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Land-Clearing Site Checklist
A printable land-clearing site checklist you can fill out before you call. Work through it top to bottom to organize your property details, the finish you want, stump and debris decisions, access, and the official checks to run. It organizes a request — it is not a permit determination or safety training.
Property & authorization
- Property address and parcel number
- You are the owner or have written authority to authorize work
- Jurisdiction identified: inside a city or unincorporated county
Clearing limits & keeps
- Clearing boundaries marked or staked (survey or site plan)
- Keep-trees and keep-areas flagged
- Areas that must NOT be disturbed identified
Finish definition (circle one)
- Mulched (vegetation processed in place, stumps remain)
- Cleared (vegetation removed, stumps may remain)
- Stump-free (stumps ground or removed)
- Rough-graded (shaped for the next contractor — not a certified pad)
Stumps & roots
- Stumps left in place
- Stumps ground below grade (note target depth)
- Stumps pulled / excavated
- Roots grubbed / root-raked across an area
Debris plan
- Mulch left on site
- Material stacked on site
- Material hauled away
- Authorized burn (current restrictions control whether burning is allowed)
Access
- Entrance and gate widths measured
- Overhead lines noted
- Soft or wet ground identified
- Turnaround / staging space available
Site conditions to report (do not diagnose)
- Wet areas or standing water
- Suspected gopher tortoise burrows (do not disturb)
- Known wells, septic, propane, irrigation, or private lines
- Old or buried fence wire and dumped debris
Official checks to run
- Issuing office contacted (city or county) about permits
- Right-of-way / driveway permit checked where access meets the road
- Sunshine 811 locate filed at least two full business days before digging
- FWC gopher tortoise screening where applicable
- Stormwater threshold checked (generally one acre or a larger common plan)
- Burn authorization confirmed if burning is planned
Comparing two written proposals
- Same finish defined in writing on both
- Stumps, roots, and debris handling specified identically
- Clearing limits and keep-trees written in
- Who files locates and who is responsible for permits
- Change-order terms and unit pricing stated
Change-order questions
- How are hidden obstacles (wire, debris, stumps) handled and priced?
- What triggers a change order, and who approves it?
- How is extra haul or fill measured and billed?
How to use this checklist
Fill it in as you walk the property. The clearer you are about the finish, the stumps, the debris plan, and the access, the more accurately a provider can scope and price the work — and the easier it is to compare two written proposals on the same terms. Bring the completed sheet to the conversation.
Field definitions
- Finish: mulched, cleared, stump-free, and rough-graded are different end states. The written scope, not the label, defines the job.
- Clearing limits: the boundary of what gets cleared, ideally from a survey or site plan so nothing is over-cleared.
- Locate: the Sunshine 811 request that marks utilities; the excavating party owns it and files before digging.
Limitations and safety note
This checklist helps you organize a request. It is not legal advice, a permit determination, or safety training. Local rules vary and can change; the issuing office decides what your parcel requires. Do not enter unsafe areas or disturb suspected wildlife burrows to complete it — report what you can see from a safe distance.