Land Clearing Cost Per Acre in Pennsylvania (2026 Guide)

You own a Pennsylvania woodlot, a hayfield that has gone to tree of heaven, or a house site still standing in oak and cherry, and you want a number before anyone walks it. Our crew clears this kind of ground for $1,500 to $4,500 an acre, the same bands we publish for Marshall Township and Pittsburgh’s North Hills.

At a glance:

• Brush, fence rows and understory under trees you keep: $1,500 to $2,500 an acre
• Mixed regrowth forestry mulched where it stands: $1,500 to $4,000 an acre
• Whole parcel cleared to ground level, stumps flush: $1,500 to $4,500 an acre
• Smallest job: a minimum charge near $1,500 for the whole job, not a fee added on top
• Permits: a written erosion and sediment (E&S) plan from 5,000 square feet of earth disturbance, and an NPDES permit from 1 acre, under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102
• Burning: no open burning inside DEP’s air basins, which take in Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, Reading and the Philadelphia suburbs; the one exception for clearing waste is an air curtain destructor DEP has approved in writing

Our crew works Pennsylvania from Marshall Township and the North Hills, north of Pittsburgh. Request a free quote and we’ll contact you to discuss your property, access and the clearing you need; travel is part of the quote farther from the North Hills.

How Much Does Land Clearing Cost Per Acre in Pennsylvania?

We price by what is standing on the acre, not by the deed. Forestry mulching grinds brush, small trees and stumps into mulch on site, stumps flush and nothing hauled away; full stump removal below grade and hauling very large trees are priced in the quote. Grading and build pads are not part of our price; we clear to the ground so a builder can grade.

What is on the land	Cut Brush price per acre	What it looks like in Pennsylvania
Brush, fence rows, understory under trees that stay	$1,500 – $2,500	Multiflora rose and barberry under oak and black cherry; hedgerows between hay fields
Mixed regrowth, forestry mulched in place	$1,500 – $4,000	Idle fields filled with tree of heaven, Callery pear and Amur honeysuckle
Whole parcel cleared to ground level	$1,500 – $4,500	Plateau woods on flagstone; wet till across the northern tier
Homesite, drive and utility corridor	$1,500 – $4,500 per acre equivalent	A house site opened out of woods, priced as one project

Travel and your property set the quote.

Where these numbers come from. They are the four bands on our Marshall Township pricing page. A tracked machine costs the same to deliver for two hours of work as for eight, so every job carries a minimum charge near $1,500: small jobs start there, and access, density and any added work set the final quote.

What Changes the Price of a Pennsylvania Job

Stone lying on the surface. Hazleton, the state soil, weathered from sandstone on upland summits and upper slopes. Its NRCS description records boulders, stones, flags and channers covering 5 to 60 percent of the surface in places, and up to 80 percent rock fragments below the subsoil. On ground like that we run the mulching head higher and slower, and its teeth wear faster. Expect the upper half of a band.

A slow-draining pan in the glaciated north. Ice covered about 30 percent of Pennsylvania. On the northern plateau the Volusia series is common: somewhat poorly drained, with a dense fragipan only 10 to 22 inches down that water crosses slowly or very slowly. A machine on that soil in a wet April leaves ruts and loses hours. The same acre in a dry August or on hard frost carries it cleanly, so a flexible date saves money up there.

Growth that answers a saw with sprouts. The state Department of Agriculture puts tree of heaven, multiflora rose, Japanese stiltgrass, Callery pear, Japanese barberry and Amur honeysuckle on its Class B noxious weed list. Penn State Extension warns that cutting tree of heaven sets off vigorous stump and root sprouts, with suckers up to 50 feet from the parent. We tell owners the first pass opens the ground and the second season decides whether it stays open. Any herbicide step is separate work for a licensed applicator.

Brush that cannot travel freely. Spotted lanternfly was first found in North America in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014, and tree of heaven is its favourite host. By April 2025 the quarantine covered 52 counties, restricting the movement of brush, firewood and other debris, and a business hauling across quarantined county lines needs a permit. Mulching leaves every chip on your ground, so that cost never appears.

A field a tractor could still mow. Grass, briars and saplings under about 2 inches do not need a mulcher. The state’s 2022 machinery custom rates report put farm brush hogging at an average of $92.70 an hour. Our Marshall Township services page shows where mowing ends and mulching begins.

Pro tip: Ring the county conservation district before you gather bids. If runoff from the work could reach a stream classified High Quality or Exceptional Value, Chapter 102 calls for a written E&S plan however small the job, and that answer sets your start date more than any price will.

Land Clearing Costs Across Pennsylvania

The southeast: Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, Lancaster and York counties. Gentle Piedmont ground, smaller parcels and neighbours close by. DEP’s air basins blanket the Philadelphia suburbs, Lancaster, York and Reading, so a burn pile is off the table for most owners. Budget for mulching or hauling from the start.

The Ridge and Valley and the Lehigh Valley. Long wooded ridges over farmed valleys, from around Harrisburg northeast toward Allentown. The Berks series, with its type location in Lehigh County, sits on shale with fractured rock 20 to 40 inches down. It drains well, so it is workable earlier in spring than the north, but slope and loose shale set the pace on the ridges.

The western and northern plateaus. Warren County, home of the Hazleton type location, south and east across the high plateau: oak, maple and cherry woods on stony sandstone. Rock and the way in usually decide where these jobs land. Allegheny County is an air basin from end to end on DEP’s map; most of the rural plateau is not.

Marshall Township and the North Hills: Allegheny, Butler and Beaver counties. For land north of Pittsburgh, see land clearing around Marshall Township and the Marshall Township pricing page. This is our crew’s North Hills market, so travel takes the smallest share of a quote here. Wooded lot edges thick with multiflora rose are the usual job, and in Allegheny County the Health Department sets the open burning rules, so plan on mulching rather than a burn pile.

The glaciated corners: Erie and Crawford in the northwest; Wayne, Susquehanna and Bradford in the northeast. DCNR describes the northwest as built from till holding rock carried down from Canada. Both hold wet fragipan soils like Volusia, and both reward a dry or frozen start date.

Permits and Burning Rules in Pennsylvania

Earth disturbance. Pennsylvania’s definition of earth disturbance names “land clearing and grubbing” outright. Every disturbance needs erosion controls in place. A written E&S plan applies from 5,000 square feet, and an NPDES permit, often the PAG-02 general permit, from 1 acre. Timber harvesting is treated differently and needs an E&S permit only at 25 acres. County conservation districts run the E&S program for DEP. We clear; grading and the permit paperwork stay with you and your dirt contractor.

Burning. Inside an air basin, open burning is not allowed, and clearing and grubbing waste may be burned there only in an air curtain destructor with written DEP approval, good for three months at a time. Outside the basins, a fire is unlawful if its smoke is seen crossing your line, its odour reaches the neighbours, or it harms health, vegetation or property. Townships can be stricter. DCNR names March through May and October through November as peak wildfire months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to clear an acre of woods in Pennsylvania?

Budget $1,500 to $4,500. Understory under trees you keep, or a brushy fence row, sits near $1,500 to $2,500. Mulching mixed regrowth runs to $4,000, and stony sandstone or wet till cleared to ground level reaches the top; full stump removal below grade is priced in the quote.

Do I need a permit to clear land in Pennsylvania?

Below 5,000 square feet you need erosion controls but no written plan, unless runoff could reach a High Quality or Exceptional Value stream. From 5,000 square feet you need a written E&S plan, and from 1 acre an NPDES permit. Start with your county conservation district.

Can I burn brush piles from clearing land in Pennsylvania?

Not inside DEP’s air basins, except in an approved air curtain destructor. Outside them it is legal only if no visible smoke or odour leaves your property and your township allows it. In spring and fall, check for a burn ban first.

Is forestry mulching cheaper than clearing and hauling in Pennsylvania?

Usually, yes. Mulching skips trucking and the lanternfly rules on moving brush, and leaves a chip layer on the soil. Hauling earns its higher price when the site goes straight to grading.

What should I check before hiring a clearing contractor in Pennsylvania?

Get the finish in writing: understory only, mulched in place, or open ground. Ask who handles the E&S plan or permit before anyone unloads a machine.

Get a Land Clearing Quote for Your Pennsylvania Acre

A band is for budgeting. A firm figure comes from seeing the stems, the stone, the slope and the way in.

Request a free quote and we’ll contact you to discuss your property, access and the clearing you need. It helps to know, before we talk, the finish you want and whether a stream runs through or below the work.

Sources

• USDA NASS, Pennsylvania’s 2022 Machinery Custom Rates Report
• Pennsylvania Code, Title 25, §129.14 open burning