and cypress margins. Work near coastal marshes strictly avoids protected wetland zones.
Each region acts as its own service area. Equipment transport is free inside 60 miles of the crew's yard, with extended transport written clearly on the quote.
What Louisiana Landowners Clear Most: Tallow and Yaupon
Chinese tallow is the woody plant this state is embarrassed about, and it tops our project estimates from Lafayette to Covington. Tallow invades pastures, vacant lots, and forest understory at rapid speed on any Louisiana land. Left unmanaged for three seasons, an open field turns into an impenetrable tallow jungle. Yaupon holly, wax myrtle, privet, and honeysuckle fill the understory beneath loblolly pine. Old homesteads present thick bamboo, while water oak and sweetgum sprouts choke unused fence lines.
Gumbo clay is a sponge that acts like greased glass when wet. Texas mesquite and Louisiana tallow take similar machine hours, but tallow grows in dirt that holds water three months longer. A forestry mulcher converts invasive brush and trees into organic ground cover in one pass. Tallow and sweetgum will aggressively stump-sprout unless managed properly, so planning a follow-up pass or spot treatment on the site cleared makes economic sense. Fire fuel drops fast once the canopy opens.
Land Clearing Cost in Louisiana per Acre
Clearing costs in this state fall inside standard national price ranges, but wet soil and rapid tallow growth dictate the total day count. Here is the arithmetic on every estimate we write here.
Skid steer mulcher
$2,500 to 3,200 per day, including transport inside 60 miles.
Dedicated 300-hp mulcher
$3,800 to 4,500 per day plus heavy haul transport.
Forestry mulching
$1,000 to 2,500 per acre for typical tallow and yaupon. Heavy, dense jungle growth runs $2,500 to 4,000 per acre.
Complete clearing to bare dirt with stump extraction
$2,500 to 6,000 per acre. Low ground and haul-off distances push prices to the top end.
Dozer or excavator work
$150 to 200 per hour. Minimum delivery fee runs $1,000 to 1,500. Debris removal and haul-off charges run $600 to 1,300 per load.
On a tract in Weatherford, Texas, one of our Texas crews cleared a half-acre lot of brush in one day for $2,900. On a job in Lake County, Florida, we cleared 10 acres of dead citrus groves using root rakes and push dozers over three days for $14,200 plus haul fees. Tallow clearing in Ascension Parish runs similar equipment hours per acre. We calculate total acres per day times our daily rate, plus any extra time soft ground adds. For a full state cost breakdown, see our dedicated cost page. Call (888) 709-7985 or send the form to receive your line-item range from Marisol.
Land Clearing Cost Calculator for Louisiana
Planning range from 2025–2026 national price data, adjusted to Louisiana costs. Change any answer and the range updates.
Open the full land clearing cost calculatorBest Season to Clear Land in Louisiana
October through April provides the dry clearing window across the state. Track mulchers float over cold ground, allowing crews to maintain high daily production without deep rutting.
June through September brings the wet season, high humidity, and afternoon rains that turn low dirt into mud. Dozer work stalls quickly in wet clay, whereas a wide-track mulcher keeps working. Hurricane season frequently leaves storm damage debris, broken timber, and uprooted root balls that require tracked excavators to stack efficiently.
Louisiana Permits, Burn Rules, Wetlands, and Tree Statutes
Clearing private acreage here does not require a master state clearing permit, but environmental laws and municipal codes reach many job sites. I detail these specific rules on every estimate before machinery moves.
- 01
Outdoor burning rules
The state Department of Environmental Quality sets regulations under LAC 33:III outdoor burning exceptions. Our land-clearing services comply with rules where fires must sit 1,000 feet from off-site dwellings. The state Department of Agriculture and Forestry issues local burn bans during dry spells. Mulching skips the burn permit completely.
- 02
Wetlands and coastal zone rules
Work in coastal zones requires a Coastal Use Permit from the state Department of Natural Resources. Any fill in a wetland or stream requires a US Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permit under the New Orleans or Vicksburg Districts. We flag the wetland line and stop at it.
- 03
Local tree ordinances
New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Mandeville, and Covington protect historic live oaks and mature trees. Selective mulching around protected trunks keeps projects compliant.
- 04
811 line location
Call 811 before digging at least 48 hours but not more than 120 hours prior to excavation work, excluding weekends and holidays, under La. R.S. 40:1749.13.
- 05
R.S. 3:4278.1. Treble damages also apply to a good-faith violator if he should have known he lacked consent.
- 06
Invasive plant status
Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) is officially listed as a noxious weed under La. R.S. 3:1791.
Erosion control and silt fencing protect runoff paths into adjacent ditches during large site preparation work.
Cost-Share Programs: NRCS EQIP Brush Management in Louisiana
The NRCS EQIP brush management program, practice code 314, offers cost-share assistance to a property owner clearing working pasture, timberland, or farm ground. This program through the local USDA service center supports land management by controlling invasive brush like tallow and yaupon.
Land Clearing Companies by Louisiana Parish and Metro Area
The state recorded 11,199 single-family permits in 2025 according to the Census Building Permits Survey. Single-family construction requires initial site prep and lot clearing before building starts. Our crews cover all major growth centers across the state.
- 01
Lafayette Parish and Acadiana
1,612 single-family permits in 2025. Suburban expansion, tallow management, and pasture clearing across Lafayette, Acadia, and St. Martin parishes.
- 02
Baton Rouge Metro
East Baton Rouge Parish recorded 1,420 permits, Ascension Parish registered 327, and Livingston Parish added 647. High residential growth requiring lot clearing, site prep, and land grading.
- 03
Northshore Metro
St. Tammany Parish posted 1,086 permits, with Tangipahoa Parish logging 696. Pine timber, thick yaupon understory, and selective clearing around mature trees.
- 04
Shreveport-Bossier Metro
Bossier Parish logged 664 permits while Caddo Parish recorded 185. Residential construction, timber thinning, and pad site preparation.
Specific parish and city pages roll out in the next phase. Until then, our land clearing company delivers identical fixed-rate pricing across every rural parish and metro market.
Send the Form, Get a Range the Same Day, Walk the Land with the Louisiana Crew
Getting your land cleared follows three steps. Call (888) 709-7985 or fill out our online form with your parish location, estimated acreage, and brush details. Marisol emails a budget range the same day and books the free estimate with the local crew nearest your site, inside 60 miles of a yard.
The crew lead meets you on site. We walk your boundaries, flag wetland edges, mark mature trees you want kept, and check low clay spots. Your written proposal names the fixed day rate, estimated acres cleared per day, transport fees, and any extra wet day rules before machinery unloads. Insured crews, dated start times, and clear communication from an estimator on active job sites. Whether you need land clearing work on an overgrown lot, five acres of tallow cleared, or site preparation services for a building pad, getting your property cleared comes down to straight math on your Louisiana property. Pipeline spreads taught me that written day rates prevent field surprises, and that is how we clear your land.
Land Clearing FAQ
How much does land clearing cost per acre in this state?
Forestry mulching costs $1,000 to 2,500 per acre for light to medium brush like tallow and yaupon, and $2,500 to 4,000 for heavy thickets. Complete clearing to dirt with stump removal ranges from $2,500 to 6,000 per acre. Low gumbo clay ground and long haul distances drive costs toward the higher end.
Do I need a permit to clear land in this state?
You do not need a state land clearing permit for simple brush removal on private acreage. However, burning debris requires following state Department of Environmental Quality regulations under LAC 33:III outdoor burning exceptions, including a 1,000-foot buffer from off-site dwellings. Work in coastal zones or wetlands requires DNR or USACE permits.
Can I burn the piles after clearing land in this state?
Burning land clearing debris is restricted. LDEQ rules require fires to be located at least 1,000 feet away from neighboring homes, with wind conditions blowing smoke away from towns. Local burn bans issued by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry also apply. Most clients choose forestry mulching to avoid burn restrictions entirely.
What is the best time of year to clear land in this state?
October through April is the ideal clearing window. Winter ground is firm, temperatures are cooler, and brush is dormant, allowing mulchers to cover more acreage daily. Summer brings heavy rain and high humidity that turns southern gumbo clay into deep mud, which slows down earthmoving equipment.
How fast can a crew clear my land in this state?
A track mulcher clears a standard half-acre residential lot in a single day. A typical 5-acre tallow clearing job takes two to three working days depending on ground moisture and tree size.
How do I get a land clearing quote in this state?
Call (888) 709-7985 or submit our website form with your parish, total acreage, and plant types. Marisol emails a budget range the same day and sets up a free site walk with the nearest crew leader. You receive a firm written estimate detailing day rates and timelines before equipment arrives.
