Lot Clearing & Grading

Clearing and grading is the first thing that happens on a building lot and the last thing that happens around a finished house, and in New Brunswick it is also where homeowners can trip over a permit they did not know about.

Start with water. Within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, clearing land, disturbing ground, operating heavy machinery or moving fill needs a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration (WAWA) permit from the province, and it is usually the landowner who applies. The fee for a single alteration is $25. The 30 m is measured from the top of the bank, in the field, not from a map. A narrow exemption covers wetlands under one hectare that do not touch a watercourse.

Then check your town. Quispamsis requires a site work development permit for grubbing, clearing or preparing a lot for development, usually when a subdivision is being prepared. Fredericton's Engineering Division reviews lot grading at the building permit stage. In rural areas, planning and permits run through the Regional Service Commissions. Rules differ from place to place, so ask your municipality or Regional Service Commission before the machine arrives.

On a provincial highway, a new driveway or entrance needs a permit from the Minister under the Highway Act.

Few prices are published for New Brunswick. Machine time is the best-published price, about $65 to $150 an hour for a mini excavator with operator and $150 to $250 for a standard machine, plus trucking. Ask whether stumps and brush leave the site in the price.