Land Clearing in Piketon and Pike County, Ohio
Need land cleared around Piketon or Waverly? Ohio's hazard plan lists "Removal of vegetation and trees because of the loss of roots" as a cause of landslides, so the plan for your ground matters. Your request goes to one independent local contractor who can walk it and put a price in writing.
- One contractor gets each request
- Piketon, Waverly and Pike County
How it works
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1
Tell us about the land
Where it is, about how much, what's growing, and how steep or wet it gets.
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2
One contractor gets it
Your details go to a single independent contractor who takes work in your part of the county.
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3
They walk the ground
The contractor comes out, sizes up the slope, soil, trees and access, and writes a price.
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4
The decision is yours
Hire them or don't. The contract, permits, schedule and payment are between you and the contractor.
Clearing jobs in Pike County
Each of these has its own guide, with the rules that apply here and who to call.
Lot and house sites
Septic and well layout come before machines. Then the one-acre stormwater line, 811's new two-working-day rule, the driveway call and marking your boundaries. The guide puts it all in order so nothing has to be redone, and it says which office answers which question around Piketon and Waverly.
Acreage and old pasture
Old fields here fill with autumn olive, honeysuckle and saplings. Clearing woods for new pasture counts as land clearing under Ohio's burn rule, not farm burning. The guide covers that, timber sales, standing dead ash and rough national per-acre costs for big tracts.
Hillsides
The county has repeatedly had to design and repair road slips, with one project listed at $493,097. Soft shale and slow-draining soil make steep ground touchy. The guide covers roots, water, wet months and what to ask before anyone clears a slope. It also says when to call an engineer first.
Scioto bottomland
Flood stage at Piketon is 20 feet, and parts of the village flood at 28. Wetlands are easy to miss, and a new well can't generally go in the 100-year floodplain. The guide lists the stages, the crests, the offices to ask and the stream buffers.
Forestry mulching
A tracked machine grinds brush and small trees where they stand, and the roots stay. There's no pile to burn. It suits honeysuckle, trails and old fields but not building spots. The guide covers dead ash, bat timing and why published prices vary so much.
Stump grinding
Grind below grade where you'll mow, and dig out where you'll build. Ohio's 811 law changed in June 2026, and it likely won't mark your own well, septic or barn lines. The guide has national prices and worked per-inch examples for the stumps you've got.
Burning clearing debris
Land clearing brush takes written Ohio EPA permission and an air curtain device or approved equal, and the state names Pike for higher wildfire likelihood. Burning in banned hours is a misdemeanor. The guide has the conditions, the town zones and the alternatives to burning.
Permits and who to call
There's no single permit. This guide sorts rules by what you're doing, with county, village and state phone numbers, and says plainly where we couldn't confirm an answer. Start here if you aren't sure which office has a say over your job.
Why ground here takes more thought
Fire. Ohio's hazard plan names "Pike, Adams, Scioto, Lawrence, and Gallia counties" for higher likelihood of future wildfires. Pike recorded 134 fires burning 388 acres from 2018 to 2022, and the plan gives "the main cause being escaped debris burning" statewide.
Slips. The state's plan describes "soft shales that weather rapidly and slip, slide, and flow." Pike was part of the 2018 federal declaration for "severe storms, flooding, and landslides." Read the hillside guide.
Water. The highest listed crest at the Piketon gauge is 37.2 feet, in 1913. Ohio EPA says mechanical clearing in wetlands can be regulated, on private land, and that about 90 percent of Ohio's wetlands are gone or degraded. Read the bottomland guide.
Lines. Recklessly cutting a neighbor's trees carries treble damages under Ohio law. Flag your boundary before a machine unloads.
What drives the cost
No local price list exists that we could find, so these are national guides: Angi lists light clearing at $500 to $2,000 an acre and dense clearing at $3,600 to $5,600. Mulching figures run from $400 to $2,500 an acre, depending on the source. The contractor's written quote is what counts.
- Slope, and which machine can safely work it
- Wet ground and the season
- Brush, saplings, big hardwoods or dead ash
- Where the debris goes
- Whether stumps stay low, get ground or get pulled
- Silt fence, seed and straw, and paperwork
Three ways to clear ground
Most jobs use one, and many use two. It depends on what the ground has to do afterward.
Mulch in place
Keeps roots, makes no pile. Good for woods, fence rows and trails, and not for a slab or septic area.
Forestry mulchingClear and grub
Trees, stumps and roots come out, and the soil is exposed. It's the route for building, and it brings in the stormwater rules at an acre.
Lot and house sitesSelective cutting
Marked trees stay. It can pair with a timber sale, and it's worth asking about on a slope you won't build on.
Acreage and pasturePermits, in brief
- Stormwater: Ohio EPA, at one acre of clearing or grading for construction, filed 21 days ahead.
- Burning: written Ohio EPA permission for land clearing waste.
- Septic and wells: Pike County General Health District, (740) 947-7721.
- County road driveways: County Engineer, (740) 947-4259.
- Land use: Planning Commission, (740) 947-9573, and your township.
- Digging: 8-1-1, at least two working days ahead.
Areas served
Piketon, Waverly, Beaver and the townships of Pike County, with Lucasville and northern Scioto County, and southern Ross County nearby. Say where the land is, and the request goes to one contractor who takes work there.
Common questions
Can I burn the brush from clearing my land?
Not without permission. Ohio treats it as land clearing waste, which takes written Ohio EPA permission and an air curtain device or approved equal. Details here.
How much ground can I clear before a state permit applies?
Ohio's construction stormwater permit starts at one acre, or less as part of a larger plan. Wetlands have no such floor.
Will clearing a hillside cause a slide?
Nobody can promise either way. Ohio's plan lists loss of roots as a cause, so ask how a contractor would handle roots and water on your slope.
When is the best time of year?
Ohio bat guidance recommends cutting trees October 1 to March 31 within its buffers, and hill ground can be wet January through April. Late fall and early winter are often worth asking about.
Who does the work?
One independent local contractor. They give you their own price, and any contract is between you and them.
Sources
- Ohio EMA, State Hazard Mitigation Plan, landslide section, pp. 2-80 and 2-81 (Rev. 2/2019)
- Ohio EMA, State Hazard Mitigation Plan, wildfire section, pp. 2-129 to 2-137 (Rev. 2/2024)
- FEMA-4360-DR declaration, Federal Register, May 8, 2018
- National Weather Service, Scioto River at Piketon gauge, read Nov 2026
- Ohio EPA, Know Before You Build (wetlands), January 2026
- Ohio EPA, Ohio wetlands, July 2023
- ORC 901.51, cutting another person's trees
- ORC 3781.28, notice before excavating, effective June 9, 2026
- Ohio EPA Construction General Permit OHC000006, effective Apr 23, 2023
- ODNR, State Bat Survey Guidance, May 2026
- USDA NRCS, Rarden soil series
- Camp Creek Road slip repair listing, Mar 15, 2023
- Angi, land clearing cost, 2025 data
- Angi, forestry mulching cost, 2026 figures
- Fixr, land clearing and site preparation, Jan 31, 2025
- Pike County, offices and departments
- Pike County General Health District, contact page
Read November 2026. Rules change, so check the office that decides before you rely on any of this.
Got ground that needs clearing?
Call, or send a few details online.