Charlotte Land Works connects lot owners and builders with local crews for lot clearing, land clearing, grading, stump removal and site preparation across the Charlotte metro. Lot clearing is the residential-scale version of that work: a quarter-acre to two-acre parcel taken from wooded or overgrown to a clean, buildable surface.
What lot clearing covers
A typical scope removes everything inside the building envelope — the house footprint, the driveway corridor, the septic or sewer route, and a working buffer of roughly 10 to 20 feet so excavators and concrete trucks can move. Outside that envelope, many owners keep the better trees and only clean out undergrowth.
- Felling and removing standing trees inside the clearing limits
- Grubbing stumps and root mats where structure, drive or utilities will go
- Removing brush, vines and ground debris
- Hauling or chipping debris (open burning isn't allowed inside most city limits)
- Rough grading the cleared area so it drains
- Installing silt fence on the downhill side
Infill lots vs. raw lots
Infill and teardown lots
In older Charlotte neighborhoods, lot clearing often follows a teardown. Expect a tight work area, a single access point, overhead service drops and neighbors' fences on three sides. Crews use mini-excavators and compact track loaders and load trucks continuously, because there is nowhere to stockpile logs.
Raw wooded lots
In subdivisions sold as wooded lots — common in Union County and on the fringes of Mecklenburg — access is easier but tree volume is higher. Loblolly pine, sweetgum and tulip poplar make up most of the canopy, with oaks and hickories on drier ridges.
Rules that commonly apply
North Carolina's Sedimentation Pollution Control Act generally requires an approved erosion control plan once disturbance reaches one acre. Many towns have tree-save or tree-replacement ordinances, and recorded subdivision plats may show tree-save areas or drainage easements you can't clear. Check your plat and call NC 811 or SC 811 before work begins.
How the work is sequenced
- Stake the clearing limits and mark keeper trees with ribbon
- Install silt fence and a stone construction entrance
- Fell trees away from structures and lines; skid logs to a loading point
- Grub stumps inside the building envelope; leave stumps flush elsewhere if preferred
- Load out or chip debris, then rough grade to drain away from the pad
- Seed and straw any area that won't be built on soon
Materials and what lasts
The lasting result of good lot clearing is a stable subgrade. Root balls left under a slab or footing decay and leave voids, so stump holes are backfilled with compacted mineral soil — not topsoil or grindings. Stripped topsoil is stockpiled on-site to be spread back over lawn areas at the end of construction, which saves buying soil later.
Request lot clearing near you
Crews in our network work across the metro, including Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Huntersville, Concord, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Fort Mill and nearby towns. Call or use the form below to describe your project.