Most land clearing in Central Texas is a cedar problem. Ashe juniper, which everyone here calls cedar, takes over any acre that has not been grazed or burned in thirty years, and it grows thick enough that you cannot walk through it. Under that canopy there is usually live oak and Texas persimmon worth keeping.
So the first question is never how much, it is how much do you want gone. Tell us the acreage and what it is for and we will price it properly.
What land clearing costs per acre
| Density | Per acre | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Light | $1,800 – $2,800 | Scattered cedar and scrub, grass between. Mulcher walks straight through. |
| Medium | $2,800 – $4,200 | Continuous cedar 10–15 ft, some hardwood to work around. |
| Heavy | $4,200 – $6,500 | Solid canopy, mature juniper, no line of sight. Slow work. |
| Selective | $3,000 – $5,500 | Cedar out, every oak and persimmon left standing. More hand work. |
Two decisions move the number a long way. Mulching in place is cheaper than hauling material off, because the mulcher turns everything into a layer on the ground and nothing leaves the property. Grubbing stumps out costs more again, and you only need it where something is going to be built or graded.
Rock is the other one. West of I-35 on the Edwards Plateau you are working over limestone, which is hard on equipment and rules out digging in places. Ask anyone quoting you whether they have seen the actual ground.
The three ways we clear
Forestry mulching is the default for cedar. A tracked machine with a drum mulcher grinds standing trees down to a mulch layer in one pass. Nothing gets hauled, the mulch holds soil through the next storm, and it is the cheapest option per acre. It leaves the root systems in the ground, which is fine for pasture and wrong for a building pad.
Selective clearing means we take the cedar and leave the hardwood. On most Hill Country acreage there are live oaks in there that have been suppressed for decades and will fill out once they have light and water to themselves. This is slower and costs more, and it is almost always the right call if you are going to live on the land.
Full clearing and grubbing takes everything including root balls, down to bare graded dirt. That is a construction job, and it is what lot clearing for a new build usually means.
How the job runs
- Send the address and acreage. A pin on a map is more useful than a description, and a recent satellite view tells us the density before anyone drives out.
- We walk it with you and agree what stays. Marking keepers with tape at this stage prevents every argument later.
- Written price per acre, with mulching or haul-off called out separately.
- Machine work, usually one to three acres a day depending on density.
- Walk the boundary together at the end.
Rules worth knowing before you clear
Unincorporated county land across Travis, Williamson and Hays generally has no tree permit requirement, which is why most acreage clearing needs no paperwork. Inside city limits that changes fast: Austin protects trees from 19 inches in diameter wherever they stand, including on undeveloped lots, and Georgetown and Round Rock run their own ordinances.
Two more. If your property has an agricultural valuation, clearing can affect it, so check with the county appraisal district first. And golden-cheeked warbler habitat is a live issue in parts of western Travis and Williamson County, where mature Ashe juniper is exactly what the birds nest in. Clearing that during nesting season, roughly March through August, can run into federal rules. We will flag it if your land looks like it applies, but the responsibility sits with the landowner.
One thing we will push back on: clearing every cedar off a steep slope and leaving nothing. Thin soil over limestone with no root structure washes into the creek the first time Central Texas does four inches in an hour. Leave cover on the grades.
Questions about land clearing
What is land clearing?
Land clearing is removing trees, brush and undergrowth from a piece of ground so it can be used for something else: pasture, a building pad, a fence line, or fire protection around a house. In Central Texas it almost always means taking out Ashe juniper, and it is usually priced by the acre rather than by the tree.
How much does land clearing cost per acre?
Between $1,800 and $6,500 an acre across Central Texas, with most jobs landing near $3,000. Light scattered cedar on flat ground sits at the bottom. A solid mature juniper canopy on a rocky slope sits at the top. Mulching in place is cheaper than hauling material away, often by a third.
How long does it take to clear an acre?
A mulcher covers one to three acres a day depending on density. Light scrub in Hays County can go faster than that. Heavy mature cedar on a slope in western Travis County can take two days for a single acre. Selective work, where the operator steers around every hardwood, roughly halves the daily rate.
Do I need a permit to clear land in Central Texas?
Usually not on unincorporated county land in Travis, Williamson or Hays, which is where most acreage sits. Inside city limits you very likely do. Austin protects any tree 19 inches or more in diameter even on a vacant lot. Check floodplain and any agricultural valuation as well, since clearing can affect both.
Can you leave the oaks?
Yes, and on Hill Country acreage we usually recommend it. Live oak and Texas red oak suppressed under a cedar canopy often recover well once they are not competing for water. We tape the keepers with you before the machine starts. Selective clearing adds roughly 20 to 30 percent to the per-acre price.
Where we clear land
Acreage across the region, including land clearing in Austin, and out through Leander, Georgetown, Lakeway, Hutto, Kyle and Buda.