How much does brush clearing cost in Sonora?
Brush clearing cost in Sonora runs from about $400 to $3,000 or more for most home lots, with a minimum of about $200 to $300 for a small grass and weed job. Steep ground adds about 30 to 50 percent. These are our own 2026 price ranges. Every job still gets its own written price after we walk it.
| What it covers | Our 2026 price |
|---|---|
| Minimum charge, small grass and weed jobs | About $200 to $300 |
| Brush clearing, from a backyard pile to a full lot | About $400 to $3,000 or more |
| Steep ground | Adds about 30 to 50 percent |
| Dump fees when we haul the brush | Included in the price |
Time on site follows the same pattern. A small backyard pile takes the crew an hour or two. A typical half-acre lot takes most of a day, and steep or chainsaw-heavy jobs can take several days.
The crew cuts with brush cutters, string trimmers and chainsaws, moves brush and logs with our Bobcat, loads what we cut onto wood-sided trailers, and brings in the chipper when the job calls for it. Our brush clearing service page lists what that covers, from manzanita and blackberry to small trees.
Do you charge by the job, by the hour or by the day?
Most jobs are priced by the job: one written price before we start, with dump fees in it, so the number does not grow while the crew works. We do not bill by the hour.
Some projects are better done at a flat day rate. We come with a crew and the gear the work needs, whether that is brush cutters, chainsaws, trailers, our Bobcat or a chipper, and get as much done as we can in that one day. It suits some projects and not others, so we tell you which way fits when we see the property.
What drives the price of brush clearing?
Four things move a brush clearing price more than anything else: how much brush there is and how woody it is, the slope and rock, how close the trailer can get, and what happens to the brush once it is cut. Poison oak adds care on top, because it is bagged and hauled, never burned.
- How much brush, and how woody. Dry grass and weeds cut fast. Manzanita, oak brush and small trees need chainsaws and fill more trailer loads.
- Slope and rock. Steep hillsides are cut by hand and every load is carried farther. CAL FIRE's spacing also widens with the slope: about 10 feet between tree canopies on gentle ground, 20 feet on slopes of 20 to 40 percent, and 30 feet on steeper ones, so more comes out.
- Getting the trailer in. A trailer backed up beside the pile is quick. A long carry uphill, a tight gate or a narrow drive adds time.
- What happens to the brush. We chip it on site, haul it to green waste with the fee included, or stack it for your permitted burn. Hauling is the most common choice and usually the most expensive one.
A whole vacant parcel, acreage or a fire break along a fence line is lot and land clearing, priced the same way: by what is on the ground.
Why not burn the brush to save money?
Burning is the cheapest way to get rid of brush when it is allowed, but in Tuolumne County it is allowed only part of the year. You need a CAL FIRE burn permit, piles no more than 4 feet across, 10 feet of bare ground around each pile, someone watching with water and a shovel, and a permissive burn day. Call the Tuolumne County burn line at (209) 533-5598 before you light anything.
In 2026, residential burning was suspended below 3,500 feet on May 25 and at every elevation on June 15. As of October 17, 2026 we have found no notice lifting it, so jobs this fall are chipped or hauled. Cut brush also needs time to dry before it burns well: three to six weeks for pieces under 6 inches across.
What do national cost guides say?
National cost guides give brush removal prices from about $20 to $3,000 per acre, a spread so wide that none of them is a quote for a Sonora hillside. Most measure machine clearing on open, flat ground. Hand work around a house, under oaks and on a slope is priced by what is there.
| Guide (date checked) | What it says |
|---|---|
| HomeGuide (November 20, 2025) | Brush removal $800 to $3,000 per acre |
| LawnStarter (October 5, 2026) | Brush removal $20 to $200 per acre |
| HomeAdvisor (June 19, 2026) | Crews $30 to $80 per hour per worker |
One local number helps. The Tuolumne Fire Safe Council's grant program set aside $879,000 to clear about 425 homes for low-income seniors and disabled residents, up to 100 feet with the green waste removed. That works out to about $2,068 a home, program costs included. It is an average across many lots, not a price for yours.
How do I get an accurate brush clearing quote?
The most accurate quote comes from someone walking the property and pricing what is actually on it, in writing, with disposal included. Here is how ours works:
- Call (209) 243-5574 or send the estimate form with the address and what needs clearing.
- Tell us any deadline: an inspection notice, an insurance letter or a closing date.
- We walk the property with you, in person or on the phone if you live away.
- You get one written price, dump fees in. Nothing starts until you say yes.
When you compare quotes, ask the same three questions of everyone: is disposal included, what happens to the brush, and can they show proof of insurance. Ours is fully insured, proof on request. If the work is for an inspection, read the defensible space rules in Sonora and Tuolumne County first and see what our defensible space clearing covers, so the price matches what the inspector checks. The estimate is the same free walk-through in every town we serve.
Sources
- HomeGuide, Land Clearing Cost, November 20, 2025
- LawnStarter, How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land?, updated October 5, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, Yard Cleanup Cost, updated June 19, 2026
- Tuolumne Fire Safe Council, Defensible Space Project, updated May 8, 2026
- Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District, Backyard Burning
Sonora Brush Clearing is a local crew based in Sonora, CA, clearing brush, dry grass and defensible space on homes and land across Tuolumne County. Fully insured, proof on request. About our crew
