Lake Lot Clearing on Smith Lake, AL
Steep, wooded Smith Lake lots cleared for a house: trees, stumps and brush out where you build, a drive roughed in, and the slope down to the water left covered so it stays where it is.
Clearing a lot on Lewis Smith Lake
Five hundred and ten feet above sea level is full pool on Lewis Smith Lake, and Alabama Power's flood easement runs up to 522. Those two numbers come before the first tree on a lake lot, because Alabama Power says work in the lakebed or inside its flood easement could require a permit. Above that line, the job is the one most Smith Lake owners face: a steep, wooded lot with no road in and no flat place to build.
We walk the lot with you first and settle what comes out and what stays. Where the house, the drive and the septic layout go, trees are taken down and stumps and root balls come out with the excavator and the dozer's root rake. The drive is roughed in and the site is left ready for the pad. The slope toward the water gets mulched, not scraped, so the bank keeps its roots and a cover of chips.
The lake is inside our service area. We work the Smith Lake side of Winston, Cullman and Walker counties out of Berry, in Fayette County. Many lake owners live somewhere else, so we can go over the lot with you on satellite before anyone drives. Call or text (205) 535-6376. Estimates are free. See lot clearing for new homes and our main land clearing page for how the work runs.
What Smith Lake lot clearing covers
- House site cleared, stumps and roots out
- Access drive roughed in to the site
- Slopes mulched so the bank stays covered
- View opened with keeper trees left standing
- Debris burned where allowed, or hauled
- Ground graded so water leaves the site
What is different about a Smith Lake lot
Alabama Power and the 510 and 522 lines
Alabama Power built the lake and runs its shoreline program from a Shoreline Management office in Jasper. Its Smith Lake guidelines say a written permit must be in hand before construction starts, and its permit page says all work in the lakebed, the flood easement or its control strip could require one. The permit goes to the owner: Alabama Power states it does not issue permits or give permission to a permittee's contractors. So the owner applies, at apcshorelines.com, and we stay inside what the permit allows. Have your permit in hand, or ask us what to line up first.
Steep lots and a drive that comes first
Smith Lake is the deepest lake in Alabama, 264 feet at the dam, with more than 500 miles of shoreline wound through the hollows of the Sipsey Fork and the creeks that feed it. Water that deep means hillsides that steep. On most lots the access drive is the first job, because nothing else can reach the house site until it exists. We cut it in on a grade a loaded truck can climb, set a culvert where water crosses, and rough it in. Our driveways and access roads page explains how a drive is built to last.
Three counties and a national forest
The lake reaches into Winston, Cullman and Walker counties, and the Bankhead National Forest borders part of its western side. So ask Alabama Power's Shoreline Management office what applies to your stretch of shoreline, and find out which county the lot is in, before planning anything at the water. ADEM also runs a state stormwater permit for land disturbance of one acre or more. Our lake lot clearing guide lists who to ask.
Real Job Photos
Phone pictures from real jobs, captioned with what they show. See more recent work or read about our full land clearing service.
Do I need an Alabama Power permit to clear my lot on Smith Lake?
Ask Alabama Power's Shoreline Management office before clearing near the water. It says work in the lakebed, in its flood easement, which runs to the 522 foot line on Smith Lake, or in its control strip could require a permit. The owner applies, not the contractor. Higher up the lot, county and state rules can still apply. We work to whatever limits your permit sets.
How much does it cost to clear a lake lot on Smith Lake?
Slope moves the price more on a lake lot than anywhere else. After that it is the size of the timber, how a trailer gets in, whether debris is burned or hauled, and how finished you want it. Steep jobs cost more than flat ones, and we tell you that before we start. We give you a figure after seeing the lot.
Can you clear my Smith Lake lot if I live out of state?
Yes. Plenty of lake lot owners do not live nearby. We go over the lot with you on satellite and get close on price before anybody drives anywhere. Then we look at it on the ground before work starts. Send the county, the lot location and any survey or plat you have.
Should a steep Smith Lake lot be mulched or bulldozed?
Usually both, in different places. Where the house, the drive and the pad go, stumps and roots have to come out, and that is dozer and excavator work. Everywhere else, mulch. It clears the brush, opens the view and leaves the bank covered. The slopes get the mulcher and the dozer stays on the ground that has to be bare.
Smith Lake and Around
Walker County
Land clearing, mulching and dirt work across Walker County.
County overviewWinston County
Land clearing, mulching and dirt work across Winston County.
County overviewCullman County
Land clearing, mulching and dirt work across Cullman County.
County overviewLot Clearing for New Homes
Wooded house lots and lake lots cleared, drive roughed in, ready for the pad.
The full pageLand Clearing
Trees pushed, stumps raked out, debris burned or hauled, ground graded and ready to use.
The full serviceLot Clearing in other places
Need Lot Clearing on Smith Lake?
Call or text, or send a few details. Estimates are free.