Land Clearing Cost Per Acre in Wisconsin (2026 Guide)

If buckthorn has filled in under the oaks on your Wisconsin woodlot, or you want a lake lot opened up for a cabin, the first thing you need is a cost. Our crew clears Wisconsin land like that for $1,500 to $4,500 an acre, the same bands we publish for Ellsworth and Pierce County. What follows is how people who run the machines size up a Wisconsin acre, and what pushes it up or down that band.

Our Wisconsin work runs through our Ellsworth market in Pierce County, our Weston market in Marathon County around Wausau, and our La Crescent, MN market, which covers La Crosse, Trempealeau, Vernon and Monroe counties across the river. Land elsewhere in the state is still worth asking about.

At a glance:

• Buckthorn or honeysuckle under oaks you are keeping: $1,500 to $2,500 an acre
• An old field or sand-country pine and oak grown shut, mulched in place: $1,500 to $4,000 an acre
• The whole parcel cleared to the finish agreed in the quote: up to $4,500 an acre
• Smallest job: a minimum charge of about $1,500, where small jobs start rather than a fee added on top
• Oak wilt: to reduce risk, avoid cutting or wounding oaks from April 1 (South Zone) or April 15 (North Zone) through July 15.
• Burning: in DNR forest fire protection areas you need a burning permit whenever the ground is not completely snow-covered.

Request a free quote and our crew will contact you to discuss your property, access and the clearing you need.

What Does It Cost to Clear Land in Wisconsin?

Clearing takes out the brush, small trees and, when you want it, the timber, then leaves the ground at the finish you ask for: a mulched floor under the trees you keep, an old field opened back up, or a cleared site for whoever builds next. The price follows what is standing.

What is standing	Cut Brush price per acre	Where you find it in Wisconsin
Buckthorn or honeysuckle understory under oaks or maples you keep	$1,500 – $2,500	Driftless ridge woods, Kettle Moraine woodlots, lake lots up north
Old field or pine-and-oak sand ground grown shut, mulched in place	$1,500 – $4,000	Central Sands farms gone back to brush, pasture edges
Whole-parcel clearing to an agreed finish	$1,500 – $4,500	Woods opened for a field, a pole shed or a building
Cabin or house site: building envelope, drive, utility path	$1,500 – $4,500 per acre equivalent	A homesite cut out of Northwoods timber or a southern woodlot

Travel and your property set the quote.

What the price includes. Forestry mulching grinds brush, small trees and stumps into mulch on site, with stumps flush with the ground and nothing hauled away. Full stump removal below grade and cut-and-haul for 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.

Where these numbers come from. They are the four bands on our Ellsworth pricing page. An acre can land anywhere in its band, depending on what grows there. $1,500 is the minimum charge for a project, where small jobs start rather than a fee added on top, because hauling a tracked machine to a quarter acre costs about what it costs to haul it to five.

Why Two Wisconsin Acres Can Price Differently

Buckthorn, and where it goes once it is cut. Common and glossy buckthorn are both Restricted under NR 40, the state’s invasive species rule. Common buckthorn moves into oak forests, riverside woods, savannas and old fields; glossy buckthorn into bogs, fens and sedge meadows. Cut buckthorn readily resprouts from the stump unless it is treated. Its berries ripen in late summer and hang on into winter, and the rule allows hauling it for disposal only if no seed escapes on the way. Mulching keeps the brush on your own land, which is one reason the mulching band often beats clear-and-haul on a buckthorn lot. Our Wisconsin buckthorn removal guide sets out the follow-up visits.

Honeysuckle, and which county you own in. Amur honeysuckle is Restricted in 37 named counties, Dane, Waukesha, La Crosse and Vernon among them. In the rest, Vilas, Oneida and Langlade included, it is Prohibited, and for Prohibited species the rule makes control a requirement. A northern lot with a honeysuckle patch may need repeat visits, not one pass.

The oak wilt calendar. In the Driftless Area, oak and hickory make up 51 percent of the forest. Oak wilt spreads to fresh wounds most readily from April through July, and once it is in a stand it moves through grafted roots, killing oaks in a widening pocket. If the work means cutting near oaks you want to keep, a date after July 15 costs nothing extra and protects the trees.

Water within 1,000 feet. The shoreland zone runs 1,000 feet back from a lake, pond or flowage and 300 feet from a river or stream. On unincorporated shoreland, NR 115 requires counties to keep a vegetative buffer at least 35 feet deep from the high-water mark, with access and viewing corridors limited to 30 percent of your frontage or 200 feet, whichever is less. Invasive brush may come out of the buffer if the county allows it and the spot is replanted. On a lake lot the price follows what the county lets you cut, not the acreage.

Inside a city or village, ask the applicable zoning authority which shoreline rules govern the parcel.

Slope and soil. A Driftless ridge on Fayette silt loam can run to 60 percent slope. A Central Sands parcel on Plainfield sand is level and drains fast, so a machine works it in almost any month. Kewaunee clay in the east drains slowly and stays soft after rain. The same brush can take very different machine time on each.

Clearing Costs Region by Region in Wisconsin

The Driftless Area. The Western Coulees and Ridges cover more than 17 percent of the state, the largest of its 16 ecological landscapes, and the last glaciers missed them. Most or all of Crawford, Vernon, Richland, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Buffalo counties sit inside, steep valleys and ridges under loess. Brush on a ridge top prices low; the same brush on a coulee side does not, and oak wilt timing applies nearly everywhere.

Ellsworth and Pierce County. Our Ellsworth market covers Pierce County from Prescott and Elmwood to Plum City and Bay City, Baldwin, Hammond, Roberts and Kinnickinnic in St. Croix County, and Pepin, with Red Wing, Goodhue, Cannon Falls and Lake City across the river in Minnesota. Part of it lies in the Western Coulees and Ridges, so farm fence lines, oak woodlots and coulee sides filled with buckthorn are the usual work. The Ellsworth land clearing page covers the towns and local permit offices, and the Ellsworth pricing page lists the per-acre bands.

La Crosse and the Coulee Region. La Crosse, French Island, Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem, Trempealeau, Sparta, Westby and Viroqua are served from our La Crescent market, just across the Mississippi in Minnesota. These counties sit in the Western Coulees and Ridges described above, so bluff and coulee slopes and oak woods are the usual ground. See land clearing around La Crescent and the bands on the La Crescent pricing page.

Weston, Wausau and Marathon County. Our Weston market covers Weston, Wausau, Rothschild, Schofield, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter and Mosinee in Marathon County, with Merrill in Lincoln County, Antigo in Langlade County and Stevens Point in Portage County. The Eau Claire River meets the Wisconsin River at Weston and wooded wetland is common, so river frontage limits and wet ground that waits for a freeze shape many jobs. Amur honeysuckle is Prohibited in all four counties. The Weston land clearing page covers the towns and permit offices, and the Weston pricing page lists the per-acre bands.

The Central Sands. A near-level plain of sand left by a huge glacial lake, through parts of Adams, Juneau, Waushara, Portage, Wood and Marquette counties, where red pine plantations are common. Much of the unirrigated cropland on Plainfield sand has gone back to woods or been planted to pine. Soft ground rarely stops a machine here; stem count does, which puts a planting grown shut near the top of the mulching band.

The Northwoods. The Northern Highland, mostly Vilas and Oneida counties, holds 4,291 lakes on sand and gravel with peat and muck in the low spots. Beyond it the North Central Forest, from Langlade and Lincoln to Price and Sawyer, has the state’s shortest growing season. Antigo silt loam over outwash carries a machine well on the uplands, so shoreland limits and soft wetland edges, which wait for frozen or dry ground, drive the price.

The southeast and the eastern clay. The Southeast Glacial Plains run through Dane, Jefferson, Walworth, Waukesha and Fond du Lac counties: lime-rich till under a silt-loam cap, with the Kettle Moraine where two ice lobes met and wetlands covering 12 percent of the land. Kewaunee clay runs from Fond du Lac toward Manitowoc and Calumet. Buckthorn density and a wet spring decide most quotes here, and town burning limits are common.

Wisconsin Permits, Burning and Shoreland Rules

Stormwater. Most construction projects disturbing an acre or more need DNR construction site storm water permit coverage, and clearing counts toward that acre. The whole project counts even when it is done in phases. The Notice of Intent goes in at least 14 working days before work starts, with a fee of $250 for 1 to under 2 acres, $350 for 2 to under 5, $550 for 5 to under 25 and $800 for 25 or more. Crop farming and pasturing are exempt, and timber harvest and thinning are not regulated. We never file permits, so decide who does before the work is booked.

Burning. Inside DNR forest fire protection areas, a free permit is needed whenever the ground is not completely snow-covered, issued online or through 1-888-WIS-BURN. Check the day’s restrictions after 9 a.m.; burning is usually held to late afternoon or evening. Land clearing piles over the size limit need a special permit after a DNR inspection. DNR permits do not cover incorporated cities and villages, which set their own rules, and some towns allow no burning at any time. Debris burning is the state’s leading cause of wildfires.

Managed Forest Law. Woods enrolled in MFL (10 or more contiguous acres under a written plan) should have that plan read before any clearing. Land can leave the program at any time, but withdrawal brings a withdrawal tax plus a $300 fee.

Pro tip: Walk your woods in late October before asking for prices. Invasive shrubs stay green after native trees drop their leaves, so that is when you can see exactly how far the buckthorn and honeysuckle reach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to clear an acre of land in Wisconsin?

Budget $1,500 to $4,500. Buckthorn under oaks you keep sits near the bottom. A pine planting grown shut, a steep Driftless slope, or heavy timber cleared to an agreed finish sits near the top.

Do I need a permit to burn brush piles in Wisconsin?

In DNR forest fire protection areas, yes, whenever the ground is not completely snow-covered; the permit is free and issued online. Cities and villages set their own rules, and land clearing piles over the size limit need a special DNR permit.

Can I clear brush along my lake frontage?

Within limits. The buffer runs at least 35 feet from the high-water mark, and access and viewing corridors are capped at 30 percent of frontage or 200 feet. Invasive brush can come out if the county allows it and the area is replanted, so call county zoning first.

When should I avoid cutting oaks in Wisconsin?

From April 1 in the South Zone, or April 15 in the North Zone, through July 15. If an oak must be pruned in that window, seal the wound right away.

Do I need a stormwater permit to clear land in Wisconsin?

For most construction projects disturbing an acre or more, yes, filed at least 14 working days ahead with a fee starting at $250. Farming and timber harvest are exempt. If you plan to build afterward, say so when you ask for a quote: we clear to the ground so a builder can grade.

Get Your Wisconsin Clearing Priced

Request a free quote for your Wisconsin land and our crew will contact you to go over:

• Whether the parcel touches a lake or stream
• Roughly how much of the land is oak
• The thickest patch and the way in
• The finish you want: a mulched floor under kept trees, open ground, or a cleared homesite

We will come back with a written price for the finish you choose. If your land runs over a state line, our Minnesota and Michigan guides cover the neighbours.

Sources

• Wisconsin DNR, burning permits
• Wisconsin Administrative Code, chapter NR 40, invasive species identification, classification and control
• Wisconsin DNR, oak wilt guidance