LAND & LOT CLEARING · LAKE OCONEE & LAKE SINCLAIR
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Land clearing removes trees, brush, stumps and debris so a lot can be built on. Around Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair it also means leaving the 25-foot shoreline buffer alone unless Georgia Power approves, getting a Georgia Forestry Commission permit before burning land-clearing debris, and not burning at all from May through September in Putnam, Morgan, Jasper and Jones counties.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Who does the work
One crew, raw ground to a working system
Key facts
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Summer burn ban | May 1 to September 30: no burning of yard or land-clearing debris in 54 counties, including Putnam, Morgan, Jasper and Jones. | Georgia EPD: Summer Open Burning Ban (May 1 to September 30, 54 counties), 2026 |
| Burn permit for land clearing | Land clearing, construction and right-of-way burning (burn type 11) needs a Georgia Forestry Commission permit; so does an air curtain destructor (type 13). | Georgia EPD: Georgia Forestry Commission burn permits by burn type, 2026 |
| Hand-piled yard debris | No GFC permit needed, but debris from machine clearing is a land type change under EPD's land-clearing burn rules. | Georgia Forestry Commission: Burn Permits and Notifications, 2026 |
| Permit validity | A GFC burn permit is good only for the day it is issued (1-800-GA-TREES or online). | Same source as above |
| Where debris can go | Georgia's inert waste landfill rule accepts earth, rock, concrete and land-clearing debris such as stumps, limbs and leaves. | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 391-3-4-.06, Permit by Rule (inert waste landfills) (LII) |
| Lake Oconee shoreline | Unauthorized clearing of Georgia Power project lands or within 25 feet of the shoreline (whichever is greater) on undeveloped lots is prohibited. | Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines, 2026 |
| State erosion law | Natural vegetation shall be retained, protected and supplemented whenever feasible; disturbed area and exposure time kept to a practicable minimum. | O.C.G.A. § 12-7-6, Best management practices; minimum requirements (text via Onecle) |
| Typical clearing cost | $500 to $5,600 per acre for conventional clearing; heavily forested 1 acre $3,600 to $5,600 (typical market range, HomeAdvisor 2026). | HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026 |
Plain definitions
The whole story
On open farmland the goal of clearing is usually simple: get everything off and leave bare dirt. A lake lot runs the other way. The trees nearest the water are holding the bank, shading the cove and filtering runoff, and Georgia Power treats them that way. Its Lake Oconee guidelines say unauthorized clearing within 25 feet of the shoreline or on project lands is prohibited, and where it happens Georgia Power can require a revegetation plan and even pull permission for docks (Georgia Power).
Georgia Power will consider tree removal on its land for a few reasons, including dead or hazardous trees and to make room for construction such as a home, a seawall or a septic installation. The application has to count the trees, list their diameter and species, give the reason and include photos, and approved removals are replanted at least one for one. On Lake Sinclair leased lots, the package for a new home includes a landscaping plan showing the trees 4 inches or larger to come out inside the building perimeter, driveway included (Georgia Power, Lake Sinclair).
So we clear lake lots from a plan, not from the road in. The house footprint, the driveway, the septic tank, the drain field and its repair area, and the working room around each get flagged first. Everything outside those lines stays unless there is a reason to take it. That usually saves money too: fewer trees down means fewer stumps, less debris to burn or haul, and less bare clay to stabilize before the first storm.
Putnam County's own 2022 comprehensive plan describes the Sinclair and Oconee shorelines as the county's main population hubs outside Eatonton (Putnam joint plan), and the same is true along the Greene and Morgan sides of Lake Oconee. That density means neighbors, docks and coves close by, so smoke, noise and runoff from a clearing job are everyone's business.
How the job runs
Building footprint, driveway, septic tank and field, utility routes and the trees to save are marked on the ground. On the lake side we mark the 25-foot buffer and the project boundary.
Georgia Power tree-removal permit for anything on its land; county land disturbance permit if the clearing and grading will disturb an acre or more, or reach within 200 feet of the lake's bank.
O.C.G.A. § 12-7-17, Exemptions, Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (text via Onecle)
Silt fence goes in on the downhill side before the ground is opened. Georgia's erosion law asks that vegetation be stripped in a way that keeps erosion to a minimum and that exposure time be kept short.
O.C.G.A. § 12-7-6, Best management practices; minimum requirements (text via Onecle)
Trees are felled into the cleared area, not toward the lake. Georgia Power's guidelines say no part of a downed tree may be left on its property or in the lake.
Stumps come out under the house, the driveway base and the septic system. Elsewhere they can be cut flush or ground. Before digging stumps we call Georgia 811, since pulling a root ball is mechanized excavation.
Georgia 811: Laws & Policies (Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
Depending on the county and the month: burn under a GFC permit, grind or mulch on site, or load out to an inert landfill that takes stumps and limbs.
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 391-3-4-.06, Permit by Rule (inert waste landfills) (LII)
Bare ground gets seed and straw, mulch, or the next phase of work right away, not weeks later.
Permits & the Georgia rules
Check whether your county is in the summer ban. Putnam, Morgan, Jasper and Jones are; from May 1 to September 30 land-clearing debris there cannot be burned.↗
Outside the ban window (or in Greene, Baldwin and Hancock, which are not on the 54-county list), get a GFC permit for a land-clearing burn, by phone at 1-800-GA-TREES or online, for the day of the burn.↗
Hand-piled yard debris needs no permit but must be at least 25 feet from woodlands and 50 feet from structures, burned between sunrise and sunset and attended until out.↗
An air curtain destructor needs its own GFC permit (burn type 13).↗
If burning is not allowed, debris is ground on site or hauled to an inert waste landfill.↗
Georgia rule Georgia EPD summer ban
“Don't burn anything from May 1 - September 30.”
Georgia rule GFC burn permits
“Permits are No Longer Required for Hand-piled Natural Vegetation/Yard Debris”
Georgia rule Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-4-.06(3)(c)
“land clearing debris such as stumps, limbs and leaves, are acceptable for disposal in an inert waste landfill”
On the EPD summer burn-ban list; plan clearing debris for grinding or haul-off between May and September.↗
On the summer burn-ban list (EPD Northeast district, Athens).↗
On the summer burn-ban list.↗
On the summer burn-ban list (EPD West Central district).↗
Not on the summer ban list; a GFC permit is still required for land-clearing burns. Greene's land disturbance permit costs $200 under 1 acre.↗
What it costs
Land clearing, conventional
$500–$5,600
per acre
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026
Lightly wooded lot, 1/2 acre
$250–$1,000
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026
Heavily forested lot, 1/2 acre
$1,800–$2,800
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026
Heavily forested, 1 acre
$3,600–$5,600
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026
Stump removal during clearing
$100–$150
per stump
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026
Debris removal and hauling
$100–$800
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026), 2026
Clearing billed by the hour
$110–$250
per hour
Typical market range — Fixr: Land Clearing and Building Site Preparation Cost (updated January 31, 2025), 2025
Published averages from independent cost guides (year noted on each), shown for budgeting only and never as what A Class Septic Services charges. Estimates on your lot are free: call (678) 863-5620.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: The footprint of a house, a driveway, a septic system or a building pad, where every stump and root has to come out.
OPTION 02
When it fits: Lake lots where the canopy, the view and the shoreline buffer matter; wooded home sites.
This is where we start on most lake lots.
OPTION 03
When it fits: Overgrown brush, privet and small trees on ground that won't be built on right away: view corridors, trails, pasture recovery.
Warning signs
Lot too thick to walk? Call (678) 863-5620
Where we do this
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620HomeAdvisor's 2026 national figures put conventional clearing at $500 to $5,600 per acre, with a lightly wooded acre around $500 to $2,000 and a heavily forested acre $3,600 to $5,600. Those exclude grading. Stumps under the build area, slope, and whether debris can be burned move the real number most.
Source: HomeAdvisor: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land? (updated June 17, 2026)
Not from May 1 to September 30. Both counties, along with Jasper and Jones, are on Georgia EPD's 54-county summer burn ban, which covers yard and land-clearing debris. The rest of the year, a land-clearing burn needs a Georgia Forestry Commission permit for that day.
Source: Georgia EPD: Summer Open Burning Ban (May 1 to September 30, 54 counties)
Hand-piled leaves, limbs and yard debris need no Forestry Commission permit, but must be burned at least 25 feet from woodlands and 50 feet from structures, between sunrise and sunset, and attended. Debris from machine clearing is different: it is a land type change and needs a permit.
Source: Georgia Forestry Commission: Burn Permits and Notifications
No, not without Georgia Power. Its guidelines prohibit unauthorized clearing of project lands or within 25 feet of the shoreline on undeveloped lots, and tree removal on its land needs a permit with counts, sizes, species and photos. Approved removals are replanted at least one for one.
They can be ground or mulched on site, or hauled to an inert waste landfill. Georgia's rule lists earth, rock, concrete, bricks and land-clearing debris such as stumps, limbs and leaves as acceptable for inert landfills. Household trash cannot go with them.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 391-3-4-.06, Permit by Rule (inert waste landfills) (LII)
Clearing under one acre that is not within 200 feet of state waters and not part of a larger plan is generally exempt from the state erosion law, though counties can still regulate it. On a lake lot, the 200-foot rule often applies, and Georgia Power approval is needed near the shoreline.
Source: O.C.G.A. § 12-7-17, Exemptions, Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (text via Onecle)
Clear enough for the soil evaluation and survey, but leave the drain field area as undisturbed as practical: heavy machines compact the soil the field depends on. Once the system is laid out we clear its footprint carefully. See our septic installation page for the permit sequence.
Yes. Military members and first responders get 10% off; tell us when you call (678) 863-5620.
Keep going
Excavation & Site Work
Sources
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Ready when you are
We clear brush, trees and debris so a lake lot can be surveyed, permitted and built on. The clearing plan starts at the shoreline buffer and works uphill, so the ground you open never drains straight into the cove.
(678) 863-5620Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620By town
Local pages with each town's utility, county permit path and ground conditions.