By Rob · Updated September 19, 2026
Clearing an Overgrown Lot Before Building in Polk County
Got an overgrown lot in Polk County, FL and a shed or house to put on it? Who clears what, what needs the county's OK, and what Big Rob's hauls by trailer.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
You bought a lot, or you've had one for years, and it's grown into a wall of palmetto, vines and volunteer oaks. Now there's a shed, a pole barn, a garage or a house going on it. Before anyone builds, somebody has to make the lot walkable. This post is about the order to do that in, which parts are mine and which parts belong to someone else.
What's the right order for clearing a lot?
Most people call the wrong trade first. Here's the sequence that saves money:
- Know your lines. Find the corner pins, or have a surveyor find them. Nobody should clear past a line they can't see.
- Ask the county. Some trees are protected by size or species, and wetlands are off limits. Check with Polk County or your city before a machine rolls.
- Big trees first, by a tree service. Anything tall enough to hit a house or a power line gets felled by people who do that for a living.
- Brush, scrub and small trees. That's me. The compact track loader and the grapple take the lot from overgrown to open.
- Haul it off. Same visit, in the dump trailer.
- Site work. Your builder or a site contractor handles the engineered part.
What does the track loader do on a house lot?
The Kubota compact track loader is the machine in my photos. It runs on rubber tracks, so it crosses sand and soft ground without digging in. The grapple grabs a clump of palmetto, roots and all, and drops it in a pile. Vines and undergrowth get pushed. Small trees and palms get pulled with the root ball. The bucket scrapes the ground clean behind it and can rough-level the pad for whatever's going up.
On a typical residential lot, the day looks like this: we walk it and flag what stays, the machine works the brush into piles, the piles go into the trailer, the trailer runs to the landfill, and by evening you can see the whole lot for the first time.
What needs somebody other than a hauler?
I keep this small on purpose, and I'd rather draw the line before you book than after.
| The job | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Palmetto, vines, scrub, small trees and palms | Me, with the grapple |
| Hauling the brush, stumps and root balls | Me, by the trailer |
| Rough-leveling a shed pad or a driveway cut | Me, with the bucket |
| Felling a mature oak or pine near a structure | A tree service |
| Deciding if a tree is protected | The county or city, and maybe an arborist |
| Grading to an engineer's plan, septic, drainage design | A site contractor |
| A lot measured in acres | A clearing contractor with bigger iron |
If your builder handed you a grading plan with elevations on it, that's site contractor work. If you just need the palmetto gone and a level spot for a shed, that's mine.
Do I need a permit to clear my lot?
Check with the county. Polk County protects some trees, cities have their own tree rules, and wetlands are protected everywhere. I'm not the permit office and I won't pretend to be. What I'll do is look at your lot and tell you if it looks like the kind of job that usually needs a call first. Protected trees stay, flagged, and I work around them.
Two more calls before any clearing: Sunshine 811 marks buried lines for free, and if there's a well or septic on the lot, show me where it is.
How does the material leave, and what does it cost?
Brush, palmetto, stumps and root balls go in the dump trailer and off the property the same visit. It's priced by the load: $350 for a half trailer, $525 for three-quarters, $700 for a full, all-inclusive, with machine time in the number. An overgrown residential lot is usually one or two full trailers. I count them before I start and tell you the total.
Dirt is the exception. If clearing turns up a real pile of soil, or the pad needs to be cut and hauled, dirt doesn't ride in my trailers. I quote it separately through partner dump trucks, per job. On most lots, the topsoil stays where it is and you're glad to have it.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
What should the lot look like when you're done?
Open ground, raked, with the flagged trees standing and the brush gone. Root holes filled if you asked for a pad. Your builder can walk it, back a delivery truck onto it and set up. If a shed is going on it, I can level the pad the same day so the shed company has a flat spot waiting.
What Big Rob's does here
The lot clearing page covers the house-pad version, and the land clearing page has the whole scope. Lots like this come up in Davenport, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Hamilton and Bartow.
Send a few photos and a map pin to (863) 225-2147 and I'll tell you what's mine and what isn't.
Questions
Quick answers
Who should I call first, a hauler or a tree service?
Depends on what's standing. Big trees near where the house or the power line will be get felled by a tree service first. Then I clear the palmetto, scrub and small trees, and haul it all. If nothing on the lot is taller than a shed, I'm the first call.
Do I need a permit to clear an overgrown lot?
Check with the county, or your city if you're inside one. Some trees are protected and wetlands always are. I'll tell you if your lot looks like the kind that usually needs a call first, but the permit is yours to ask about.
What happens to the dirt?
Most lots don't produce any. The topsoil stays and you want it. If a pad needs cut or the clearing turns up a real pile of soil, that doesn't ride in my dump trailers. I quote dirt separately through partner dump trucks, per job.