Trees, brush and stumps cleared for home sites, driveways and overgrown parcels, with Chelmsford's wetland setbacks checked before the first cut.
We clear land in Chelmsford for builders and developers, homeowners adding a yard, driveway or addition, and landowners taking back an overgrown parcel. Track loaders, a mini excavator and a grapple handle the trees, brush and stumps, and our trucks and trailers haul the debris off site.
Call our Massachusetts line at (978) 696-6659 or use Get a Quote with the address, photos and any plot plan. Chelmsford's wetlands bylaw goes beyond state law and includes a 25-foot no-disturbance rule, so tell us early about any brook, pond, wet corner or vernal pool on the lot.
Clearing in Chelmsford is mostly about setbacks, water and the town land next door. These are the conditions we plan around.
Chapter 187 of the town code defines disturbance to include land clearing, filling and grading, and it prohibits disturbing any area within 25 feet of a wetland, bank, pond or stream. It also bars impervious surface within 30 feet and, on lots of 40,000 square feet or more, buildings within 50 feet. The Commission can waive these for hardship, so the clearing line is set on the plan before the machines arrive.
The bylaw protects ponds of any size, intermittent streams, brooks and vernal pools, and it says they are protected whether or not they border surface water. A seasonal wet corner on a wooded lot can therefore bring a Conservation Commission review. We look for these before pricing, not after.
The Merrimack runs along Chelmsford's northeast side and the Concord along its eastern boundary. The bylaw sets a 200-foot riverfront area along perennial rivers and streams, and inside it an applicant must show there is no practicable alternative with less impact. Lots near the river edges need that conversation first.
The Conservation Commission manages more than 1,000 acres of town open space, including the 132-acre Russell Mill Pond and Town Forest. If your parcel shares a line with town land, we clear only to your boundary, so a survey or clear markers matter.
Chelmsford's scenic road bylaw covers new or altered driveways in the right of way when the work cuts trees or destroys stone walls. Taking out up to 15 feet of wall for a driveway can be approved by the Director of Public Works without a hearing. Anything more goes to the Planning Board.
Clearing a dry, upland lot usually needs no wetlands filing. Water, setbacks and road frontage are what bring rules into play.
Wetlands and setbacks. The Wetlands Protection Act, MGL c.131 §40 (opens in a new tab), requires written notice to the conservation commission before removing, filling, dredging or altering protected areas, and Mass.gov (opens in a new tab) advises contacting the commission before work within 100 feet of a wetland. Chelmsford's Chapter 187 (opens in a new tab) adds the 25-, 30- and 50-foot limits and applies to the buffer zone and the 200-foot riverfront area. The Conservation Commission (opens in a new tab) can answer whether a filing is needed.
Scenic roads. Under MGL c.40 §15C (opens in a new tab) and Chelmsford's Chapter 130 (opens in a new tab), cutting trees or taking down stone walls on a designated scenic road needs Planning Board consent after a public hearing, with exceptions for dangerous trees and short wall openings.
Timber. The Forest Cutting Practices Act exempts (opens in a new tab) clearing land for building and owner cuts of up to 25,000 board feet or 50 cords on a parcel at one time from its cutting-plan sections.
Utilities. Dig Safe (opens in a new tab) notice is required at least 72 hours before excavation, not counting weekends and holidays.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm with the Town of Chelmsford for your parcel. We will point out anything on site that looks like a permit question.
Sources: MGL c.131 §40 Wetlands Protection Act; Mass.gov: Protecting Wetlands in Massachusetts; Town of Chelmsford Code, Chapter 187: Wetlands; Town of Chelmsford: Conservation Commission; Town of Chelmsford Code, Chapter 130: Scenic Roads; MGL c.40 §15C Scenic Roads; MGL c.132 §44 Forest Cutting Practices Exemptions; MGL c.82 §40A Excavations; notice (Dig Safe)
HomeGuide's 2026 national guide puts land clearing at $1,200 to $8,000 per acre. Light clearing of shrubs, underbrush and small trees runs about $1,200 to $2,500 per acre, moderate clearing about $2,500 to $4,500, and heavy clearing of dense vegetation and large trees about $4,500 to $8,000. These are national planning numbers, not our prices.
We quote every clearing project after seeing the site. If you only need brush and saplings knocked down, forestry mulching in Chelmsford may fit better, and any leftover stumps can be handled with stump grinding.
Cost references: HomeGuide: How Much Does It Cost to Clear Land?
A few places locals know, and what they mean for outdoor work nearby.
A 91-acre kettle pond in the southwest corner of Chelmsford, on the Westford line, fed mainly by Pond Brook. Land around the pond and its inlet brook falls under the Wetlands Protection Act and Chelmsford's wetlands bylaw, so stump and brush work near the shore starts with a Conservation Commission question.
Get directions to Heart Pond (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A 132-acre town forest the Town of Chelmsford acquired in 1971, with 3,000 feet of frontage on Russell Mill Pond and stands of oak and pine. Lots that back onto it share a line with conservation land, so clearing and mulching stop at the property line.
Get directions to Russell Mill Pond and Town Forest (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A 10-foot-wide paved multi-use trail whose first phase links Lowell, Chelmsford and Westford. Yards and wooded edges beside the corridor need debris kept off the public path while work is under way.
Get directions to Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (opens Google Maps in a new tab)The town center, where Routes 4 and 110, the end of Route 129 and Westford Street meet. The Chelmsford Center Historic District is here, and the town's historic properties include the Fiske House (1798) and the Hildreth-Robbins House (1742), so stumps near old foundations and walls are planned with extra care.
Get directions to Central Square (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 near a wetland, bank, pond, stream or riverfront area. State guidance points to the commission for work within 100 feet of a wetland, and Chelmsford's bylaw adds its own limits. If the lot has any water on it, ask the Commission before clearing.
The bylaw prohibits disturbing any area within 25 feet of a wetland, bank, pond or stream, and it defines disturbance to include clearing, filling and grading. The Commission can waive it where strict enforcement would cause substantial hardship. We keep machines out of that strip unless you have approval.
Yes, once the town side is settled. A driveway cut that removes trees or stone wall in the right of way falls under Chelmsford's scenic road bylaw. Up to 15 feet of wall can be approved by the Director of Public Works, and anything beyond that goes to a Planning Board hearing.
Often not. Massachusetts exempts clearing land for building, and owner cuts up to 25,000 board feet or 50 cords on a parcel at one time, from the Forest Cutting Practices Act's cutting-plan sections. If you plan a larger commercial timber harvest, ask a forester before we start.
We haul trees, brush and debris off with our trucks and trailers. Stumps can be ground in place or pulled depending on what comes next, and stump grinding in Chelmsford is the usual choice for lawn areas.
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