Price guide
Typical land clearing rates in Sydney
What the parts of a Sydney land clearing job typically cost, checked 12 October 2026. They’re market rates, not our price list: we quote your block in writing, and the quote is free.
Sydney market guide
Not Active’s price list. Each site is quoted individually. Checked 12 October 2026.
| Job | Typical range | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $290–$920per tree | Inc. GST (Sydney cost guide, October 2026). Access and what happens to the timber move it within the range. |
| Medium tree removal (5–10 m) | $920–$2,875per tree | Inc. GST (Sydney cost guide, October 2026). Trees near power lines or buildings cost more. |
| Large tree removal (10–20 m) | $2,300–$5,750per tree | Inc. GST (Sydney cost guide, October 2026). Your council decides whether a tree this size needs approval first. |
| Stump grinding, small stump (under 30 cm) | $170–$345per stump | Inc. GST (Sydney cost guide, October 2026). Several stumps on one visit usually cost less each. |
| Stump grinding, large stump (60 cm and over) | $460–$1,025per stump | Inc. GST (Sydney cost guide, October 2026). |
| Concrete slab or path broken up and removed | $34–$150per m² | GST basis varies between sources: $34–$115 inc. GST including disposal in a Sydney guide; NSW guides put reinforced residential slabs at up to $150. |
| Mini excavator (3–5 t) with operator | $120–$210per hour | Ex GST. Sydney plant-hire guides; minimum hire and float extra. |
| Green waste at a Sydney tip | $237–$360per tonne | GST not stated. One Sydney facility’s April 2026 rates: $237 a tonne for vegetation, $360 for oversized; trucks extra. |
| Clean concrete and brick at a Sydney recycler | $22–$28per tonne | GST not stated. The same facility, April 2026; a load mixed with soil or rubbish costs far more to tip. |
What these rates cover
Clearing a suburban block is priced item by item: the trees, stumps and concrete that come out, the machine time and what each load costs at the tip. No published guide gives a fair typical total for a whole Sydney block, so these are the parts a quote is built from.
Sources for these figures
- What’s the Damage: tree removal cost Sydney (October 2026, prices include GST) (opens in a new tab)
- What’s the Damage: concreting cost Sydney (October 2026, prices include GST) (opens in a new tab)
- The Quote Yard: concrete removal NSW (April 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- iSeekPlant: mini excavator hire rates in Sydney (30 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Freddy Skip Bins: tip fees in Sydney (20 April 2026) (opens in a new tab)
What changes the price of clearing a block?
What has to come off the block sets most of the price. A suburban block is rarely just grass: it usually has a mix of trees and stumps, garden growth, old paths or slabs, and sometimes the debris left after a demolition. Each is removed, loaded and tipped differently, so a fair quote prices them separately.
Access comes next. Where a machine can drive in and a truck can load beside it, clearing moves quickly; a narrow side passage or a steep block means smaller machines, more trips and more hours.
- Trees by size, and how many stumps come out
- Concrete slabs, paths and driveways: area and thickness
- Garden growth, scrub and loose debris
- Access for the machine, and where a truck can load
- What stays: trees, fences, services and neighbouring structures
- The finish: a cleared surface, or cleared and dug to levels
What does it cost to remove trees and stumps?
Trees are priced one by one, by height and how close they are to buildings and power lines. A Sydney cost guide puts a small tree under 5 m at $290–$920 per tree and a medium tree of 5–10 m at $920–$2,875 per tree, inc. GST. Grinding a small stump is typically $170–$345 per stump, and several stumps on one visit usually cost less each.
Check with your council before any tree comes down. Approval to demolish a building doesn’t automatically cover the trees, and in a heritage conservation area most trees are protected. Our council guides set out the tree rules council by council.
- Our work
Pulled-out stumps and branches below the neighbouring units, on our Warriewood clearing job
What does it cost to take out slabs and paths?
Old concrete is priced by area: typically $34–$150 per m² to break up and remove, depending on thickness, reinforcement and access. A thin garden path sits at the bottom of that range; a thick, reinforced slab or driveway at the top.
Keeping concrete separate saves money at the tip. A Sydney recycler’s April 2026 rate for clean concrete and brick is $22–$28 per tonne, against $237–$360 per tonne for vegetation, while a load mixed with soil or rubbish costs far more. Concrete weighs about 2.4 tonnes a cubic metre, so a 40 m² driveway 100 mm thick is close to 10 tonnes.
- Our work
Broken concrete and brick piled ready for loading, with the excavator alongside, on our Croydon Park job
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What to tell us, and why it changes the price
| Tell us | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The trees, their rough height and the stumps | Trees are priced one by one; bigger trees near buildings take longer. |
| Slabs, paths and driveways, with rough sizes | Concrete is priced by area and thickness, and tipped separately. |
| The way in from the street | Access decides the machine size, the trips and the hours. |
| What stays on the block | Retained trees, fences and services are protected while we work. |
| What happens next | A cleared surface and a dug building platform are different jobs. |
Machine time, trucks and tip fees
Most of the work is done with an excavator and a tipper truck. At Sydney plant-hire rates, a 3–5 t mini excavator with its operator costs $120–$210 per hour, ex GST, usually with a minimum hire and a float to bring the machine in.
Tip fees are charged by the tonne and by the type of load, so sorting on site matters: green waste, clean concrete and brick, and soil each go to the right place. Ask any contractor whether their price includes the tip fees and the trucks, or adds them later.
Clearing or excavation: which do you need?
Clearing takes things off the block; excavation changes its levels. A cleared surface isn’t a building platform, so if your builder needs a cut, a fill or set levels, that’s earthworks and it’s priced as excavation.
When the clearing follows a house demolition, the two are usually planned together: the house comes down, then the slab, trees and debris go, and the block is handed over in the condition your builder asked for.
What should a land clearing quote show?
Two clearing quotes for the same block can describe different jobs. Line them up item by item before you compare the totals.
- Each tree and stump, and whether the stumps are ground or pulled out
- Concrete: the area, and whether disposal is included
- Green waste and debris: loads, trucks and tip fees
- What is protected and stays on the block
- The finish at handover, and whether any excavation is included
- Whether each price includes GST
Send these for a faster quote
Send photos of the whole block and the way in from the street, with a marked-up plan if you have one: what goes, what stays and the finish you need. Tell us about any council approval for trees, and what happens on the block next.
We quote every clearing job in writing, and the quote is free.
Official sources
Checked 12 October 2026.
