On this page
- Land Clearing Services Available in Polk County
- Residential Land Clearing on Livingston and Goodrich Lake Homesites
- Forestry Mulching and Brush Clearing Across Polk County
- How Much Does Land Clearing Cost per Acre Here?
- Terrain, Soil and Vegetation on Polk County Acreage
- Trinity River Authority Shoreline Rules, Burn Bans and Texas A&M Forest Service Before Land Clearing
- Areas We Serve in Polk County: Livingston, Onalaska, Corrigan, Goodrich
- Ready to Clear Your Lake Lot? Get an Estimate
- FAQ
Land Clearing Services Available in Polk County
Six posted prices cover the land clearing projects we see here.
- Forestry mulching services on pine understory and yaupon: $1,200 to $2,000 an acre.
- Lot clearing on lake and subdivision lots: half an acre is one skid steer day, $2,800.
- Clearing brush and underbrushing along timber edges and shorelines, by the day.
- Stump grinding: $4 per inch, $175 minimum per stump, ten or more by the day.
- Site prep and dirt work services: grubbing, rough grading and drainage at $160 an hour with operator.
- Bush hogging on agricultural land: $60 to $90 an acre, $400 minimum.
Our crews bring the equipment to handle 8-inch stems on the skid steer and larger pine on the 300-hp machine. Tree removal on a single lot and storm cleanup go by the hour. Slabs, wells and septic belong to other trades.
Residential Land Clearing on Livingston and Goodrich Lake Homesites
Polk County permitted 661 single-family homes in 2025 per the Census Building Permits Survey, down 12 percent, and nearly all of them sit in unincorporated ground where no city inspector ever sees the lot. Most residential jobs are half-acre to two-acre lake lots with loblolly over a yaupon wall. The homeowner wants the view opened and the big pines kept. That is one skid steer day, $2,800, with trees and branches mulched where they stood. Small residential lots pay the same day rate because the trailer still rolls. Site preparation on bigger tracts adds pad grubbing and a drainage swale so the sand stays out of the lake.
Forestry Mulching and Brush Clearing Across Polk County
Forestry mulching leaves the wood on the ground as a two to four inch mulch layer, and on a lake lot that layer is the difference between a floor and a gully. It slows erosion down the slope to the water. On our jobs along the east shore the understory is yaupon, sweetgum, privet and loblolly saplings, with pine and hardwood over 8 inches sent to the 300-hp mulcher at $4,200 a day plus transport. Selective clearing is almost every request here: open the undergrowth for the view, keep the pines for the shade. I walked a two-acre lot last spring at a solid yaupon wall and the crew left it under 5 percent ground cover in one day. Yaupon will overgrow the strip again in four years, so plan a bush hog pass.
How Much Does Land Clearing Cost per Acre Here?
Pine understory and yaupon mulching runs $1,200 to $2,000 an acre throughout Polk County, and full site clearing to dirt runs $2,000 to $4,500. Two rules first: standing water after a wet week adds a day, and the south end of the county may carry transport on the 300-hp machine.
- Skid steer mulcher: $2,800 a day, transport included within 60 miles of the yard.
- 300-hp mulcher, 8 ft head: $4,200 a day plus transport.
- Haul-off: $650 to $1,200 a load, $1,100 minimum trip.
- Pond site excavation: dozer at $160 an hour with operator.
The on-site estimate is free, and the canopy reading and day count go in writing after I walk the property with you. Fill out the form or call (832) 987-3495; Teo will call back before the end of the business day.
Terrain, Soil and Vegetation on Polk County Acreage
The county's soil is sandy loam over clay, flat to gently rolling, and it drains fast except in the Trinity River bottoms. Lots near Lake Livingston carry the heaviest yaupon in the county, often a solid wall from the road to the water under 60-foot pine. The Trinity River floodplain is FEMA-mapped and holds hardwood, sweetgum and standing water half the year. I read site conditions on the first pass: slope to the water, soil color, stem size, distance to a hard road. Woodland on open pine spacing mulches at 3 to 4 acres a day. A yaupon wall drops that to 2.
Trinity River Authority Shoreline Rules, Burn Bans and Texas A&M Forest Service Before Land Clearing
No state permit covers clearing your own land in Texas, and Polk County's rules are about fire and the shoreline. The county judge or commissioners court declares burn bans, and TCEQ outdoor burning rules govern piles when no ban is on. Mulching leaves no pile. On Lake Livingston the Trinity River Authority owns the shoreline easement, so nothing gets cleared below the 131-foot contour without its permit, and I check the line before the crew works a lake lot. Texas A&M Forest Service posts the county wildfire risk rating and timber-sale guidance for the planted stands up US 59. In the river bottoms the county permits dirt work on FEMA-mapped floodplain.
Areas We Serve in Polk County: Livingston, Onalaska, Corrigan, Goodrich
The county seat's page covers the residential and commercial work in town: infill lots, commercial development pads along US 59, and tree clearing on a new fence line where town meets timber. Corrigan, Goodrich and the lake communities off FM 356 bring lake lots and pine homesites. Livingston, TX and the surrounding areas into San Jacinto, Trinity and Tyler counties sit inside the service area, with the south end sometimes carrying transport on the big machine. Of the 254 counties in Texas, this is the one where I clear the most shoreline. The East Texas page covers the region.
Ready to Clear Your Lake Lot? Get an Estimate
Fill out the form with the lot size and the nearest road, or call (832) 987-3495. Teo calls you back before the end of the business day, and a crew lead walks the lot within the week. Serving Polk County from the East Texas yard, with insured crews and posted prices. A lake lot grows yaupon faster than it grows a view.
