Land Clearing
We clear house lots and acreage start to finish, with trees and stumps out roots and all. The ground is left level, with the debris hauled off or mulched in place.
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West of I-95, much of New Smyrna Beach sits on flatwoods sand where slash pine and saw palmetto grow. Soil maps rate nearly all of it poorly or very poorly drained. On the mainland, the city and Volusia County both have tree rules that start at trunks 6 inches across. So land clearing here starts with two questions: how wet is the lot, and which office rules on its trees?
BW Clearing is based in Melbourne, and New Smyrna Beach is part of our service area. Our lot and acreage clearing service takes out palmettos and brush, and the tree puller lifts trees out roots and all. Where the growth is lighter, forestry mulching grinds brush and small trees into a mulch layer where they stand. Call or text (904) 719-0443, and we put a free quote in writing.
Tell us about the lot or acreage, the work you need and where it is. We look at the job and put a free quote in writing.
On the mainland, the Silver Bluff Terrace runs along the west shore of the Indian River. The city's land use plan puts it 5 to 10 feet above sea level, with shell beds. Farther west, the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, an old shoreline, runs roughly along I-95. Turnbull Creek crosses the Pioneer Trail area, and the city has bought about 250 acres along it.
USDA soil maps show Pomona fine sand as the most common soil inside city limits west of I-95. NRCS describes it as poorly to very poorly drained flatwoods sand. In most years its water table sits within a foot of the surface for about three months. Muck soils fill the low spots, and the maps list them as frequently flooded or ponded.
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Daytona Beach International Airport show about 51 inches of rain a year. More than half falls June through September. In those months, flat lots tend to hold standing water, and soft ground ruts under heavy machines. We look at the lot with you and plan the work around the wet spots.
Inside city limits, tree removal permits come from the city's Development Services Department. Its Planning Division takes online requests for a tree inspection before you apply. Under the code, the city grants a tree removal permit only when the owner holds an active building permit. An active land clearing and water management permit also qualifies.
On the mainland, the rules cover trees 6 inches across or more, measured 4 feet above the ground. On the beachside, east of the Indian River, the line drops to 4 inches. For a single-family home, the city can approve removal with no replacement trees inside the house footprint plus 10 feet. Trees 36 inches across or more are historic trees, and only the City Commission can permit removing one.
Trees on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council list can come out with no permit. If the lot drops below one tree per 2,500 square feet, replacement trees are required. Brazilian pepper is on that list, so Brazilian pepper removal falls under that rule. Trees that stay need a barrier at least 3 feet high, set 7 feet or more from the trunk.
New Smyrna Beach has grown fast: the 2020 Census counted 30,142 people, up from 22,464 in 2010. The Census Bureau's estimate for 2025 is 33,182. Census survey data puts the median home's build year at 1989. About 36 percent of homes went up in 2000 or later.
The city's land use plan expects new growth west of I-95. Its North Village area holds Venetian Bay, planned for 2,063 homes, and Hampton Village beside Pioneer Trail. South of SR 44, the city has weighed Deering Park, a 1,618-acre plan that leaves 400 acres natural. The land use plan also notes dense trees and vegetation along SR 44.
We come up I-95 and US 1 to clear house lots and acreage on both sides of SR 44. A raw lot headed for a house starts with site preparation: a plan for what stays and what goes. Bigger trees and stumps come out with a rented excavator, and the lot is left level for the next step. Before stumps come out, Florida law calls for a Sunshine 811 notice at least 2 full business days ahead.
Past the city line, around Samsula and along SR 415, Volusia County's tree rules apply. They call for a tree removal permit from the county forester before trees come out. Owner-occupied home lots are exempt, and so is land zoned or taxed as agricultural. Brazilian pepper and Australian pine are on the county's exempt nuisance tree list.
Live oaks and bald cypress 36 inches across or more count as historic trees. Off the exempt lots, removing one takes approval from the county's Development Review Committee. The county also asks for a tree survey with residential tree removal permits. If the trees come out under a building permit, no separate tree permit application is needed.
A 2013 city and county agreement set up a joint planning area next to the city limits. There, the city handles permits for some parcels under county rules, so ask which office has yours. Volusia County's Environmental Permitting office also handles wetland and gopher tortoise permits. Its Class II overlay sets stormwater and native plant rules for development next to the Indian River Lagoon.
Communities and areas we serve around New Smyrna Beach: Venetian Bay, Coastal Woods, Sugar Mill, Glencoe, Lake Waterford Estates, Corbin Park, Historic Westside, Pioneer Trail, Turnbull Bay, SR 44 Corridor, Samsula, Edgewater.
New Smyrna Beach ZIP codes served: 32168, 32169.
New Smyrna Beach is part of our service area. We look at the land first, then put a free quote in writing.
(904) 719-0443 We clear house lots and acreage start to finish, with trees and stumps out roots and all. The ground is left level, with the debris hauled off or mulched in place.
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The disc mulcher on our skid steer grinds palmetto and small trees into mulch where they stand. The wood stays on the lot, and the ground stays covered.
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We cut overgrown lots and pasture down with a hydraulic three-blade brush mower on our skid steer. It cuts dense brush and small trees up to about 5 inches.
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New dirt and gravel driveways and access roads for rural lots and job sites. We grade the base, then lay and press the material the way you ask.
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We level lots and dig ponds, and the dirt goes where your plan needs it. All of our excavating stays above ground.
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We cut down the high spots and spread that dirt into the low ones. Lots, pads and pasture end up level and graded so rain runs off.
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We dig earth ponds on lots and acreage with a rented excavator. The dirt can raise a house pad or fill low ground on the same lot.
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We haul off the trees, limbs, root balls and rock that land clearing leaves behind. Storm debris after a hurricane is part of the work too.
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We clear Brazilian pepper thickets and other invasive trees from lot edges and fence lines. The tree puller lifts the trunks out roots and all, so far less is left to resprout.
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We plan the clearing with you before any machine runs. Then we get your raw lot ready for a new house or barn.
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Pole barn shops, garages, barns and barndominium shells, with insulated options and fencing. We clear the land and level the pad before the first post goes in.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around New Smyrna Beach. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Send us the location and what you want cleared, and we will reach out to set a time. You can also call or text (904) 719-0443.
Tell us about the lot or acreage, the work you need and where it is. We look at the job and put a free quote in writing.