Land clearing for overgrown lots

What land clearing covers

Land clearing goes further than cutting brush. The goal is bare, workable ground: the vegetation, the roots and the junk that collects on empty land all come out.

Brush and shrubs, pulled out with the root ball so they don’t grow straight back, like the hillside in the photo at the top of this page.

Small trees and stumps, pulled or dug out with the mini excavator.

Old landscaping, dead orchard rows, cactus and ivy.

Junk and debris left on the lot: old fencing, tires, piles of wood and trash, hauled with the rest through our debris removal service.

Once it is clear, the lot can be graded for building, or left as is.

Chipped, spread or hauled

Cleared brush has to go somewhere. Our wood chipper turns branches into chips, which can be spread on the property for paths and around trees, as in our driveway photo, or hauled away. Larger stumps, roots and dirt-covered brush go to green waste yards.

Keep chips out of the first 5 feet around buildings. Ventura County Fire lists wood chips and bark among the materials not allowed in that zone for new homes, and calls for ember-resistant ground cover there on existing ones (VCFD Defensible Space Maintenance Guide).

Vacant lots and the fire department

An empty lot can still get a fire notice. Ventura County Fire’s program covers parcels with natural vegetation within 100 feet of a structure, including a neighbor’s house, and each owner clears their own share up to their property line (VCFD Fire Hazard Reduction Program FAQ). If the work isn’t done by the June 1 deadline, the fire department’s contractor can clear it and the cost plus a fee goes on the property tax bill as a lien.

For yearly fire clearance around a home, see brush clearing and our guide to Ventura County’s brush clearance rules.