Land Clearing Cost Per Acre in Louisiana (2026 Guide)

Land clearing in Louisiana generally runs $1,500 to $4,500 an acre. Mixed regrowth cleared by forestry mulching lands between $1,500 and $4,000; wet ground and a graded finish push toward the top.

At a glance:

• Brush and understory under trees that stay: $1,500 to $2,500 an acre
• Mulching mixed regrowth: $1,500 to $4,000 an acre
• Heavy stems, wet ground, graded finish: $2,500 to $4,500 an acre
• A homesite (pad, drive, utility run): $2,000 to $6,000 total
• Wetlands: mechanized land clearing in a regulated wetland can need a federal permit before work starts. Settle that question before you collect bids.
• Burning: land-clearing piles must burn at least 1,000 feet from anyone else’s dwelling, and only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Licensing: Louisiana bars contracting without an active license. Look up any contractor in the LSLBC contractor search before you sign.

Cut Brush does not have a crew in Louisiana yet. Tell us about your land and we will tell you straight whether we can point you to a properly licensed local contractor.

The Short Answer, by What Is Standing

What is on the acre	Per-acre range	Where you see it
Brush and understory beneath trees that stay	$1,500 – $2,500	Fence lines, pasture edges, the shrub layer under pine
Forestry mulching of mixed regrowth	$1,500 – $4,000	Old fields going back to tallow, privet and sweetgum
Whole-tract clearing: heavy stems, wet ground, graded finish	$2,500 – $4,500	Bottomland and anything being cut for a building
Homesite pad, drive and utility run	$2,000 – $6,000 total	A typical residential lot, priced as one project

Where these numbers come from. Cut Brush does not work in Louisiana. These bands are what the same work is priced at in the East Texas markets we serve, on our Houston, Conroe and Tyler pricing pages. EPA ecoregion mapping groups north Louisiana with east Texas and the southwest prairies with the Houston area. We found no Louisiana price survey to check them against, so use them for budgeting, not as a quote.

Small tracts carry a practical floor near $1,500, the cost of getting equipment onto a property at all.

What Actually Moves the Number

Whether any of it is wetland. Federal rules treat soil moved by mechanized land clearing in regulated waters as a discharge that needs a permit first, unless the work is exempt. Some farming and forestry is; do not assume a house pad is. On the coast, a free Solicitation of Views from the state Office of Coastal Management will tell you whether a property is inside the Coastal Zone; applying costs $20 residential or $100 non-residential, and review takes 4 to 10 days for minor projects, 45 days minimum with public notice. Without an answer, a bid prices a job that may not be allowed to start.

The ground under the machine. A mulcher moves steadily on sandy upland. Backswamp clay with high shrink-swell potential and seasonal water means ruts, slower passes and weather days. A tract running from a pine ridge down to a slough is two jobs.

Mulch in place or clear, pile and burn. Forestry mulching grinds material where it stands, so there is no pile; in Louisiana the pile is where cost hides. Burning is allowed only 1,000 feet or more from any other dwelling, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with smoke blowing away from towns. On a subdivision-edge lot that rules burning out and every pile becomes a trucking bill. Burn bans can stop a job for weeks, and parish rules may be stricter. Clear-and-haul still wins where a site is being cut to grade; it simply costs more.

What is growing, and whether it comes back. The LSU AgCenter considers mechanical removal and herbicide ineffective for long-term control of Chinese tallow. A one-pass knockdown is a first step, not a result; our Houston tallow guide covers the follow-up. Cogongrass, now in most southeastern parishes, travels on contaminated equipment, so ask where a machine worked last and whether it is cleaned.

The finish you asked for. “Cleared” can mean a mulched understory with the canopy kept, selective clearing around trees you are saving, bare ground with stumps out, or a maintenance pass. Name one before anyone quotes.

Where in Louisiana Is Your Land?

North Louisiana hills (around Shreveport and Ruston). Well drained sandy pine country, the ground most like East Texas. The bands above fit it best.

The Delta and river lowlands. Flat and clay-heavy, with wet backswamps and sandier natural levees; price them separately.

The Atchafalaya Basin. Bottomland hardwood swamp on organic clays and peat. Assume the wetland question applies, and expect access, not stems, to set the price.

Southwest prairies (around Lafayette and Lake Charles). Flat, poorly drained cropland, much of it rice. Work here is mostly overgrown field edges and tallow in old pasture.

The Florida Parishes (around Hammond, Covington and Bogalusa). Rolling pine on sandy loams. Good mulching ground; watch for cogongrass.

Coastal marsh. Mostly standing water. Ordinary land clearing rarely applies, and any work needs the coastal permit process.

Permits and Licensing: What to Check Before Work Starts

Permits. Wetland and coastal questions come first, since they can stop a project outright. Then stormwater: disturbing 1 acre or more but under 5 needs a signed stormwater plan and a posted notice, with no fee. At 5 acres or more, including part of a larger plan that will reach 5, a Notice of Intent goes to LDEQ with an annual fee. Under an acre is not covered.

Licensing. No one may engage in the business of contracting in Louisiana without an active license, and splitting a job into smaller contracts to avoid needing one does not count. A false or misleading license claim, in any medium including online, is also unlawful. The state contractor board’s Earthwork, Drainage, and Levees classification covers land clearing and grubbing; its thresholds start at $50,000 for commercial work and residential construction, and $7,500 for home improvement registration. Before you sign:

• Ask for the LSLBC license number and classification, and look it up yourself. A logo on a website is not a lookup.
• Ask for a certificate of insurance. Since August 1, 2026, residential and home improvement license holders must carry at least $500,000 in liability coverage.
• Ask who is answering the wetland question and whether a Corps or coastal permit is needed.
• Get debris in writing: burned within the 1,000-foot rule, hauled or mulched.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to clear 1 acre of wooded land in Louisiana?

Plan on $2,500 to $4,000 for a typical mixed-growth acre cleared by mulching, and up to $4,500 where heavy stems, wet clay or a graded finish stack up. Brush under trees that stay can run as little as $1,500.

Do I need a permit to clear my own land in Louisiana?

It depends on wetlands, the coastal zone and acreage. Stormwater coverage begins at 1 acre and steps up at 5.

Can I burn the debris?

Sometimes, but the 1,000-foot rule, burn bans and parish rules often rule it out. On smaller or suburban lots, plan on hauling or mulching.

Does Cut Brush clear land in Louisiana?

No. Cut Brush does not have a crew in Louisiana and does not bid Louisiana work itself.

Getting a Real Number

Ranges are for budgeting. A real number comes from someone standing on the ground.

Cut Brush does not have a crew in Louisiana and does not bid Louisiana work itself. Tell us about your Louisiana land: the parish, the acreage and what you need done. If we can point you to a properly licensed local contractor, we will, and if we cannot, we will say so. If you would rather talk it through, call (919) 525-3950.

Sources

• Louisiana Revised Statutes La. R.S. 37:2158 and La. R.S. 37:2163: contractor licensing and license claims
• Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, Earthwork, Drainage, and Levees, license types and the July 13, 2026 memorandum on insurance
• 33 CFR 323.2 and EPA, the Section 404 permit program: wetlands and land clearing
• Louisiana Office of Coastal Management, FAQs: coastal permits, fees and review times
• LDEQ, construction stormwater FAQ
• LAC 33:III.1109: land clearing burns; LDAF, fire safety
• LSU AgCenter on Chinese tallow and cogongrass; EPA, Ecoregions of Louisiana