Land Clearing in Bessemer, AL
Bessemer sits in the south end of Jones Valley in Jefferson County, with old ore hills on the southeast side and grown-up lots and woods around the edges of town. Down South Land Solutions clears lots, mulches brush, digs and grades here with its own tracked machines. Estimates are free: call or text (205) 535-6376.
Clearing, Mulching & Dirt Work in Bessemer
Bessemer was founded in 1886 and built on iron. Ore came out of the hills on the southeast side of the city, coal came from the north and west, and the furnaces made it a steel town for most of the twentieth century. The ore ran out and the mines closed. What they left is a city of older houses, empty lots and ridges grown back in pine, privet and kudzu. Bessemer lies past the eight counties we started in, but it is inside our service area, and we take jobs here.
Most calls from a place like this are one of three things. A lot that has gone wild and needs opening up. An old house that has to come down so the lot can be used again. A wooded tract at the edge of town where someone wants to build. We handle all three with a Cat dozer, an excavator and tracked mulching loaders, and we price each one after a look at the ground. Call or text (205) 535-6376.
Burning brush in Jefferson County
Jefferson County runs its own air rules, and they are stricter than most of the state. The Jefferson County Department of Health says open burning is prohibited in the county from April through October, and a burn in the other months needs its approval first. That covers land inside Bessemer city limits and out. So on a Bessemer lot, plan on the brush being mulched or hauled, not piled and lit. A mulcher grinds it where it stands, which also keeps smoke out of the neighbors' windows. Our forestry mulching page explains how that works.
Old houses and the lots under them
A city this old has houses that are past saving. Taking one down is more than pushing it over. Power, gas and water get shut off first, and the house gets checked for asbestos. Then the debris is loaded and hauled to a permitted landfill, because building debris is regulated solid waste and never goes on a brush pile. The slab and footings come out last, and the lot is filled and graded. Inside the city, ask the City of Bessemer what a demolition permit takes before a date is set. See house demolition for the full order of work.
Ridges, creeks and the darter refuge
The Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge, a small spring-pond refuge run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is at Bessemer to protect an endangered fish. It is a fair reminder that the water here matters. Clear a slope above a creek and the next hard rain carries the dirt into it. We mulch hillsides and leave the chips down, and we keep bare ground to the pad and the drive. Work in or beside a stream is a question for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For the dozer side of a job, see land clearing.
Work We Take On in Bessemer
Four services that fit the ground around Bessemer, plus everything else we do.
Lot Clearing in Bessemer
Wooded house lots and lake lots cleared, drive roughed in, ready for the pad.
DetailsHouse Demolition in Bessemer
Old houses and outbuildings torn down, hauled off, slab out, lot filled and graded.
DetailsExcavating in Bessemer
Footings, trenches, culverts, stumps and the digging jobs that have no name.
Details
Forestry Mulching in Bessemer
Brush, briars and small timber ground to mulch where they stand. No piles, no hauling.
DetailsEverything else we do in Bessemer
Can I burn brush after clearing a lot in Bessemer, AL?
Not from April through October. The Jefferson County Department of Health says open burning is prohibited in the county in those months, and a burn in the rest of the year needs its approval first. Rules can change, so call the health department before you plan a fire. The way around the wait is mulching: the brush is ground where it stands and nothing has to be burned. Call or text (205) 535-6376 for a free estimate on a Bessemer lot.
Do I need a permit to tear down a house in Bessemer?
Ask the City of Bessemer before work is set, because the city decides what a demolition inside its limits needs. Outside city limits, Jefferson County Development Services handles land disturbance permits. Check the asbestos rules for your house too. Once the paperwork is in hand, we take the house down, haul the debris to a permitted landfill, pull the slab and grade the lot.
Will a forestry mulcher handle the kudzu and privet around Bessemer?
Yes. Kudzu, privet, briars and saplings up to roughly six to eight inches on the stump are what a mulcher is built for. It grinds them where they stand and leaves a layer of chips. Kudzu comes back from its roots, so a mulched patch needs follow-up to stay open. Bigger trees are a clearing job for the dozer and excavator, and we do that too.
Real job photos. See recent work
How a Job Runs
Tell Us What You Have
Call, text or send the form. County, rough acreage, what is growing on it and how a truck and trailer gets in.
We Look at the Ground
Close by, we come and look. Farther off, we can go over it with you on satellite first, then see it on the ground before the work starts.
A Number to Plan Around
Estimates are free and priced off the property. Small jobs carry a minimum, and you hear the figure before you commit.
The Machines Go to Work
We settle what comes out and what stays. Mark the trees you want kept, or walk it with us and point them out.
Finished, Not Just Knocked Down
Holes filled, ground pulled back to grade, and the fall set so water leaves the site instead of standing on it.
Got Ground to Clear in Bessemer?
Call or text, or send a few details. Estimates are free.