Land Clearing and Grading Cost in Mississippi (2026 Guide)

Around Jackson the ground under a house can be Yazoo clay that swells and shrinks with the seasons, and the builder’s “cleared and graded” is really two jobs and two crews. Clearing a Mississippi homesite runs $1,500 to $4,500 an acre with Cut Brush, and the grading that follows is a separate bill from your dirt contractor. Our crews clear lots from Jackson, Hattiesburg, Gautier, Starkville, Corinth and Indianola, and our part ends when the footprint, drive and utility path are open.

At a glance:

• Our price: $1,500 to $4,500 an acre to open a house footprint, drive and utility path, with a project floor near $1,500.
• Not ours: stump removal, pad work, grading, septic and permit filings belong to your builder and dirt contractor.
• MDEQ stormwater: disturbing 1 to under 5 acres needs coverage under the Small Construction General Permit; 5 acres or more falls under the Large permit.
• City of Jackson: any clearing, filling or excavation needs permits, and fill is limited inside a Special Flood Hazard Area.
• Licensing: the Mississippi State Board of Contractors lists Excavation, Grading and Drainage as its own tested classification.

We work in the capital region, the Pine Belt, the Gulf Coast, the Golden Triangle, the northeast hills and the Delta. Pick the closest area at the bottom of the page and we will walk the lot with your plan in hand.

How Much Does Land Clearing and Grading Cost in Mississippi?

Clearing and grading happen in a set order, and each step has its own owner. We take the trees and brush off the footprint and drive, grind them where they stand and leave the stumps flush. Your dirt contractor then pulls stumps where the slab goes, cuts or builds the pad, compacts it and sets the drainage.

Phase	Who does it	Price
1. Open the house footprint, drive and utility path	Cut Brush	$1,500 – $4,500 an acre equivalent
2. Grind the woods left standing around the house	Cut Brush	$1,500 – $4,000 an acre
3. Clear brush under trees you keep in the yard	Cut Brush	$1,500 – $2,500 an acre
4. Stormwater coverage from one acre disturbed	Owner, builder or engineer	MDEQ general permit, filed before work
5. Pull stumps, cut or build the pad, compact	Your dirt contractor	Their quote, by the hour or the job
6. Fill, gravel base and drainage	Dirt contractor and a pit or quarry yard	Bought by the load, delivered

Where these numbers come from. The three Cut Brush rows are printed on all six of our Mississippi pricing pages, the Jackson pricing page among them. For the dirt side, Mississippi State’s 2024 custom rates survey found bulldozer time at $66 to $130 an hour from only two farm answers, so expect a contractor with an operator, travel and a house pad to run above that. Ask the nearest yard for a delivered price on fill early, because trucking across a county can cost more than the dirt. If you only need clearing, priced by what grows on each acre, use the Mississippi land clearing cost per acre guide.

What Changes the Cost of Site Prep in Mississippi

Yazoo clay around Jackson. The state geological survey’s Circular 1 maps the Yazoo Clay across parts of Yazoo, Holmes, Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Smith, Scott, Newton, Jasper, Clarke and Wayne counties. Its weathered top, 10 to 30 feet deep, cracks open 1 to 2 inches wide at the surface when it dries. It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and the circular links foundation damage, “especially in the Jackson area,” to that movement and to uneven moisture around tree roots. On this ground an engineer sets the pad, and that design sets the dirt bill. Our Yazoo clay clearing guide covers what to ask before big trees near a slab come down.

Water in the Delta. Sharkey clay on the Mississippi River floodplain is very deep and lets water through very slowly, and unprotected ground floods for long stretches most years. A Delta pad is usually built up, not cut down, so fill and haul tend to be the big lines.

Flood zones and fill. In Jackson, the city’s floodplain page says building in a Special Flood Hazard Area takes a Land/Floodplain Development Permit, with limits on where fill can go and rules for how high living floors sit. A lot on the Pearl River side of town can grade very differently from one a block uphill.

Where the stumps go. A grader needs mineral soil, so roots under the slab have to go somewhere. During a burn ban the Forestry Commission’s rules stop outdoor burning of any kind, though exemptions may cover commercial contractors with heavy equipment whose burn meets MDEQ’s rules. On most lots the stumps are ground or trucked off instead, so settle in writing who pulls them and where they go.

Who holds the license. Dirt work tied to a new house soon crosses the Board’s thresholds. The Board of Contractors lists Excavation, Grading and Drainage as a tested classification and Clearing, Grubbing and Snagging as a separate specialty. Ask your dirt contractor which they hold.

Pro tip: On Yazoo or prairie clay, get the engineer’s pad plan before we schedule the clearing. Then we can leave trees standing where the engineer wants soil moisture kept steady, and the grader works to a drawing instead of to whatever the clearing left behind.

Clearing and Grading Costs Across Mississippi

Jackson, Madison and Rankin. Clinton, Madison, Ridgeland, Brandon and Flowood sit in or near the Yazoo Clay belt, so expect the soil report to drive the grading price. Our Jackson permit guide lists the city and county offices.

The Delta around Indianola. Sunflower, Washington, Bolivar and Leflore counties are flat floodplain clay. There is nothing to cut down to; the work is building a pad up and keeping water off it, so watch the fill and drainage lines.

The Golden Triangle around Starkville. Oktibbeha clay of the Black Prairie sits over chalk or limy clay, with slick, shifting layers from about 13 inches down and very slow drainage, and the nearby Sumter series is only moderately deep to chalk. The city wants a Land Disturbance Permit for disturbance over 1,000 square feet or anything that needs a building permit; see our Starkville permit guide.

The Loess Bluffs and the Pine Belt. Toward Vicksburg, Memphis silt loam, typed in Warren County, runs more than four feet of windblown loess and sheds water fast once it is bare; nearby Loring soils carry a dense fragipan 14 to 35 inches down. Around Hattiesburg, sandy McLaurin and Ruston ground grades easily, but the city requires its own Land Disturbance Permit at every size. Our Hattiesburg permit guide has the table.

Permits and Licensing for Mississippi Dirt Work

MDEQ. MDEQ’s construction stormwater page splits sites at five acres. The Small Construction General Permit covers 1 to under 5 acres, with a Notice of Intent and a plan before work, and MDEQ says it was administratively continued past its April 30, 2024 expiration while a new one is prepared. Sites of 5 acres or more use the Large Construction General Permit, and in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties a coastal wastewater sheet goes with it. Inside Hattiesburg, nothing is issued at five acres until MDEQ approves.

Cities and counties. The City of Jackson requires permits for any clearing, filling or excavation and reports unpermitted work to its Office of Code Services. Counties differ, so call the county office before the dozer is booked.

The Board of Contractors. A license is needed for new homes over $50,000, residential remodeling or additions over $10,000, and commercial jobs over $50,000, where applicants also show insurance of $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to clear and grade a lot in Mississippi?

Our clearing share is $1,500 to $4,500 an acre, and most house lots need only the footprint, drive and utility path opened, a fraction of an acre that usually lands near the $1,500 floor. The grading share depends on soil type and how much dirt moves, and your dirt contractor prices it.

Will Cut Brush build my house pad?

No. We open the footprint, drive and utility path and mulch the wood. Stump removal, shaping, compacting and drainage go to a licensed dirt contractor, and the owner, builder or engineer files the permits.

Do I need a permit to clear and grade in Jackson, MS?

Inside the city, yes. Jackson says any clearing, filling or excavation requires permits, and a flood zone adds a floodplain development permit. From one acre disturbed, MDEQ’s stormwater permit applies on top.

Does Yazoo clay make site prep cost more?

Usually, on the grading side. The clay swells wet and shrinks dry, so the engineer decides what the pad needs and that design sets the dirt bill. Taking out large trees near an existing foundation can change soil moisture, so ask a foundation professional first.

How much does a bulldozer cost per hour in Mississippi?

MSU’s 2024 survey found $66 to $130 an hour, averaging $101.50, from just two farm answers. A contractor with an operator, travel and insurance will usually run above a farm survey.

Get Your Mississippi Lot Cleared for the Grader

Choose the closest area below and request a free quote for a written clearing price. Our crew will contact you to discuss the lot, the entrance and any low wet spot, where the house, drive and septic field go, and whether an engineer has drawn the pad, so our clearing ends the week your grading contractor starts. If you only want a wooded lot opened up under the trees, the Mississippi underbrush removal cost guide prices that.

Building across the state line? See our Alabama and Tennessee clearing and grading guides.

Sources

• MDEQ: construction stormwater general permits
• MSU Extension Publication 4048: 2024 custom rates survey