Clearing house lots, overgrown back acreage and wooded parcels where wetland rules set the work line.
We clear land in Billerica for builders, homeowners planning an addition, garage or new driveway, and landowners reclaiming overgrown acreage. Our track loaders, mini excavator and grapple handle trees, stumps and brush, and our trucks and trailers haul debris off site.
Call our Massachusetts line at (978) 696-6659 or use Get a Quote with the address and what you want the land ready for. If the lot touches a pond, stream or river, tell us up front, because in Billerica the wetland line often decides how much can be cleared.
Billerica has two rivers, a lake and wetlands woven through its villages, so clearing here starts with finding the water, not the property line.
Billerica's wetlands by-law covers wetland resource areas plus a 100-foot buffer around them, and it counts cutting vegetation inside a resource area as altering it. On a wooded lot with a swamp or stream at the back, the permitted clearing area can end well short of the lot line.
A river has a 200-foot riverfront area instead of the usual 100-foot buffer. Clearing there takes a stronger showing that the work will not harm the river, so we plan machine paths and stockpiles outside it unless you have approval.
Billerica's nine villages are built up in places, especially around the older mill streets of North Billerica. A lot that needs clearing can sit between finished yards, so we drop trees away from houses and fences and get logs and brush hauled off quickly.
Billerica State Forest alone covers about 370 acres, and wooded private parcels near tracts like it can have boundary lines that are hard to read in the field. We want a survey or stakes before we start so no cut crosses onto protected land.
Clearing near water or for commercial timber can trigger state and town rules. These are the ones we look for with you.
State Wetlands Protection Act. Nobody may remove, fill, dredge or alter a bank, riverfront area or freshwater wetland without filing a notice of intent with the Conservation Commission and receiving an order of conditions. Anyone can ask the Commission in writing to decide whether the law applies to a piece of land, and violations carry fines up to $25,000 (MGL c.131 §40 (opens in a new tab)).
Billerica Wetlands By-Law. No one may alter a wetland resource area or the land within 100 feet of it without a by-law permit from the Commission. A written request for a determination of applicability is the usual first step (Article XXII (opens in a new tab)). The town advises calling the Conservation Department at (978) 671-0966 before hiring a contractor (Conservation FAQ (opens in a new tab)).
Forest cutting. The state's forest cutting rules exempt cutting up to 25,000 board feet or 50 cords on a parcel at one time, and also exempt clearing land for building (MGL c.132 §44 (opens in a new tab)). Larger commercial harvests can need a cutting plan.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm with the Billerica Conservation Department for your parcel.
Sources: MGL c.131 §40, Wetlands Protection Act; Town of Billerica: Article XXII, Wetlands Protection By-Law; Town of Billerica: Conservation FAQ on buffer zones and tree removal; MGL c.132 §44, Forest cutting practices; exempted cuttings
HomeGuide (opens in a new tab) (updated November 2025) puts national land clearing averages at $1,200 to $8,000 per acre: about $1,200 to $2,500 for shrubs and small trees, $2,500 to $4,500 for thicker underbrush and medium trees, and $4,500 to $8,000 for dense woods with large trees. These are national reference ranges, not our prices. Land clearing has too many variables for a calculator, so we price it after seeing the lot. If part of the job is brush and small trees, our forestry mulching cost calculator gives a rough starting point.
Cost references: HomeGuide: Land Clearing Cost
A few places locals know, and what they mean for outdoor work nearby.
The Middlesex Canal Museum is housed in the old Faulkner Mills in North Billerica, beside the Concord River. The canal ran through Billerica from 1795 to 1852, and the mill village around it is made up of older lots where gate width and neighbors set how a job is staged.
Get directions to Middlesex Canal Museum and Faulkner Mills (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A National Register district in North Billerica centered on the C.P. Talbot & Company mill with its clock tower, plus worker housing on Wilson Street and Talbot Avenue. Its boundary includes the Concord River, so work near the water's edge here can fall under river and wetland rules.
Get directions to Billerica Mills Historic District (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A lake and neighborhood in Billerica with a public beach, canoeing and sailing. Billerica's wetlands by-law treats lakes and ponds as protected resource areas with a 100-foot buffer, so lakeside lots may need Conservation Commission review before stumps or brush come out.
Get directions to Nutting Lake (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A 370-acre state forest in Billerica. Wooded properties near large forest tracts like this are where brush and small trees fill in along the edges, and where the boundary line should be confirmed before any clearing starts.
Get directions to Billerica State Forest (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Photos from our crew's jobs across New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Only if the work is in or within 100 feet of a wetland resource area, or in a riverfront area. If you are unsure, you can ask the Commission in writing for a determination of applicability. Call the Conservation Department at (978) 671-0966 before work is scheduled.
No. Billerica's by-law gives wetlands a 100-foot buffer, but a river has a 200-foot riverfront area and no additional 100-foot buffer beyond it. The standard to get work approved in a riverfront area is stricter.
State law exempts clearing land for building from the forest cutting plan rules, along with cutting up to 25,000 board feet or 50 cords at one time. Selling a large volume of timber is different, so tell us if you plan to.
We haul logs and brush off site with our trucks and trailers, or keep firewood on the lot if you want it. Stumps can be ground in place.
Usually. Our track loaders and mini excavator fit tighter openings than a full-size dozer. Send photos of the entrance and the width of the narrowest point with your quote request.
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