Forestry mulcher clearing scrub under tall pines on sandy ground

Land Clearing in Tampa Bay: Permits and Wildlife Rules Come First

A wooded lot to build on, an acre of palmetto and vines behind the fence, a pasture gone to brush. Call the free line any hour and get put through to an independent, locally owned company that clears land in your part of the Tampa Bay area.

Call (689) 407-5379 Common questions

Land clearing around Tampa Bay is less about the machine and more about what is on the ground before it starts: protected trees, gopher tortoise burrows, a wet corner that turns out to be a regulated wetland, and the county or city rules that decide what may come out. Both Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa take reports of trees and land cleared without a permit, and sorting out a violation after the fact is slower and dearer than getting the permit first. This page walks through the permits and wildlife rules in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, the ways land gets cleared and what published guides say it costs.

Tree Service Tampa FL does not clear land. It is a free phone line. Call (689) 407-5379, describe the lot (rough size, what is growing on it, and whether you plan to build), and the call is transferred to an independent, locally owned company that does clearing work in your part of the bay area. That company walks the property, quotes its own price and does the job.

Who decides what you may clear

Which office governs your lot depends on whether it sits inside a city or in unincorporated county land. Look up the parcel on your county property appraiser's site before you call anyone.

Where the lot is	What the rules say	Where to start
Unincorporated Hillsborough	Clearing to build a home needs a Land Alteration and Landscaping permit with the building permit, covering tree removal, lot grading and land alteration. Clearing without building uses a Land Alteration without Construction permit. Commercial and subdivision sites need a natural resources permit before clearing.	Hillsborough County Natural Resources, through HillsGovHub
City of Tampa	A city permit is needed to remove trees of 5 inches DBH or more, invasive species excepted, and every removal is reviewed by a Natural Resources forester. The city takes reports of trees removed without a permit.	City of Tampa Natural Resources, (813) 274-3100
Unincorporated Pasco	Section 802 of the Land Development Code requires a tree removal permit for trees of 5 inches DBH or more, with exceptions, and development applications carry a tree survey and plan.	Pasco County permitting
Unincorporated Pinellas	A habitat permit is required to remove trees on private property, including land development for commercial, multi-family or new single-family uses, and the same application covers ground work. County staff inspect the site.	Pinellas County Access Portal, (727) 464-3480

Cities such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Plant City and Temple Terrace run their own programs, so call the city first if the lot is inside one. The Tampa tree removal permit guide covers the city and county tree rules in more detail.

Three things that can stop a clearing job

Each one is cheaper to sort out before the first tree comes down than after.

Gopher tortoise burrows

The gopher tortoise is state listed as Threatened, its burrows are protected by state law, and FWC requires a relocation permit before burrows are disturbed. Work within 25 feet of a burrow, even one on the neighbor's side of the line, can make you responsible if it collapses. FWC authorized agents survey lots and handle relocation.

Wetlands

A low, wet corner of a lot may be a regulated wetland, and only a formal delineation settles where the line falls. In Hillsborough County, clearing, filling or draining a wetland without written authorization from the Environmental Protection Commission is a violation. The EPC also offers formal wetland delineations, which map the line; work in the wetland still needs the EPC's written authorization. The Southwest Florida Water Management District issues environmental resource permits that protect wetlands across the region.

Burning the brush

Burning land clearing debris needs authorization from the Florida Forest Service or its designated agent, with conditions such as firebreaks and a person on site until the fire is out. In Hillsborough the EPC administers open burning for initial land clearing. Only vegetative debris from the site itself goes on the pile, never trash, treated lumber, plastics or tires.

How land gets cleared

Clearing jobs generally use one of two approaches, and sometimes both on the same lot.

Forestry mulching. A tracked machine with a spinning drum grinds brush, palmetto, vines and small trees where they stand and leaves a layer of mulch on the ground. Because the material stays on site as mulch, there is little to haul, which is why it is often chosen for fence lines, trails and lots that will stay partly wooded.

Conventional clearing. Trees are felled, stumps are pulled or ground, and roots are raked out with loaders and excavators. The debris is chipped, hauled or, where authorized, burned. Building pads, driveways, pools and septic fields usually need this, because a builder wants clean, firm soil.

Tracked mulcher clearing palmetto scrub under pines

Keep the trees worth keeping

A cleared lot does not have to be a bare lot, and the rules often push the same way. Unincorporated Hillsborough protects grand oaks, oaks of 34 inches DBH or more in good condition, unless removal is authorized, and Pasco's single-family exemption for pines does not cover longleaf pine. Mark the trees you want saved with ribbon before the crew arrives, and ask the company how far its machines will stay from each trunk so roots are not crushed or scraped.

Cleared lot with one large pine kept and a loader beside it — Fencing around the trees you keep keeps machines off their roots.

Before the machines arrive

Confirm the jurisdictionCity or unincorporated county decides which permit applies and who inspects.
Get the permits in handIn unincorporated Hillsborough, the county says clearing may not start before the land alteration permit is secured. Ask whether the company or you will apply.
Look for burrows and wet groundWalk the lot for burrow openings and low wet spots, and get a tortoise survey or wetland check if you find either.
Call Sunshine 811Grubbing roots and pulling stumps is digging. Florida law requires notice through Sunshine 811 at least two full business days ahead.
Agree on the debris planMulched in place, chipped and hauled, or burned under authorization, written into the quote.

What land clearing costs, from published guides

Tree Service Tampa FL does not set prices. Published guides give national ranges, and real quotes vary a great deal from lot to lot:

$1,403 to $6,203HomeAdvisor's range for most land clearing jobs, with a typical cost around $3,794
$500 to $5,600 per acreHomeAdvisor's per acre range for conventional clearing, with dense forest at the expensive end
$400 to $1,500 per acreAngi's range for forestry mulching, averaging about $800 per acre

Cleared dirt track beside a big pile of wood mulch in pine woods

What moves a clearing quote: how thick the vegetation is and how big the trees are, whether stumps are ground or pulled, wet or low ground, how far debris has to travel, permit and survey costs, tortoise relocation if burrows are found, and whether the job includes grading and leveling. For a single tree or a few trees near the house, tree removal and stump grinding are usually priced differently from acreage clearing.

Questions for the clearing company

Who pulls the permits, and will you see them before work starts?
Which trees stay, and how will they be protected?
Was the lot checked for gopher tortoise burrows and wetlands?
Is the work mulching, conventional clearing or both, and where does the debris go?
Does the price include stump grinding, root raking and leveling?
Can you see a certificate of liability insurance and proof of workers' compensation coverage?

Check the company yourself. Florida has no statewide license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a truck and a business card prove 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 treats trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. You can confirm an ISA certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).

Have the lot size, what is growing on it and your plans for it handy. The company you are put through to walks the property and gives its own price.

Call (689) 407-5379

How a land clearing call works

Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (689) 407-5379 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 Tampa FL 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 Tampa Bay area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Tampa FL a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.

The free line takes land clearing calls from across Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, including Plant City, Wesley Chapel, Land O' Lakes and Zephyrhills.

Common questions

Do I need a permit to clear land in Hillsborough County?

Usually, yes. In unincorporated Hillsborough County, clearing to build a home falls under a Land Alteration and Landscaping permit that goes in with the building permit, and the county says you cannot clear before applying for and getting it. Clearing without building uses a separate Land Alteration without Construction permit. Inside the City of Tampa, removing trees of 5 inches DBH or more needs a city permit unless they are invasive. Pasco and Pinellas have their own rules, covered below.

How much does it cost to clear land in Florida?

HomeAdvisor's national guide puts most land clearing jobs between $1,403 and $6,203, or roughly $500 to $5,600 per acre, with lightly wooded land at the low end and heavy forest at the top. Angi puts forestry mulching at about $400 to $1,500 per acre. Real quotes vary with density, tree size, wet ground, permits and whether debris is mulched in place or hauled.

What if there are gopher tortoise burrows on my lot?

Stop and plan before any machine goes in. The gopher tortoise is listed as Threatened in Florida, and FWC requires a permit before burrows are disturbed. No permit is needed if every burrow is kept 25 feet clear in all directions. FWC staff do not move tortoises for private owners; an FWC authorized gopher tortoise agent surveys the lot and handles the permit and relocation.

Can the cleared brush be burned on site?

Not without authorization. Land clearing and pile burning in Florida need a burning authorization from the Florida Forest Service or its designated agent, and in Hillsborough County the Environmental Protection Commission administers open burning for initial land clearing. Many clearing jobs mulch the brush in place or haul it instead.

Is land clearing the same as grading and leveling?

No. Clearing removes trees, brush and stumps; grading moves soil to shape and level the ground. Many companies do both, but grading changes how water drains, and in unincorporated Hillsborough lot grading is part of the land alteration permit. Ask whether a quote includes leveling or just clearing.

Have a lot that needs clearing?

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.