Around Casa Grande, land clearing can mean an overgrown city lot, a few acres of desert scrub, or old farm ground being turned into a homesite. The work is usually a dozer or loader plus haul-off or on-site disposal, but the permits come first.

Dust permits in Pinal County
Pinal County says all development activities of 0.1 acre or more must submit a Site Permit Application, a site plan and a site dust control plan before construction begins. There are three permit types depending on location; enter the parcel number in the county's Air Quality Map Viewer to find which one applies. The county page doesn't say how this applies to a homeowner's own project, so ask Pinal County Air Quality.
Native plants
Under A.R.S. 3-904, a private landowner clearing protected native plants gives the Arizona Department of Agriculture notice first:
| Area | Notice |
|---|---|
| Under 1 acre | 20 days, oral or written |
| 1 to under 40 acres | 30 days, written |
| 40 acres or more | 60 days, written |
Clearing in the normal course of commercial farming is exempt from the notice, as is individually owned residential property of 10 acres or less where the first construction has already happened.
Stormwater at 1 acre
If clearing and grading together disturb 1 acre or more and the site drains to protected surface water or a storm sewer system, ADEQ's Construction General Permit applies: a SWPPP first, then a Notice of Intent through myDEQ. See grading and drainage.
What it costs
Angi's national excavation guide puts land clearing at $1,400 to $5,800, with large rocks and trees at $40 to $100 per cubic foot. Angi's Phoenix guide notes that dense desert brush adds land clearing costs to an excavation job, and lists an operated machine at $105 to $260 an hour.
Sources
- Pinal County Air Quality: Dust
- Arizona Revised Statutes 3-904: Destruction of protected native plants by private landowners (via FindLaw)
- Arizona Department of Environmental Quality: Construction General Permit (AZG2025-001)
- Angi: How much does excavation cost? (Mariel Loveland, updated September 14, 2026)
- Angi: Excavation costs in Phoenix, AZ (updated June 16, 2026)
Reviewed October 20, 2026. Rules, prices and contacts change, so check the source before relying on it.
Questions and answers
Do I need a dust permit to clear land in Pinal County?
Pinal County requires a site permit application, site plan and dust control plan for development activities of 0.1 acre or more, before work starts.
How much does land clearing cost near Casa Grande?
Angi's 2026 national guide lists land clearing at $1,400 to $5,800.
Get your land clearing quoted
Give us a call or send the form, and a contractor who works in western Pinal County will get back to you. Quotes are free.
On voicemail, leave your name, number, where the property is and the job you have in mind.