Do I need a permit to clear a lot in Westchester County?

Most towns require some form of review for lot clearing tied to construction, especially where wetlands, steep slopes, or protected trees are involved. This is usually handled through your building permit process or a separate tree/site clearing permit depending on the municipality.

Can a land clearing crew also remove stumps and roots?

Yes, most land clearing jobs for construction include stump and root removal across the cleared footprint since you need a clean, gradeable surface. Confirm it's in the quote since some crews clear brush and trees but leave stumps as a separate line item.

What's the difference between forestry mulching and clear cutting?

Forestry mulching grinds brush and small trees into mulch in place, leaving the ground covered and reducing erosion. Clear cutting removes everything and hauls it off, leaving bare ground that often needs erosion control before grading.

Land clearing vs. removing a few trees: which do you need

These sound similar but are quoted and executed differently. Taking down one or several individual trees, whether they're dead, diseased, or just in the way of a new deck, is tree removal work: careful felling, rigging around structures, and cleanup of that specific tree.

Clearing a lot is a bigger operation, usually tied to new construction, a subdivision, or opening up acreage for a pool, addition, or pasture. It involves clearing everything in a defined area, brush and underbrush along with trees, often with heavier equipment like forestry mulchers or excavators, and it typically needs to account for grading, stump removal across the whole footprint, and sometimes erosion control once the ground is bare.

If you're clearing more than a small cluster of trees or an entire building lot, you want a land clearing crew, not a standard tree removal crew
Construction lot clearing in Westchester often needs to coordinate with your excavation or building contractor's timeline
Ask whether stump and root removal across the whole cleared area is included or billed separately

What it costs

Land clearing is generally priced by the acre or by the scope of the footprint being cleared, factoring in density of trees and brush, terrain, and whether stumps and roots need to come out for construction grading. A handful of individual tree removals is priced per tree instead. Get both a lot-clearing quote and a per-tree quote if you're not sure which describes your job, and be clear about whether stump grinding across the cleared area is included.

Top 3 by our score

Ranked from our published scoring of public Google reviews for land & lot clearing.

1. All American Tree Care
5.0★ · 169 reviews

93
2. O'Brother Tree Service LLC
4.8★ · 287 reviews

91
3. Timberline Tree & Landscape Inc.
5.0★ · 222 reviews

91

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FAQ

Do I need a permit to clear a lot in Westchester County?: Most towns require some form of review for lot clearing tied to construction, especially where wetlands, steep slopes, or protected trees are involved. This is usually handled through your building permit process or a separate tree/site clearing permit depending on the municipality.
Can a land clearing crew also remove stumps and roots?: Yes, most land clearing jobs for construction include stump and root removal across the cleared footprint since you need a clean, gradeable surface. Confirm it's in the quote since some crews clear brush and trees but leave stumps as a separate line item.
What's the difference between forestry mulching and clear cutting?: Forestry mulching grinds brush and small trees into mulch in place, leaving the ground covered and reducing erosion. Clear cutting removes everything and hauls it off, leaving bare ground that often needs erosion control before grading.

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