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What Rock Breaking Costs in New Brunswick

$200 to $300 an hour for a breaker

One national guide read in September 2026 (thin); large machines run higher. Blasting has no usable published price.

Reviewed 2026-09-28 · how we set these ranges

Nobody can price rock they have not seen, so the plan for rock is really a plan for the contract: how it is found, how it is counted and who may break it.

1 The pieces of the price

Rock, if it turns up

By the hour with a hydraulic breaker, or as a quoted extra

$200 to $300 an hour for a breaker (thin: one guide; large machines run higher)

Machine time

By the hour, with operator

Mini $65 to $150 an hour · standard $150 to $250 an hour

Trucking the spoil

Per load or per truck hour

Too few published prices to average: ask for the load count and truck size in writing

Blasting

Quoted by the blasting contractor

No usable published price

2 What's under your yard

The things nobody can see until the bucket goes in, and what to do about each before it does.

Rock

We found no public source on how deep rock sits under any New Brunswick town, so nobody can promise a rock-free lot.

Before the dig: Get the rock clause in writing before the dig: how it is found, how the breaker time is logged and what it costs per hour.
Buried lines

Gas, power, cable and old private lines can sit anywhere in a yard. NB Power says its lines can be buried as little as one foot down.

Before the dig: The contractor must have utilities located before digging (WorkSafeNB). Ask to see both tickets: Info-Excavation (3 working days' notice, valid to the end date on the request) and NB Power (five business days, valid 60 days, NB Power lines only). Mark private lines yourself.
Who may blast

WorkSafeNB's Regulation 91-191 says a blasting operation must be run by a blaster with a certificate of qualification issued under the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act. We found no provincial homeowner blasting permit and did not find town blasting by-laws.

Before the dig: Ask your municipality before anyone plans a blast, and ask to see the blaster's certificate.
A brook, lake or wetland nearby

Any clearing, digging, fill or machine work within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland needs a provincial WAWA permit first. The 30 metres is measured from the top of the bank, on the ground.

Before the dig: Measure before you book the machine. The landowner usually applies; a single alteration is $25.

3 Before the first bucket

Tick them off as you go. Nothing here is saved or sent anywhere.

Write the rock clause Before you sign Say what counts as rock, the breaker rate, how hours are logged and that you are told before the breaker starts.
Book both locates 5 business days ahead Info-Excavation needs 3 working days' notice and NB Power runs its own request with five business days' notice. Ask the contractor for both tickets.
Check the 30-metre rule Before anything is booked Within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, a WAWA permit comes first.
Ask for a WorkSafeNB clearance certificate Before you sign Coverage is mandatory for employers with three or more workers, and a customer can be held responsible for an unregistered business's premiums.
Keep the 10% holdback When you pay The Construction Remedies Act requires the owner to retain 10% of the contract price for 60 days after substantial performance; ask a lawyer about the details.

4 Rules by place for this job

Every town: We found no provincial homeowner blasting permit and did not search municipal blasting by-laws: ask your municipality.
Anywhere else: We found no excavation-specific rule for Dieppe, Sussex, Miramichi or other towns: ask your municipality or Regional Service Commission before the machine arrives.

What the written quote should name

What counts as rock for billing
The breaker rate and how hours are logged
Whether blasting is possible and who would do it
Where broken rock goes, or whether it stays as fill
A written notice before the breaker starts

More on the work itself: Rock Breaking & Removal

Questions people ask

Can they tell before digging if my lot has rock?

Not from any public source. Test holes can show what is there before you sign a fixed price.

Who is allowed to blast?

Only a blaster with a certificate of qualification under the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act, per WorkSafeNB's regulation.

Is a trench in solid rock safer?

A trench cut in solid rock is one of the exceptions to WorkSafeNB's shoring rule; rock excavations deeper than 1.8 metres carry an extra rule.

Want this done at your place?

Tell us what needs digging and we'll pass it to local New Brunswick excavation contractors for a written quote. We send it out to local contractors for you. Free, no pressure.

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