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 heavy stems 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
• Whole-tract clearing with heavy stems on wet ground: $2,500 to $4,500 an acre
• Lot or homesite prep (house spot, drive, utility path): $1,500 to $4,500 an acre equivalent
• What our price includes: brush, small trees and stumps ground into mulch on site, stumps flush with the ground, nothing hauled away. Full stump removal below grade and cut-and-haul of very large trees are discussed and priced in the quote. Grading and build pads are not part of our price; we clear to the ground so a builder can grade.
• 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.

Our crew clears land around New Orleans and the South Shore. Request a free quote and we’ll contact you to discuss your property, access and the clearing you need, wherever in Louisiana your land is.

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, everything mulched to ground level	$2,500 – $4,500	Bottomland and anything being cleared for a building
Lot or homesite prep: house spot, drive and utility path	$1,500 – $4,500 per acre equivalent	A typical residential lot, priced as one project

Where these numbers come from. These are the rates our crew works from around New Orleans, published on our New Orleans pricing guide, and the same bands we publish in our East Texas markets. 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; a written quote is the real number.

An acre lands anywhere in its band depending on what is growing and how wet the ground is. Small tracts have a $1,500 project minimum, the cost of getting equipment onto a property at all. It is a minimum charge for the whole job, not a fee added on top.

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 New Orleans Chinese 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.

New Orleans and the South Shore. Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and St. Charles parishes, where most jobs are overgrown lots, Chinese tallow thickets and homesites on low, wet ground. See land clearing around New Orleans and the New Orleans pricing guide.

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

Permits: 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.

Before you sign:

• Ask for a certificate of insurance.
• 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 and wet clay 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?

Yes. Our crew clears land around New Orleans and the South Shore, in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and St. Charles parishes. See land clearing around New Orleans for the work and the local rules.

Getting a Real Number

Request a free quote and we’ll contact you to discuss your property, access and the clearing you need, wherever in Louisiana your land is. If you would rather talk it through, call (919) 525-3950.

Ranges are for budgeting. A real number comes from someone looking at your ground.

Sources

• 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