#1 Tree Removal & Trimming Service Provider
in Tampa
Land Clearing, Lot Clearing & Brush Removal in Tampa, FL
Tampa Elite Tree Service clears residential lots, overgrown acreage, fence lines and commercial sites in Tampa and the surrounding county. We take out brush, invasive trees and stumps while keeping the healthy oaks and pines you want to build around.
Clearing land in Hillsborough County comes with checks that matter before any machine moves. Gopher tortoises live in our sandy uplands, and the state requires an FWC permit before clearing within 25 feet of a burrow that may be occupied. Wetland edges fall under the county's Environmental Protection Commission, and building on vacant land means a Land Alteration and Landscaping permit before trees over 5 inches come down.
Clearing projects take us to Plant City, Seffner, Valrico, Riverview, Ruskin, Odessa, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, Land O' Lakes & more. Before any lot work starts, it helps to know whether you need a permit to remove a tree in Tampa or in the county.
Why Choose Us
- Licensed and insured for hazardous removals and complex jobs
- Decades of combined crew experience
- Free, transparent estimates before any work begins
- Full-service: removal, pruning, stump grinding, and storm cleanup
- Local knowledge of Tampa's soil conditions, storm patterns, and tree species
- Modern, well-maintained equipment for safe, efficient jobs
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Land Clearing, Lot Clearing & Brush Removal Services
Homesite & Lot Clearing
We clear building pads, driveways and pool areas on infill lots and larger parcels, leaving the site graded clean for your builder. Stumps are ground or pulled based on what goes on top.
We work from your site plan, so the protected trees shown on it stay protected, with fencing around their root zones.
Invasive Plant Removal
Brazilian pepper is one of the worst invasive plants in Florida and smothers fence lines and lot edges across Hillsborough County. Australian pine, chinaberry and air potato vines show up too.
Invasive species are exempt from tree permits in the City of Tampa and on the county's exempt list, so clearing them is usually simple. We cut, grind and treat stumps so they do not resprout.
Selective Clearing
Many owners want the undergrowth gone but the shade kept. We remove palmetto, vines, saplings and dead wood while flagging the live oaks, slash pines and magnolias worth saving.
This approach also helps with permits, because the trees you keep do not need mitigation.
Forestry Mulching
A mulching head grinds brush and small trees into a layer of chips that stays on the ground. On sandy flatwoods soil, that layer holds moisture and cuts down erosion while the site waits for construction.
It is faster than cutting and hauling, and there are no burn piles to manage. It works best on brush and trees under about 8 inches; larger trunks are cut and hauled separately.
Fence Line & Easement Clearing
Brush along property lines and drainage easements hides fences, blocks swales and harbors pests. We open these corridors up so you can repair the fence or let water move.
Before cutting near a ditch or pond, we check whether the edge is a regulated wetland. Mangroves along tidal shorelines in South Tampa and Apollo Beach have their own state trimming rules, so we leave those to a licensed mangrove trimmer when required.
Commercial Site Clearing
For small commercial and multi-lot projects, we clear to the approved plan, coordinate with your engineer, and keep tree barricades in place until the inspector signs off.
We can also chip laurel wilt-killed redbay and avocado on site and keep the chips under a tarp for at least seven days, which local extension guidance recommends so the beetles do not travel with the wood.
How a Clearing Job Runs
Land clearing is mostly planning. Permits, wildlife checks and utility locates take longer than the cutting, and skipping them is how projects stall.
1. Site Walk & Scope
We walk the property with you, mark what stays and what goes, and look for burrows, wet areas and old debris. Then we write up the scope and price.
2. Permits & Wildlife Checks
We confirm which authority applies, whether that is the City of Tampa, unincorporated Hillsborough County, Temple Terrace, Plant City or Pasco County for Wesley Chapel and Land O' Lakes. If burrows are present, a gopher tortoise survey and FWC permit come first.
3. Utility Locates
We file with Sunshine 811 two full business days before any stump or root work, and we mark overhead service lines before equipment arrives.
4. Cutting, Mulching & Grinding
Trees are felled or sectioned, brush is mulched or chipped, and stumps are ground in the areas marked for building.
5. Haul-Off & Final Grade
Logs and excess debris are hauled away, the site is smoothed, and we walk the property with you to confirm everything on the plan is done.
Land Clearing Questions in Tampa
How much does lot clearing cost in Tampa?
It depends on density, tree size, stump work, haul distance and permit needs, so we price every site after walking it. Individual tree removals within a clearing job follow our normal size ranges, and stump grinding runs $100 to $400 per stump.
Do I need a permit to clear my lot?
In unincorporated Hillsborough County, clearing vacant land for a new home requires a Land Alteration and Landscaping permit before trees over 5 inches are removed. Brush and invasive species alone usually need none, and city rules differ.
What if there are gopher tortoises on my land?
They are a protected species. Any clearing within 25 feet of a potentially occupied burrow requires an FWC permit, and a survey should be done before work starts. We help line that up.
Can you clear brush without taking my trees?
Yes. Selective clearing is a big share of our work, and we use small equipment that keeps soil compaction away from the root zones of trees you are keeping.
How long does a residential lot take?
A typical quarter-acre infill lot often takes one to three days once permits are in hand. Dense pepper thickets and big oaks add time, and so does a wet rainy season, when soft sand can keep tracked machines off the site for a few days.
Do you haul everything away?
We haul logs and debris unless you want chips left on site for mulch or erosion control. Nothing is burned on residential jobs.