Excavating in Tuscaloosa, AL
Footings, trenches, drainage, culverts and stump pulling in Tuscaloosa and the county around it, done with our own excavator and dozer. Tuscaloosa is inside our service area. Free estimates. Call or text (205) 535-6376.
Excavating in Tuscaloosa, hill side and flat side
Tuscaloosa digs two ways. The city sits on the fall line of the Black Warrior River, and the land runs from heavily forested hills on the north-east side to a low, marshy plain on the south-west. Up in the hills a footing can meet rock and a steep cut. Down on the plain the same footing meets soft, wet dirt. Knowing which side of town you are on tells us a lot before we ever see the lot.
Tuscaloosa is the largest city in our service area, and we take excavating jobs in the city and across the county: footings dug to plan, trenches for water and power, yard and lot drainage, culverts under drives, and stumps and root balls pulled. Commercial lots and site prep are part of it. The excavating contractor page has the full list of what the excavator and dozer do.
Tell us the address, what is being built and how a trailer gets in. We come look, and the estimate is free. Small jobs have a minimum charge, and the amount is on the table before you decide. If trees and brush come first, see land clearing in Tuscaloosa. Not sure it is a job we take on? Send a text with the address and a photo.
Excavating jobs we take around Tuscaloosa
- Footings dug to plan
- Water, power and drain trenches
- Yard and lot drainage
- Driveway culverts set and covered
- Stumps and root balls pulled
- Commercial lots and site prep
Tuscaloosa ground and Tuscaloosa rules
What is under the two sides of town
The Encyclopedia of Alabama puts Tuscaloosa County across two regions: the Cumberland Plateau to the north-east, hilly and forested over the Warrior Coal Field, and the East Gulf Coastal Plain to the south-west, low and in places swampy. On the plateau side, in the north-east, shale and sandstone can sit close under the surface. On the plain side, in the south-west, it is sand, clay and gravel, and the ground can be wet not far down. We dig what the plans call for and tell you what the ground turned out to be.
City permits you should know about
The City of Tuscaloosa's engineering office lists a land development permit for clearing, grading, excavating or otherwise disturbing soil on commercial property and on property directly next to Lake Tuscaloosa. The same list includes expanding a residential driveway, and the city says property in a floodplain needs the permit before construction. A right-of-way use permit can apply as well. Building permits run through Building and Inspections. Check your address with the city before a machine shows up. Have your permit in hand, or ask us what to line up first.
Roads, mains and private lines
Interstate 20/59 and I-359, US-11, US-43 and US-82, and Highways 69, 215 and 216 all run through Tuscaloosa. A drive or culvert that ties into a US or state highway needs an ALDOT permit. County roads belong to Tuscaloosa County Public Works, and city streets to the city. In town there are mains under most streets and many yards, which is what the Alabama 811 locate is for. It skips private lines such as irrigation, septic field lines or power run to a shop. For wet yards, see yard drainage and grading.
Real Job Photos
Phone pictures from real jobs, captioned with what they show. See more recent work or read about our full excavating service.
Do I need a land development permit to excavate in Tuscaloosa, AL?
The City of Tuscaloosa lists a land development permit for disturbing soil on commercial property, on property directly next to Lake Tuscaloosa and in floodplains, and for expanding a residential driveway. Whether your job falls under it is the city's call, so ask the engineering office with your address in hand before digging starts.
Who does small excavating jobs for homeowners in Tuscaloosa?
We take them. A footing for a shop, a trench to a barn, a stump out of the yard or a ditch to drain a wet corner are all normal jobs. Small jobs carry a minimum to cover moving the machine, and you hear that figure before you commit to anything.
Can you dig footings for a house or shop in Tuscaloosa County?
Yes. Footings are dug to the size and depth on your plans, with square corners and a level bottom so the forming crew can go straight to work. Utility trenches can be dug on the same trip. More on our footings and trenching page.
How much does an excavating contractor charge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
It turns on the job: how much dirt moves, how deep, what the ground is, how wet it is, how tight the access is and where the spoil goes. A flat open lot and a steep lot with rock are far apart. We look at it and give you a price for your ground. Estimates are free.
Tuscaloosa and Around
We cover Tuscaloosa and the country around it, including:
Forestry Mulching in Tuscaloosa
Brush, briars and small timber ground to mulch where they stand. No piles, no hauling.
See the Tuscaloosa pageHouse Demolition in Tuscaloosa
Old houses and outbuildings torn down, hauled off, slab out, lot filled and graded.
See the Tuscaloosa pageTree Removal in Tuscaloosa
Dead, leaning and storm-damaged trees taken down by machine, stumps pulled, ground left level.
See the Tuscaloosa pageGravel Driveways in Tuscaloosa
Gravel drives and access roads cut in, based, crowned and ditched so they last.
See the Tuscaloosa pageHouse Pads in Tuscaloosa
Pads cut, filled in lifts and compacted to grade for houses, shops and mobile homes.
See the Tuscaloosa pageAll Services in Tuscaloosa
Everything we do in Tuscaloosa and Tuscaloosa County.
Tuscaloosa overviewTuscaloosa County
Land clearing, mulching and dirt work across Tuscaloosa County.
County overviewExcavating
Footings, trenches, culverts, stumps and the digging jobs that have no name.
The full serviceExcavating in other places
Need Excavating in Tuscaloosa?
Call or text, or send a few details. Estimates are free.