A&S Brushworks provides professional land clearing and forestry mulching services to property owners throughout Charlotte, NC and Mecklenburg County. Based in Rock Hill, SC, we are located just 20 minutes south of Charlotte on I-77, putting us closer to most South Charlotte neighborhoods than companies based in north Mecklenburg or Cabarrus County. We regularly serve residential homeowners, commercial developers, and builders across the entire Charlotte metro.
Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Southeast, and that growth means constant demand for lot clearing, brush removal, and site preparation. Whether you are clearing a wooded residential lot for a new home build in Ballantyne, prepping a commercial pad site off Independence Boulevard, or reclaiming overgrown acreage in south Mecklenburg County, our crew has the equipment and experience to handle it. We use a Kubota SVL 97-3 compact track loader with an FAE forestry mulcher head that grinds trees, brush, and stumps into fine mulch on-site — no burn piles, no dump trucks, and no mess left behind.
Land clearing services in Charlotte
We offer a full range of land clearing services to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County property owners. Every job is handled with the same professional-grade equipment and attention to detail, whether it is a small backyard project or a multi-acre commercial clearing.
Forestry mulching. Our core service. The forestry mulcher grinds standing trees, brush, and stumps into a layer of natural mulch that stays on your property. This eliminates hauling costs and leaves the ground protected from erosion. It is the most efficient clearing method for most Charlotte-area properties because there are no dump trucks, no burn permits, and no secondary cleanup needed.
Lot clearing. Full clearing of residential or commercial lots to prepare them for construction, landscaping, or general use. We clear to your specifications, removing unwanted vegetation while preserving trees and features you want to keep. This is our most requested service from Charlotte-area home builders and individual lot owners.
Brush removal. Overgrown lots, neglected fence lines, and encroaching vegetation are common throughout Charlotte neighborhoods. We mulch brush, saplings, and undergrowth to reclaim usable yard space without the labor and expense of hand-cutting and hauling.
Site prep for construction. Clearing and preparing land for new construction is a significant part of our Charlotte work. We handle the vegetation removal phase of site preparation, getting your lot ready for grading, foundation work, and building. Our compact equipment minimizes ground disturbance, which matters on Charlotte's clay-heavy soils.
Right-of-way clearing. Utility easements, road right-of-ways, and pipeline corridors all require periodic clearing. We work with utility companies, HOAs, and municipalities throughout Mecklenburg County to maintain clear right-of-way access without the cost and disruption of traditional clearing crews.
Storm cleanup. Charlotte sees its share of severe weather, from summer thunderstorms to the occasional tropical system remnants that move inland. When storms leave behind downed trees, scattered debris, and damaged vegetation, our forestry mulcher can process the mess quickly and return your property to a usable state without the need for hauling.
Charlotte neighborhoods we serve
We provide land clearing services throughout Charlotte and the surrounding Mecklenburg County communities. Our crew regularly works in Ballantyne, South Charlotte, Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Pineville, University City, and the NoDa area. Whether your property is in a well-established neighborhood or a newer development on the outskirts of the metro, we can get to you.
Because we are based in Rock Hill, we are especially well-positioned to serve properties in South Charlotte and the communities along the I-77 corridor. Ballantyne, Pineville, and the Steele Creek area are all a short drive from our base, which keeps mobilization costs low and scheduling flexible.
We also serve the South Carolina border communities that sit between Rock Hill and Charlotte, including Indian Land, Fort Mill, and Tega Cay. If your property is in York County, SC, check out our dedicated York County service page for more details on our work in that area.
For properties elsewhere in Mecklenburg County, including the north Mecklenburg towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson, we travel to you. Our service area covers the entire county and extends well beyond it into Gaston, Union, and Cabarrus counties as well.
Why Charlotte property owners choose forestry mulching
Charlotte's rapid growth has created steady demand for land clearing, but that same growth means clearing often happens in established neighborhoods, next to existing homes, and on infill lots where space is tight. Traditional dozer-and-haul clearing brings dump trucks, heavy equipment traffic, and piles of debris through residential streets. Forestry mulching avoids all of that.
With forestry mulching, a single machine handles the entire job. The mulcher grinds trees, brush, and stumps in place, converting everything into a layer of natural mulch. There are no trucks hauling debris through your neighborhood, no burning, and no dump fees added to your invoice. For subdivision work in Charlotte — where builders are clearing individual lots surrounded by completed homes — this low-impact approach is a major advantage.
Topsoil preservation is another important factor in the Charlotte area. North Carolina red clay is notoriously difficult to work with once the topsoil layer is stripped away. Traditional dozer clearing scrapes off the topsoil along with the vegetation, leaving bare clay that erodes quickly and is poor for landscaping. Forestry mulching preserves the topsoil layer and adds a protective mulch blanket on top, which helps with erosion control and gives you a better starting point for grading, landscaping, or construction.
Speed is the final piece. Most residential lots in Charlotte can be cleared in a single day with our forestry mulcher. Larger parcels typically take two to three days depending on vegetation density. Traditional clearing methods that involve cutting, stacking, hauling, and disposal can take significantly longer and require coordination between multiple crews and trucks.
Charlotte-area permit considerations
Land clearing in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County comes with regulatory requirements that differ from what we see across the state line in South Carolina. Understanding these requirements before starting your project will save you time and potential fines.
Land disturbance permits. Mecklenburg County requires land disturbance permits for projects that disturb more than a specified threshold of land area. Commercial developments and larger residential clearing projects typically trigger this requirement. The permit process involves submitting an erosion and sediment control plan for review.
Charlotte tree ordinance. The City of Charlotte has a tree ordinance that is stricter than what most South Carolina municipalities enforce. The ordinance protects trees above certain caliper sizes, particularly on commercial properties and in new development projects. Removing protected trees without approval can result in significant fines and replacement requirements. If your project involves removing large trees, check with Charlotte's Urban Forestry division before work begins.
Storm water services. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services regulates land-disturbing activities to protect water quality. Projects that exceed certain disturbance thresholds must implement erosion control measures and may require inspections during and after the work. This is especially relevant for properties near creeks, wetlands, or the Catawba River watershed.
A&S Brushworks advises our Charlotte-area clients on the permits and approvals that are typically required for their type of project. We can help you understand what is needed and point you to the right municipal contacts. However, the property owner is ultimately responsible for obtaining all required permits and approvals before clearing work begins.
Land clearing cost in the Charlotte area
Most land clearing jobs in the Charlotte metro area cost between $1,500 and $5,000 per acre. This range covers the majority of residential and light commercial clearing projects. Where your job falls within that range depends on vegetation density, the size of the trees, terrain slope, and how easily our equipment can access your property.
A flat, lightly wooded half-acre lot in a Charlotte subdivision will typically cost less than a steep, heavily overgrown multi-acre parcel in rural south Mecklenburg County. We always provide a free on-site estimate so you know the exact price before any work begins — no surprises and no hidden fees.
For a deeper breakdown of pricing factors and what affects the cost of forestry mulching, read our complete forestry mulching cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A&S Brushworks is based in Rock Hill, SC, just 20 minutes south of Charlotte on I-77. We serve all of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the surrounding metro area. We handle residential and commercial land clearing jobs throughout the Charlotte region and are fully licensed and insured to work in North Carolina.
Rock Hill is approximately 25 miles south of Charlotte, which translates to about a 20 to 25 minute drive on I-77 depending on traffic. Our proximity to the state line means we can mobilize equipment to Charlotte-area job sites quickly, often arriving the same day for estimates and within a week or two for scheduled work.
In many cases, yes. Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte require land disturbance permits for clearing activities that disturb more than a certain threshold of land. Charlotte also has a tree ordinance that protects trees above specific caliper sizes, particularly on commercial and subdivision properties. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services may also require an erosion control plan for larger projects. We advise our clients on what is typically needed, but the property owner is ultimately responsible for obtaining permits before work begins.
Most land clearing jobs in the Charlotte metro area fall between $1,500 and $5,000 per acre. The price depends on vegetation density, tree sizes, terrain slope, and how easily our equipment can access your property. A lightly wooded, flat residential lot will be on the lower end. A steep, densely overgrown parcel with large hardwoods will cost more. We provide free on-site estimates so you know the exact cost before any work starts.
Absolutely. We work with home builders, general contractors, and commercial developers throughout the Charlotte metro. Whether you need a single lot cleared for a custom home build or multiple lots prepped for a new subdivision, we have the equipment and capacity to handle it. Our forestry mulching approach is especially popular with builders because it avoids the disruption that traditional dozer-and-haul clearing causes in established neighborhoods.
Yes, and this is one of our most common job types in the Charlotte area. We clear individual lots within existing or new subdivisions, working carefully around property lines, preserved trees, and neighboring homes. Our compact track loader and forestry mulcher are well-suited for subdivision work because they cause minimal ground disturbance and do not require dump trucks driving through the neighborhood. We coordinate with builders on timing and can typically clear a standard subdivision lot in a single day.
Our Kubota SVL 97-3 with FAE forestry mulcher head processes trees up to 8 inches in diameter in a single pass. For larger trees, we can work with a tree removal company to fell them first, then mulch the remaining stumps, brush, and smaller growth. Most overgrown residential and commercial lots in the Charlotte area have vegetation well within our equipment's capacity.
We typically schedule new jobs within one to two weeks of the approved estimate. For urgent situations like storm cleanup or time-sensitive construction starts, we do our best to accommodate faster timelines. Since we are based just 20 minutes away in Rock Hill, mobilizing to Charlotte job sites is quick and straightforward.