What a clearing quote should actually contain

Who this is for

• Anyone about to accept a clearing quote
• People whose quotes are a single number with no breakdown
• Landowners who want to compare like with like

The short answer

A usable quote states the area, the method, what happens to the material, what happens below grade, what the ground looks like on the last day, what is excluded, and what happens when conditions change.

A quote missing any of those is not necessarily dishonest — it is incomplete, and the gaps become arguments later. Asking for them filled in is a reasonable request and the response tells you a lot.

What changes the answer

• How complex the site is — more variables need more specificity
• Whether below-grade work is in scope
• Whether material is leaving the property
• Whether the work is time-based or scope-based
• Whether more than one trade is involved
• Whether the schedule depends on ground conditions

The scope items

These describe what is being done. Every one of them should be answerable from the quote without a phone call.

• The area, defined well enough to be identified on the ground — not just an acreage figure
• What is being removed, and what is being kept
• The method, and what equipment it implies
• Where the cut material goes: left, chipped, piled, hauled, or burned
• If hauled: whether loading, trucking, and disposal fees are all included
• What happens below the ground line, and over which areas
• If grinding: the depth in inches below existing grade
• The condition of the ground on the last day, described concretely

The commercial items

These describe how it is paid for and what happens when things change.

• Whether the price is fixed, time-based, or unit-rate
• If time-based: the rate, the estimated hours, and what happens beyond the estimate
• Mobilisation, and whether it is separate from the work
• Minimum charge
• Payment terms, and the size and timing of any deposit
• The change-order process, in writing
• How long the quote stands

The exclusions — the most important section

A quote that lists nothing as excluded has not thought about the boundaries of the job, which means you will discover them together, later.

Good quotes are explicit about what is not included. That is not defensiveness; it is the contractor telling you where their scope ends so you can arrange the rest.

• Stumps, roots, and grubbing, unless stated
• Grading, levelling, or any finished surface specification
• Erosion control, seeding, and topsoil
• Rock encountered below the surface
• Repair of gates, fences, culverts, or drives used for access
• Permits, locates, and regulatory submissions
• Return visits for regrowth
• Disposal fees, if hauling is included but tipping is not

The conditions items

Clearing happens outdoors on ground nobody has X-rayed. The quote should say what happens when reality differs from the assumption.

• What happens if the ground is too wet to work on the scheduled day, and who bears that cost
• What happens if rock is found
• What happens if the vegetation is materially denser than described
• Whether the schedule is a date or a window
• What weather stops work, and how rescheduling is handled

The paperwork

Verify these yourself rather than accepting documents handed to you.

Ask for the insurer’s name and policy number and confirm coverage directly with the insurer. Certificates are easy to produce and easy to fake, and a policy that has lapsed still has a valid-looking certificate.

Licensing requirements vary considerably by state and by the type of work — some states license this work, some license only parts of it, and some do not license it at all. Check with your state licensing board rather than assuming either way.

What drives the cost

Common mistakes

• Accepting a single number with no breakdown
• Assuming an exclusion is included because it was not mentioned
• Paying a large deposit before a written scope exists
• Accepting an insurance certificate without verifying it with the insurer
• Not agreeing what happens if the ground is unworkable on the day

Questions to ask a contractor

• Can you break this into clearing, material handling, and below-grade work?
• What is excluded? I would like that written down.
• Does the haul price include the disposal fee?
• What happens if you find rock, or the ground is too wet?
• May I have your insurer’s details so I can confirm coverage directly?

What to do next

1. Use this page as a checklist against each quote you hold
2. Ask every contractor the same missing questions, so answers stay comparable
3. Verify insurance directly with the insurer
4. Run the quotes through the comparison tool once the gaps are filled

Questions people actually ask