Land Clearing in Maury County, TN
Need land cleared in Maury County? Whether it's cedar spreading across a pasture, fence rows grown up in privet and hackberry, a house site on a rocky lot outside Columbia or Mount Pleasant, or a few stumps in the yard, here's what the work involves, what it costs, which permit, sinkhole, and burning rules apply, and how to have a local contractor come look at it.
- One contractor per request, not a list
- Rules taken from state, county, and city sources
- No charge to landowners
Serving Columbia, Mount Pleasant, Culleoka, Santa Fe, Hampshire, and the rest of rural Maury County, plus Spring Hill.
How it works
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Tell us about the land
Where it is, about how much, what's growing on it, and what it's for. Mention rock, sinkholes, a creek, steep ground, or cattle in the field; each one changes how the job gets done.
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We match you with one contractor
Your request goes to a single independent contractor who works in that part of Maury County.
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They walk the property
On site, the contractor sizes up the cedar and brush, rock, slope, fences, and water, works out what happens to the debris, and puts a price in writing.
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The choice is yours
Hire them or don't. If you go ahead, the agreement, permits, work, and payment are all between you and the contractor.
There's no charge to you for the referral.
Land clearing services in Maury County
Each one has its own guide, so you can read up before anyone unloads a machine.
Cedar clearing
Eastern redcedar fills Maury County fence rows, idle hay fields, and rocky knobs, and can close in a pasture within a few decades. Cut off at the ground, cedar doesn't sprout back, so only new seedlings need watching. The guide covers mulching versus cutting and piling, working over limestone, what to keep, cost, and burning cedar piles.
Fence lines and pasture edges
Fence rows grown up in cedar, hackberry, privet, and bush honeysuckle, cleared to save the fence or make room for a new one. The guide covers working beside cattle, property lines and neighbors, Tennessee 811 before new posts go in, what grows back, and the NRCS and state cost-share programs that can help with brush and fence.
Forestry mulching
One tracked machine grinds cedar and brush where it stands, leaving roots in thin soil and nothing to burn. On Maury County ground the teeth meet limestone and chert, which slows the work. The guide covers how mulching works, where it fits and where it doesn't, what grows back, published costs, and the permit questions to ask.
Clearing a house site
TDEC's septic evaluation comes first: mow or bush hog the site, with no soil disturbance, cutting, or filling before it. Then come the county's steep slope rules for hillside lots, Columbia's land disturbance permit at an acre or 10,000 square feet of new hard surface, sinkholes, rock under the pad, the driveway, debris, and cost. The guide puts them in the order they come up.
Brush and invasive thickets
Chinese privet, bush honeysuckle, and thorny Callery pear walling off woods edges and pasture corners. Unlike cedar, privet and honeysuckle sprout back after cutting, so the guide covers mulching, cut-stump treatment, follow-up mowing, trails and lanes on hunting land, streamside zones in the woods, and NRCS help with brush management.
Stump grinding and removal
Grinding below grade where you'll mow, digging out where something will be built. The guide covers limestone in stump holes, why to check with Tennessee 811 before anything digs, cedar stumps that won't sprout versus privet that will, and HomeAdvisor's published per-inch and minimum prices, worked through for one stump and for five.
Permits, sinkholes, and burning
TDEC's construction permit at one acre, stream buffers of 30 feet on average and 60 on Exceptional Tennessee Waters such as the Duck River's scenic segments, sinkholes and the state's injection-well rules, the county's steep slope limits, the October 15 to May 15 burn permit season, and the different rules in Columbia, Mount Pleasant, and Spring Hill.
What land clearing costs
Published national figures with their dates, and what moves a Maury County job: how thick the cedar is, limestone and chert, slope, stumps out or left, where you're allowed to burn, and permit fees. Also per acre versus per day or hour, what a written quote should spell out, and ways to bring the cost down.
Mulching or traditional clearing?
Most clearing jobs in Maury County use one of two approaches, or both. Which one fits depends on what the land is for when the machine leaves.
Forestry mulching
- One tracked machine grinds cedar, brush, and small trees into mulch where they stand.
- Roots stay in the thin, rocky soil. Cut cedar won't sprout back, though privet and honeysuckle will.
- Nothing to pile or burn, which matters in Spring Hill, where land clearing fires are prohibited.
- Best for pasture edges, fence rows, cedar-choked glades, and hunting land.
- Not enough under a house, driveway, or septic field.
Traditional clearing and grubbing
- Trees are cut, then an excavator or dozer pulls the stumps, often with limestone caught in the roots.
- Leaves bare ground for a house pad, drive, barn, or pond.
- Debris is hauled, ground, or burned with a permit where burning is allowed.
- Construction that disturbs an acre or more needs TDEC's Construction General Permit.
- Best where the stumps truly have to come out.
Plenty of jobs mix the two: mulch the acreage, then dig out only the footprint of the house, drive, and septic field.
What clearing costs
Contractors quote clearing per acre, per day, or per machine hour. On Maury County land, cedar density, rock, and what happens to the debris move the price more than the acreage alone.
Angi's September 2026 figures put clearing a lightly forested acre at $500 to $2,000 and a densely forested one at $3,600 to $5,600. HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide puts forestry mulching at $400 to $1,500 per acre. Both are national ranges, not prices for this county; your real figure comes from a contractor's written quote after walking the property.
See the cost guide and its sources Ask for a quote on your landWhat moves the price in Maury County
- Cedar and brush
- Scattered young cedar goes fast; a closed stand doesn't
- Rock
- Limestone ledges and chert wear teeth and slow digging
- Slope and access
- Hillsides, gates, creek crossings, and how close a trailer can get
- Mulch or grub
- Leaving roots in costs far less than digging stumps out
- Debris
- Mulched, hauled, or burned where and when it's allowed
- Fences and cattle
- Hand work along wire you're keeping, and stock to move
- Permits and controls
- Fees, silt fence, and seeding on construction jobs
Do you need a permit to clear land in Maury County?
It depends on what the clearing is for and where the land sits. Farm clearing is treated differently from building, and Columbia, Mount Pleasant, and Spring Hill each add their own rules. The short version, checked against state, county, and city sources in October 2026:
Clearing and grading
Construction that disturbs an acre or more needs TDEC's Construction General Permit. In the county, clearing is prohibited on slopes over 25 percent except for trails, driveways, and minor utilities. Columbia's own permit starts at an acre or 10,000 square feet of new hard surface.
Creeks and sinkholes
Construction sites keep a stream buffer averaging 30 feet, or 60 on Exceptional Tennessee Waters, which include the Duck River's scenic segments. Work in a stream needs an ARAP. A sinkhole whose drainage is changed by development is regulated as an injection well.
Burning
From October 15 to May 15, a free Division of Forestry permit is required within 500 feet of woods or grassland. Columbia allows land-clearing fires only for farm, forest, or game management, with a city permit. Mount Pleasant requires a fire department permit; ask about land clearing. Spring Hill's pages say land clearing fires are prohibited.
Areas we serve
Land clearing referrals across Maury County, about 613 square miles of land by the Census Bureau's count. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 1,442 farms here and nearly 75,000 acres of pasture, with hay the biggest crop by acreage. Don't see your community? Call anyway and we'll check whether a contractor covers your property.
Cities
- Columbia
- Mount Pleasant
- Spring Hill
Rural communities
- Culleoka
- Hampshire
- Santa Fe
- The rest of rural Maury County
Common questions
How much does it cost to clear an acre in Maury County?
It depends on how thick the cedar and brush are, how much rock there is, and whether the stumps come out. Published national ranges run from a few hundred dollars an acre for light mulching to several thousand for dense woods that are dug out. The cost guide has the figures and their dates.
Do I need a permit to clear my land?
Clearing for farming is generally outside Tennessee's water permits. Construction that disturbs an acre or more needs TDEC's Construction General Permit, steep ground in the county has its own limits, and the cities add their own rules. The permits guide covers each one, and Maury County Building & Zoning (931-375-3002) can confirm what applies to your land.
Can I burn the brush piles?
In the county, from October 15 to May 15, you need a free Division of Forestry permit for any fire within 500 feet of woods or grassland. Columbia allows land-clearing fires only for farm, forest, or game management purposes, with a city permit, Mount Pleasant requires a fire department permit, Spring Hill's pages say land clearing fires are prohibited, and burn bans override everything.
Will the cedars grow back?
Not from the stumps. The U.S. Forest Service says eastern redcedar doesn't sprout after complete cutting. New seedlings will come, and privet and honeysuckle cut alongside will sprout. Cedar clearing explains the follow-up.
There's a sinkhole in the field. Can it be filled or cleared around?
Don't fill it or push brush into it until you've talked to the TDEC Columbia Environmental Field Office, (931) 380-3371. Depending on how the land is being developed, a sinkhole can be a regulated injection well. The permits guide explains.
The fence row is on the property line. What should I do?
Talk to your neighbor first, and don't assume the old fence marks the deeded line. Fence line clearing covers lines, neighbors, and working around cattle.
Who actually does the work?
An independent contractor does. MauryCountyLandClearing.com is a referral service only. Your quote, your agreement, the clearing, any permits, and the cleanup all come from the contractor, who answers for their own licensing and insurance. Our hiring guide covers when Tennessee requires a license and how to look one up.
Want a local contractor to walk your land?
Call or send a short request. There's no charge for the referral.