Tracked forestry mulcher clearing brush and young trees on a wooded lot north of Houston

Land and Lot Clearing Around Houston

A building lot thick with brush, a fence line swallowed by vines, a few wooded acres you want opened up. Call the free line any hour and get put through to an independent, locally owned company in the Houston area that clears land.

Call (346) 680-8916 Common questions

Land clearing around Houston covers a wide range of jobs. On one end is a single in-town lot where a builder needs the brush, a few dead trees and the old fence line gone. On the other is several wooded acres in unincorporated Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend or Brazoria County where an owner wants a homesite, a pasture or room for a barn. The machines are different, the rules are different, and so is the question of what happens to all that wood.

Tree Service Houston TX does not clear land. It is a free phone line. Call (346) 680-8916, tell the automated assistant roughly how much ground you have, what is growing on it and where it is, and your call is transferred to an independent, locally owned company that does clearing work in your part of the Houston area. That company walks the property, quotes its own price and does the work.

A building lot or a few acres: two different jobs

A city or subdivision lot

Usually brush, vines, volunteer trees and a few large trees you may want to keep. Space is tight, neighbors are close, and the street, sidewalk and right of way trees cannot be damaged. Debris is almost always chipped or hauled. Inside the City of Houston, the city's tree rules for new construction decide how many trees must stay or be planted.

Wooded acreage

Pines, oaks, yaupon and thick undergrowth over a larger area, often outside city limits. Bigger machines, and a bigger question about disposal, burning, drainage and wet ground. County rules, state burning rules and, near water, federal wetland rules can all apply before anything else does.

Either way, decide before the first call what you want to keep. Mark the trees to save with ribbon, and say whether you want the stumps out, the ground graded or just the brush cut down. Those three choices change the job more than the size of the property does.

Forestry mulching or push and haul

Forestry mulching uses a single tracked machine with a spinning mulching head. It grinds brush and smaller trees where they stand and leaves a layer of chips on the ground. Because the roots stay in the soil and nothing is pushed into piles, the ground is left covered rather than bare. It suits opening up woods, clearing a fence line or reclaiming overgrown acreage where you are not about to pour a slab.

Push and haul clearing uses dozers, excavators or loaders to push trees over, pull stumps and pile the material, which is then chipped, hauled off or, where the rules allow, burned. It leaves bare dirt ready to grade, which is what a builder usually needs under a house pad or a driveway.

Many jobs mix the two. Ask each company which method it plans, what will happen to the stumps and the root mat, and where the debris will go.

Wooded lot near Houston after forestry mulching, with pines left standing over a layer of wood mulch

Burning the brush: TCEQ rules and county burn bans

The pile of brush at the end of a clearing job is where many owners get into trouble.

The state rule

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Outdoor Burning Rule first prohibits outdoor burning anywhere in Texas, then allows specific exceptions. Burning waste plant growth is allowed only when it came from right of way maintenance, land clearing or canal maintenance and no practical alternative to burning exists.

The Houston region

The Houston-Galveston Area Council's field guide says outdoor burning is generally illegal in the region because it adds to air pollution, and that which exceptions apply depends on the county. TCEQ notes that areas not meeting federal air quality standards can be stricter than the base rule.

County burn bans

Under Texas Local Government Code section 352.081, a county commissioners court can ban or restrict outdoor burning in unincorporated areas during drought, for up to 90 days per order. The Texas A&M Forest Service posts a daily map of counties under a ban.

TCEQ lists alternatives to burning, including chipping, logging the usable timber and hauling to a landfill. Questions about a burn in this area can go to the TCEQ Region 12 office at 713-767-3714. Ask any clearing company how it plans to dispose of the material and get that in the quote.

City of Houston tree rules for new construction

If the lot is inside Houston city limits and you are building, the city's Tree and Shrub Ordinance, in Chapter 33 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances, applies to new single-family residential construction. Under the city's published requirements:

A lot under 5,000 square feet needs one tree, new or preserved.
A lot of 5,000 square feet or more needs two trees, new or preserved.
A preserved tree can be on the building site or in the abutting street right of way.
Trees in the right of way along a public street are protected.
New trees on single-family lots come from the city's approved street tree or parking lot tree list.

The ordinance also sets street tree, parking lot tree, shrub and buffer requirements for other kinds of development, based on the size of the property. Separately, any tree on city property, including the right of way, needs a City of Houston permit before it is removed or trimmed. Before a lot is cleared, check the plans against the ordinance with your builder or the Planning and Development Department, and keep machines away from the trees you are counting on. For more on permits, see the Houston tree permit guide.

Cleared lot with one large pine kept and a loader beside it

Floodplain, drainage and wetlands

Flat, low ground near bayous and creeks is common around Houston, and clearing it can raise rules that have nothing to do with trees.

County development permits. Harris County's engineering office says a permit is needed for all development within the county, and it defines development broadly: any man-made change to the land, including filling, grading, excavation and storing equipment or materials. No fill is allowed in a floodway, and work in a mapped flood hazard area needs plans from a Texas-licensed engineer or architect. Other counties and cities have their own offices; ask yours.

Wetlands. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act puts the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in charge of fill in waters of the United States, including wetlands. Mechanized land clearing, filling, grading and ditching in those areas can require a Corps permit before work starts. The Corps' Galveston District regulatory office covers the Houston area. If parts of the land hold water after rain, grow wetland plants or sit beside a creek, get that answered before any clearing.

Texas 811 before stumps come out

Pulling stumps, grading and digging are excavation. Texas law requires a call to the Texas811 notification center at least 48 hours before mechanized digging 16 inches or deeper, not counting weekends and legal holidays. Texas811 member utilities mark only their own public lines; private lines, such as a well line, a line to a barn or a septic system, are the owner's to locate. Ask the company who will place the ticket and wait for the marks.

What a land clearing quote should spell out

Area and boundariesExactly what ground is being cleared, and which trees are staying. Walk the lines with the company.
MethodMulching, push and haul, or a mix, and whether stumps and roots come out.
DisposalChipped and left, hauled off, or burned, and if burned, how the company meets the TCEQ rule and any county burn ban.
Permits and locatesWho checks the city or county permit, who places the 811 ticket, and whether wetland or floodplain questions have been answered.
Ground left behindRough cleared, graded, or ready for a builder, and what happens to ruts and drainage.

Clearing prices swing widely with acreage, how thick the growth is, the size of the trees, access, disposal and grading, so there is no meaningful single number to quote here. Real quotes vary, and only a company that walks the property can price it. Get more than one, and compare them on the same scope.

Check the company yourself. Texas has no state license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a business card proves very little. Ask the company for a certificate of general liability insurance sent by its insurance agent, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and the ISA certification number of its arborist. A company that sprays or injects trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Texas Department of Agriculture or its Structural Pest Control Service. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).

Have a lot or acreage to clear? Call and describe the land, what is growing on it and what you want to keep. The company you are put through to walks it and quotes its own price.

Call (346) 680-8916

Related services

Clearing often comes with other tree work.

Tree crew with a bucket truck taking down a large oak beside a one-story home

Tree Removal

Taking down a dead, leaning or unwanted tree near a Houston home, from water oaks and pines to big live oaks, and what a complete quote covers.

Stump grinder cutting a tree stump down in a lawn

Stump Grinding and Removal

Grinding a stump below the lawn, what happens to the roots and chips, utility locates and when full stump removal is worth it.

Piles of cut branches at the curb with a chipper truck parked behind

Tree Debris Removal and Hauling

Hauling limbs, logs and storm debris, what curbside tree waste pickup takes, and when to have the tree company haul it instead.

Arborist kneeling to examine the root flare of a large oak

Arborist Assessment and Tree Care

A certified arborist's look at a tree's health and risk, diseases common around Houston, and how to check an arborist's credentials.

How a land clearing call works

Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (346) 680-8916 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.

How this line works: Tree Service Houston TX is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Houston area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Houston TX a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.

The line takes calls from across greater Houston:

Guides for this job

Common questions

Can I burn brush after clearing land near Houston?

Often not. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's outdoor burning rule starts by prohibiting outdoor burning across Texas, then allows narrow exceptions. Plant growth from land clearing may be burned only when it was generated on that property and no practical alternative exists, and areas that do not meet federal ozone standards, like the Houston region, can be stricter. A county burn ban can stop burning entirely. Ask the clearing company how it will dispose of the material before work starts.

Do I need a permit to clear a lot in Houston?

It depends on where the lot is and what you are building. Inside the City of Houston, the Tree and Shrub Ordinance in Chapter 33 of the city code sets tree requirements for new construction, and trees on the street right of way are protected and need a city permit. In unincorporated Harris County, the county says a permit is needed for all development, which includes grading, filling and excavation. Check with the city or county office for your address before the machines arrive.

What is the difference between forestry mulching and regular land clearing?

Forestry mulching uses one machine with a mulching head to grind brush and small trees where they stand and leave the chips on the ground. Traditional clearing pushes trees and brush over with a dozer or loader, piles them and hauls them off or chips them, often removing stumps and roots too. Mulching disturbs the soil less; push and haul leaves bare ground ready to grade. Which one fits depends on what the land is for.

How many trees do I have to keep on a new house lot in Houston?

Inside city limits, the City of Houston's tree rules for new single-family construction require one tree on a lot under 5,000 square feet and two on a lot of 5,000 square feet or more. The tree can be new or preserved, and a preserved tree can be on the lot or in the street right of way beside it. Ask your builder or the city's Planning and Development Department how it applies to your plans.

Does land clearing need a wetlands permit?

It can. Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulates fill in waters of the United States, including wetlands, and mechanized land clearing in those areas can require a permit before work starts. The Corps' Galveston District handles permits for the Houston area. If the land is low, wet or near a bayou or creek, find out before clearing.

Land or a lot to clear? Call the free line

Call the free line any hour. Say what the tree is doing, where you are and how urgent it is, and you are put through to an independent, locally owned tree service company that looks at the job and quotes its own price.

Call (346) 680-8916

Answered 24/7An automated assistant picks up day or night, weekends and holidays.
Free to callYou never pay the line. Any price comes from the tree company.
Ask for proofBefore work starts, ask the company for its certificate of insurance and its arborist credentials.
You stay in chargeThe company looks at the job and quotes first. You decide whether to go ahead.