Forestry Mulching and Land Clearing in Clermont, FL: Lot, Brush and Palmetto Clearing
Clermont sits on the Lake Wales Ridge hills, and the lots are sandhill: longleaf and turkey oak over wiregrass, sand pine scrub on the tops. The hills here are the only place in Florida where water runs downhill on purpose. Clermont, FL is about 55 miles down US 27 from our Ocala yard, inside the 75-mile circle, so the skid steer mulcher is $2,600 a day with transport included. Send the form or call (352) 619-3597. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.
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Forestry Mulching and Brush Clearing Near Clermont
Sandhill and sand pine scrub near Clermont mulch at $1,200 to 1,800 an acre, the cheapest ground in the state to clear. Forestry mulching is a land clearing method that uses specialized equipment to grind trees, turkey oak and vegetation into mulch, left mulched in place. On sugar sand that layer matters: two inches of chips holds the hill through the June storms instead of washing it onto Hancock Road.
Turkey oak and scrub oak stems run thin, so the head moves fast. Palmetto in the flatwoods pockets toward the Green Swamp is slower, $1,500 to 2,500 an acre, because the crowns will overgrow a mowed lot by the second summer unless the head takes the root mat. On the ROW we ran corridor over this ridge for a co-op; the sandhill sections went three times faster than the flatwoods below. Brush clearing on areas with dense scrub behind a house is one day: we remove brush, keep the longleaf.
Land Clearing Services in Clermont
Pellegrino Land Works provides land clearing, lot clearing, brush removal, tree removal, stump grinding and rough grading for residential and commercial properties in Clermont, FL and the surrounding area. Our land clearing service in Clermont, most weeks:
- Residential land clearing for a hillside homesite: scrub mulched, stems over 8 inches cut, stumps ground, cleanup, rough grading to the pad.
- Commercial land clearing services and commercial clearing for commercial development along US 27 and SR 50; commercial sites get the 300-hp mulcher.
- Selective clearing and property clearing: keep the longleaf, take the scrub oak and the sand pine.
- Professional clearing of overgrown land and landscape clearing behind an occupied house.
Large acreage clearing, full site clearing, site prep and land improvement on commercial properties in Clermont stop at rough grade. Site work past that, excavation and the pad, is your site contractor's. No concrete, wells, septic or demolition from us; I know people who do. Insured crews do the work, and every project on our professional land clearing service starts with a written price.
Lot Clearing for New Homes in Clermont and Minneola
The city issued 561 single-family permits in 2025 by the Census Building Permits Survey, and Minneola is building up the hill toward the Turnpike. A quarter-acre infill lot is $1,800 flat. A half-acre is one skid steer day, $2,600. Our 1.25-acre scrub oak and palmetto lot in Palm Coast ran one day at $2,600; a Clermont ridge lot the same size prices the same.
The land clearing process on a hill is about where the sand goes, not where the water sits. Drainage is fast; erosion is the problem. We leave the mulch on the slope, grind the stumps on the pad and cut nothing else. Fill is rarely needed on the ridge, but a low lot on the lakefront is a different job, and fill there is what will make your property take a slab. Site preparation beyond rough grade belongs to your grading contractor.
How Much Does Land Clearing Cost in Clermont?
Land clearing costs in Clermont run $1,200 to 1,800 an acre for sandhill and scrub, $1,500 to 2,500 for palmetto flatwoods, and $3,000 to 5,500 an acre for full clearing to dirt with every stump out. Before any of that: gopher tortoise burrows are on almost every lot here, so a licensed agent survey, $400 to 900, and an FWC relocation permit come first. June through September adds a day only in the flatwoods pockets; the ridge works all year.
Day rates: skid steer forestry mulcher $2,600, transport included; 300-hp mulcher $4,000 plus transport. Dozer with root rake, $170 an hour with operator. Stump grinding, $4.50 per inch of diameter, $150 minimum per stump; ten or more, by the day. Haul-off, $700 to 1,300 per 10-yard load. Brazilian pepper is rare on the ridge; in a grove row it adds $500 an acre.
The total depends on the size of the parcel and the stem count, set depending on site conditions at the site visit. Land clearing Clermont bids are written, with days and loads. Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form. Brandi texts you a window within the hour.
Permits, Gopher Tortoises and Drainage Before You Clear Land in Clermont
Lake County requires a tree removal permit outside agricultural use under its Land Development Regulations, and the city adds its own tree rules inside the limits; greenbelt grove land is exempt. Gopher tortoise is the big one on sandhill. FWC allows no work within 25 feet of a burrow without a permit, and on our jobs around Clermont we flag more burrows per acre than anywhere else we work. The ridge here also carries sand skink, which brings FWS into the file.
Water splits here. SJRWMD runs the Environmental Resource Permit on the east side of the ridge, SWFWMD on the west toward the Green Swamp. Clearing does not trigger an ERP; fill and drainage changes do, and a lot touching the Palatlakaha River or a cypress head gets a wetland line first. Bald eagle nests carry a 660-foot buffer. Sunshine 811 marks the gas pipeline before any grubbing.
Serving Clermont and Nearby Minneola, Groveland, Montverde and Four Corners
Our crews run the Clermont area from Ocala down US 27: Minneola, Groveland, Montverde, and Four Corners where Lake County meets Polk and Osceola. All inside the 75-mile circle: free on-site estimate, transport included. The Lake County page carries the county numbers. We are a land clearing company serving property owners from the Orlando metro edge to the Sumter line, with land clearing services across Central Florida and services throughout the ridge all year. Land clearing projects over 5 acres get the big mulcher.
Land clearing near Clermont
Nearby city pages
Request a Free On-Site Estimate for Your Clermont Lot
Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within an hour. I come out, walk the property with you, count stems and flag burrows, and you get a written price with day count and haul loads. Our crews leave the site mulched and the slope covered. Frequently asked questions below.
Land Clearing FAQs for Clermont Ridge Lots
How much does land clearing cost in Clermont in 2026?
$1,200 to 1,800 an acre for sandhill and scrub, which is most of the ground here, and $1,800 flat for a quarter-acre infill lot. A half-acre is one day at $2,600 with transport included. Full clearing to dirt with stumps runs $3,000 to 5,500 an acre.
Do I need a gopher tortoise survey on a Clermont lot?
Almost always. Sandhill is tortoise ground, and FWC requires a survey within 90 days of clearing and no work within 25 feet of a burrow without a permit. A licensed agent survey runs $400 to 900. If burrows are found, the relocation permit comes before the mulcher.
What is the cheapest way to clear a ridge lot?
Mulching, by a wide margin. Scrub and turkey oak mulch at $1,200 to 1,800 an acre, with nothing to haul or burn. Bush hogging at $65 to 95 an acre is cheaper per pass but leaves crowns, and you pay again in two years.
How soon can you start?
Brandi texts a scheduling window within an hour of your form, and the trailer usually leaves Ocala inside two weeks in the dry season. The ridge works through the wet season too, so summer starts are possible here. Call (352) 619-3597 when your builder gives you a date.
Get Your Free Estimate
Send the form or call. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.