Excavation Contractors Across New Brunswick
Get matched with local excavation contractors for foundation digs, water and sewer trenches, septic excavation, lot clearing and grading, driveways, drainage, rock and backfill, and know what the job should cost and what has to happen before the first bucket goes in.
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Tell us what needs digging and we send it to local New Brunswick excavation contractors
Excavation Services Across New Brunswick
What each job involves in New Brunswick and the published price range where one exists
Foundation & Basement Excavation
Digging for a new home, an addition or a garage foundation: the hole, the footings, the spoil pile and the backfill that has to wait for the inspection.
- Footing and foundation digs for new homes, additions and garages
- Spoil kept at least 1.2 m back from the edge
- Backfill scheduled after the footing and foundation inspection
Water & Sewer Line Trenching
Trenches for new or replacement water and sewer services, from the house to the municipal connection or to your own well and septic.
- New and replacement water service trenches
- Sewer lateral trenches to the municipal connection
- Lines to a private well or septic tank
Septic System Excavation
The digging side of a septic job: test pits, the tank hole and the field, done for a provincially licensed installer, never instead of one.
- Test pits for the licensed installer's soil assessment
- Tank and field excavation arranged by the installer
- Removal of old tank backfill and soil
Lot Clearing & Grading
Clearing trees, stumps and brush and shaping the ground so water runs away from the house, with the permits some towns and the WAWA rule require.
- Tree, stump and brush clearing for a building site
- Rough and finish grading away from the foundation
- WAWA permit check within 30 m of water
Driveway Excavation & Base
Digging out a new or failing driveway and building the gravel base under it, with the curb-cut or entrance permit your road needs.
- Digging out soft soil and old driveway material
- Gravel base laid and compacted
- Grading for drainage off the driveway
Drainage & Weeping Tile Digs
Digging along the foundation or across the yard to replace weeping tile, fix drainage and get water away from the house.
- Excavation along the foundation to reach weeping tile
- Drainage trenches carrying water away from the house
- Trench safety for deep foundation digs
Rock Breaking & Removal
Breaking ledge and boulders with a hydraulic hammer, or blasting by a certified blaster, when rock sits where the foundation or trench has to go.
- Hydraulic breaker work on ledge and boulders
- Rock loading and trucking off site
- Blasting by a certified blaster, as WorkSafeNB's Regulation 91-191 requires
Backfill & Haul-Away
Filling back against a foundation after the inspection, bringing in gravel or fill, and trucking surplus soil and rock off the property.
- Backfill after the footing and foundation inspection
- Crushed stone and granular fill supply
- Compaction in lifts
Ask Dig IQ
Straight answers to New Brunswick excavation questions: what a dig should cost, which locates to book, which permits your town asks for, the WorkSafeNB trench rules, septic and WAWA rules, and how to compare quotes
Why Use New Brunswick Excavation
Free Matching Service
Tell us what needs digging and we send your request to local excavation contractors listed in the New Brunswick Construction Network directory. They reply by email. No fees, no obligation, and we do not screen or verify contractors, so the site tells you what to check.
Built for New Brunswick Lots
Rural lots on wells and septic, town lots on municipal water and sewer, lots beside a brook or the river where the 30-metre WAWA rule applies, and rules that sit with WorkSafeNB, the province and each town. We found no provincial excavation licence. Our price ranges, locate and permit guidance and Dig IQ answers are written for that.
New Brunswick Construction Network
Backed by the New Brunswick Construction Network -- New Brunswick's contractor directory with listings across every construction trade, including the excavation contractors your request goes to.
Excavation Contractors Across New Brunswick
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does excavation cost in New Brunswick?
Few New Brunswick prices are published. Machine time is the best-published price: national and Atlantic guides read in September 2026 put a mini excavator with operator at about $65 to $150 an hour and a standard machine at about $150 to $250, with trucking, gravel and rock on top. Rock, access, haul distance and season move the price most, so compare written quotes that say how each of those is handled.
How do I get underground lines located in New Brunswick?
Book two separate requests. Info-Excavation, reached through Click Before You Dig, needs 3 working days' notice and its locate stays valid until the end date of the work on the request. NB Power runs its own free locate service: request it at least five business days before digging; that locate is valid for 60 days and covers only NB Power-owned lines.
Do I need a permit to dig on my own property?
Often, yes, and it depends on where you are and what the dig is for. A building permit comes from your local building department or Regional Service Commission; Quispamsis requires a site work permit for clearing or preparing a lot for development; water and sewer connections need a permit in several towns; and any ground disturbance within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland needs a provincial WAWA permit. Check with your municipality before digging.
When can I backfill a new foundation?
After the inspection. Regulation 2021-2 under the Building Code Administration Act calls for an inspection on completion of the footings and foundations, before any backfilling starts. Book it with your building department and do not let the backfill start until it has passed.