Forestry Mulching
We grind palmetto, underbrush and especially the extremely invasive Brazilian Pepper in place, leaving your mature native trees standing and the ground open and walkable.
See Forestry Mulching →
Complete lot clearing with excavator and root rake, plus fill dirt delivered and compacted for a house pad. No deposit and no long wait.

Most land clearing in Port Charlotte is somebody finally building on a lot their family bought decades ago. That means Charlotte County permitting comes first, not last. The county requires a tree permit approved before any clearing of a site can begin, and complete clearing of a property is not allowed without an associated building permit tied to it. Heritage trees are meant to stay standing and only come out in a legitimate hardship situation authorized by the zoning official. If the parcel needs a permit we run that process ourselves rather than handing you a form and wishing you luck.
We work in that order on purpose. Nobody wants a stop work order on the first morning, and nobody wants to learn afterward that the live oak in the middle of the lot was counting toward tree points that are now gone. We walk the parcel with you, mark what has to stay, set barricades around the preserved trees where the county wants an inspection, and clear around them. On this grid we are also usually working between two occupied houses, so the plan has to account for driveways, mailboxes, screen cages and a neighbor who parks on the swale.
Average for a standard lot clearing runs $5,000 to $9,000. We never take money up front on land clearing. You pay when the work is finished and you have walked the lot yourself. Scheduling is generally never more than two weeks out, because we own our machines instead of renting them. Text 941-445-3027 with the address or parcel number.
The lots themselves vary more than the map suggests. Inland in Section 15 and around Murdock you are usually into slash pine, palmetto and pepper tree over dry sand, and the clearing is straightforward once the permit is in hand. Closer to the Myakka River and out through El Jobean the ground holds water longer and we watch what we are running heavy equipment over. On the canal lots in South Gulf Cove the whole job is bounded by a seawall on one end and a neighbor on both sides, so material has to come out the front and the seawall never carries a machine.
What you get back is a lot ready for a survey stake and a slab. Stumps and root balls out, grade left clean, preserved trees still standing and barricaded, and the road frontage swept. Our crews show up in uniform in clean lettered trucks, and the site gets cleaned up at the end rather than left for you to deal with. Workers compensation and general liability are in force and the certificate goes to you or your builder before anybody starts.
A lot clear is not a mow and a haul. Trees come down, stumps come out, and the excavator and root rake work the ground until the organic material is gone. Roots left in the ground rot, and that can turn into soft spots under a slab years later.
Everything we pull gets loaded and hauled off site. What you are left with is open, level ground a surveyor and a foundation crew can work on.
Plenty of lots around here need to come up before anything gets built on them. We deliver fill dirt, spread it and compact it so the pad is ready when the foundation crew arrives.
Doing the clearing and the pad with one company keeps it on one schedule. There is nobody to point at when a date moves, and nobody waiting on somebody else to finish first.
Most people who call us have never cleared a lot before and have no idea what the permit side looks like. That part stalls more projects than the machinery ever does.
Clearing a lot around here usually involves a permit, and the rules change from county to county and city to city. We walk you through what applies to your property, tell you who you need to talk to, and make sure the work is done properly. Ask early. It is much easier to sort out before a machine is sitting on the ground waiting.
Speed is the whole point of hiring us. Getting on the calendar is generally never more than two weeks out.
Customers tell us about contractors who took a deposit and then did not come back for months. That is not how we work. We do not take money up front, and a large portion of our work is repeat business.
Some of our customers have held onto a lot for years and are finally building on it. Others are contractors who need a site open on a specific date, or developers taking a larger parcel down in phases. Property that has sat empty and grown over is normal work for us.
Two things bring most of these calls in. We are fast, and we do not ask you for money before the work is done.
ACI has been working in this area for 23 years. The crew shows up in uniform, in clean lettered trucks, and the site gets cleaned up before we pull out.
Every photo on this page is an ACI job. No stock images.
Usually there is a permit involved. The specifics depend on your county, your city, what is growing on the property and what you plan to put on it. Most of our customers have never been through the process. We explain what is involved, point you to the right office, and make sure the clearing is done properly.
A standard lot clearing averages $5,000 to $9,000. Lot size, tree cover, access and how much material has to be hauled off all move that number. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.
No. We never take money up front on land clearing. You pay when the job is complete and you have walked the property.
Land clearing is generally never more than two weeks out. Call or text and we will tell you exactly where the calendar stands that week.
It depends on the lot. Size, tree cover, access and how much material has to come off all change the answer. Larger parcels and heavy tree cover take longer, and we will give you a straight answer on that before you commit to anything.
Yes. We deliver, spread and compact fill dirt for a house pad, so the clearing and the pad stay on one schedule with one company.
Not in Charlotte County. Complete clearing of a property is not allowed without an associated building permit, and the tree permit has to be approved before any clearing starts. If you are not ready to build yet, forestry mulching is usually the legal way to get the lot under control in the meantime.
A standard lot clearing averages $5,000 to $9,000. What moves it inside that range is how much standing pine is on the parcel, how many stumps come out, and how tight the access is between the neighbors. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.
No. We never take money up front on land clearing anywhere, and that includes here. You pay on completion, after you have walked the lot and you are satisfied with the grade and the cleanup. Cash, check or credit card, with a 3% fee on cards.
We work across Sarasota, Charlotte and Manatee Counties, and travel further for storm work.
We grind palmetto, underbrush and especially the extremely invasive Brazilian Pepper in place, leaving your mature native trees standing and the ground open and walkable.
See Forestry Mulching →
We bring in fill, set the grade and compact it, so your house pad, driveway or parking area sits on ground that drains right and stays put.
See Fill Dirt & Grading →
One stump or hundreds, any species, ground out clean with our own turbo diesel machine anywhere from Sarasota to Punta Gorda.
See Stump Grinding →Free, no obligation estimates. 24/7 emergency service.