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Service area

Land clearing in San Antonio

For acreage owners, ranchers and builders across Bexar County, from the cedar-covered limestone north of Loop 1604 to the mesquite and clay ground out past Potranco and Culebra.

Live oaks with the understory mulched out beneath them

The Balcones Escarpment crosses northern Bexar County roughly along Loop 1604 and US-281 North. North and west of it is fractured limestone under a few inches of soil, canyon terrain around Helotes and Government Canyon, and Ashe juniper thick enough to make a property impassable. South and east, deep Houston Black clay takes over, and past Von Ormy and Somerset the ground turns to brush country where mesquite, huisache and prickly pear replace cedar.

Much of northern Bexar County also sits over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, a karst system of caves, sinkholes and fractures feeding the city’s drinking water. What happens on the surface goes underground fast, which makes San Antonio the most tightly regulated clearing market we work.

We’ll be straight about fit: we serve San Antonio for substantial acreage, where a Tigercat and a full crew make sense. The limestone and cedar north of the city behave the same way the ground around Bertram does.

Communities we work in San Antonio

  • Stone Oak
  • Timberwood Park
  • Helotes
  • Fair Oaks Ranch
  • Leon Springs
  • Grey Forest
  • Scenic Oaks
  • Bulverde
  • Alamo Ranch
  • Von Ormy
  • Somerset
  • Castroville

North side, far west side

On the north side the work is homesite prep, driveway and pad work through rock, and cedar removal around live oaks near Fair Oaks Ranch, Scenic Oaks and Grey Forest. On the far west side, between Bandera Road and the Medina River, it’s brush reclamation, fence line recovery and site prep on land being subdivided as the city pushes out.

The aquifer and the tree ordinance

TCEQ classifies land clearing as a regulated activity over the Edwards Aquifer. Before soil is disturbed, an Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan has to be filed and approved under 30 TAC 213: a Water Pollution Abatement Plan on the recharge zone or a Contributing Zone Plan on the contributing zone, with a certified geologic assessment.

The city tree ordinance starts at 6 inches and reaches into the ETJ, so being outside the city line doesn’t mean being outside the rules. Warbler nesting season (March 1 to August 31) and oak wilt timing sit on top of that, and permit lead times often set the schedule before the season does.

Common questions

Do I need a tree permit to clear land in San Antonio?

In most cases, yes. The Unified Development Code calls a tree significant at 6 inches across and heritage at 24, and both need a Tree Preservation Permit from the City Arborist, with mitigation up to 3:1 and a pre-construction conference. It applies in the ETJ too.

Do I need TCEQ approval to clear land over the Edwards Aquifer?

If the property is on the recharge or contributing zone, yes. A Water Pollution Abatement Plan or a Contributing Zone Plan has to be approved before soil is disturbed, usually with a certified geologic assessment. A large share of the acreage north of Loop 1604 falls under this.

Can you clear land near Camp Bullis or Government Canyon?

We work near both, carefully. That’s core golden-cheeked warbler country, and disturbing habitat during the March 1 to August 31 nesting season violates the Endangered Species Act; clearing near Camp Bullis has drawn a federal injunction before. We confirm habitat status first.

Do you work Alamo Ranch and the Potranco, Culebra and SH-211 corridors?

Yes. The far west side, outside Loop 1604 between Bandera Road and the Medina River, is the fastest-growing part of the county. It’s heavier clay than the north side, so it’s mostly mesquite and huisache reclamation, fence lines and acreage site prep, out into Medina County.

Will you take a small lot inside Loop 410?

Usually not. In San Antonio we travel for substantial acreage, where our machines and a full crew make sense for the landowner. Call and describe the lot anyway, and we’ll tell you plainly whether it’s worth us coming to look.

Can you handle caliche north of Loop 1604?

That’s what we’re set up for. Around Stone Oak, Helotes and up US-281 toward Bulverde, a driveway or trench hits rock almost at once. We crush it in place, and it often becomes the driveway base.

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