Land Clearing Cost in Texas (Manor and East Metro)
Crews bid by the day, and a per acre number is a guess until someone has seen the brush. Here is what Google's overview is quoting and what changes the invoice in Manor.
What Google was quoting on Aug 24, 2026
Crews here bid by the day. The rest of this page explains why the day moves.
| Query | Observed band |
|---|---|
| Land clearing / lot clearing, Manor TX | $2,500 to $3,600 per day |
| Forestry mulching, Manor TX | $2,500 to $4,500 per day |
| Forestry mulching, hourly | $150 to $300 per hour |
Two local competitors publish day rates in that band, one with transport included and one adding it, so the band is real. Our quote comes from your photos.
What moves a day
Density
Scattered mesquite on pasture versus a closed yaupon and cedar thicket is the difference between five acres and one.
Machine
A skid steer mulcher and a high horsepower carrier are different day rates and different acres per day.
Transport
Some crews bake it in, some add it. Ask which. Ours is called out on the quote.
Wet gumbo
Rain days are lost days on blackland. A wet week adds a mobilization.
Manor specific cost drivers
Creek buffers. Tracts along Wilbarger and Gilleland can carry a setback you cannot clear inside. That shrinks the job, but it also means a walk before a quote.
Access. A gate off 290 or 973 is one thing. A tract you reach through a neighbor's pasture is a conversation with the neighbor before it is a machine day.
Mulch versus haul. Mulching leaves material in place and costs nothing to dispose of. Haul off adds trucks and a dump fee. Burning is usually not an option; see below.
Keep trees. Working around a dozen flagged oaks is slower than an open pass. Worth it, but it is time.
Permits in Manor and Travis County
Unincorporated land in Travis County generally does not need a permit to clear brush. Inside the City of Manor or its ETJ, on floodplain, near a creek, or on a lot with heritage trees, you may. The rules change and we are not going to paraphrase an ordinance that might have been amended last month. Call the city or the county, tell them the address, and ask.
What we will do is tell you when a tract looks like one of those cases, before we quote.
Burn piles in Travis County and Manor
Travis County issues burn bans through the Fire Marshal's office, and in a dry summer the ban is on more than it is off. When it is off, county outdoor burning rules still apply. Inside Manor city limits, the city's own rules sit on top of that.
That is why we mulch in place by default. There is no pile and no ban to keep track of. If you need the material gone, we haul it.
The cheapest way to clear land
If the brush is light and you have time, a chainsaw and a rented chipper will do it. Once the stems are thicker than your thumb, that stops being cheap and starts costing you a season.
For anything a mower cannot handle, mulching is the cheapest per usable acre because it is one machine and no disposal. A dozer with haul off costs more and leaves bare clay and ruts. Grubbing sits in between, and it is the right answer when you want mesquite dead rather than knocked down.
Cost, permit, and burn questions
How much does land clearing cost per acre in Texas?
There is no single number. Crews bid by the day. A day clears one dense acre or five open ones. If you need a per acre figure for a budget, take a day rate and divide by what the density allows, and expect the quote to differ from that math once someone sees the brush.
What is a normal price for clearing 1 acre in Texas?
For an acre near Manor, the search result is a day or less of machine time. Google's AI Overview on Aug 24, 2026 showed $2,500 to $3,600 per day for land and lot clearing and $2,500 to $4,500 per day for forestry mulching. One open acre may be a half day; one acre of closed cedar is a full day.
How much does forestry mulching cost per day?
Google's AI Overview on Aug 24, 2026 showed $2,500 to $4,500 per day and about $150 to $300 per hour for forestry mulching queries near Manor. Competitors publish day rates in that band, with transport sometimes included and sometimes added. Ours comes from photos.
Do I need a permit to clear land in Texas?
In unincorporated Texas, usually no permit for clearing brush on your own land. Inside city limits or ETJs, in floodplain, near creeks, or where heritage tree ordinances apply, you may. Manor and Travis County both have rules that can touch a tract along Wilbarger or Gilleland. Ask them; we are not your permit office.
Can you burn brush in Travis County?
Only when no burn ban is in effect and the county's outdoor burning rules are followed, and the ban is on more often than you would think in summer. Inside Manor city limits, city rules apply on top. Our default is mulch in place so there is nothing to burn.
Can you burn brush in Manor, TX?
Check the City of Manor before you light anything. City rules are stricter than the county's and a burn ban overrides both. We do not build piles unless you ask for a haul off instead.
What is the cheapest way to clear land?
Doing it yourself with a chainsaw and a lot of weekends, if the brush is light and you have somewhere for it to go. Past that, mulching is cheapest per usable acre because it is one machine and no disposal. A dozer with haul off is the most expensive way to end up with bare clay.
Is cheap land clearing worth it?
Cheap usually means somebody without insurance or without the right machine. The tract gets rutted, the piles never get dealt with, and you pay twice. Ask any crew for proof of insurance before they unload.
Send photos for a ballpark
The photos are the estimate. We call back with a day range and say what would move it.
Clearline Land ServicesPO Box 997, Elgin, TX 78621
512-575-4928
8am–6pm daily
Photos received
We'll look at the photos and call. If it's a tree only job (one backyard oak), we'll say so.