Land clearing for lots in St. Augustine Beach, FL

Last Updated: November 8, 2026

St. Augustine Beach is a small city on Anastasia Island, about 21 miles north of Palm Coast and separate from the City of St. Augustine across the river. Most lots here are small, close-built and shaded by oaks and palms people want to keep. Sunward Palm Coast Land Clearing clears house sites and handles tree and stump work on the island.

Which tree rules apply on the island?

The city’s own. St. Augustine Beach charges a $400 clearance sheet fee for new buildings and additions, with $50 of it going to the city’s Tree and Landscape Fund, and it runs its own tree removal process. St. Augustine’s 3-inch rule doesn’t apply here, and neither do St. Johns County’s rules for unincorporated land. So we confirm the steps for your address with the city before we put a date on the work.

Can we keep the big oaks and palms?

Usually the ones set back from the house footprint, if they’re healthy. An island oak takes decades to replace, so we start the plan from what can stay. We fence each keeper at the drip line before any machine arrives and work inside the fence by hand, as on our selective clearing page. Under a new slab we pull stumps with their roots; at the edges and near keepers we grind them below grade so the roots of the trees you keep aren’t torn.

How do you clear such a tight lot?

From the street, with small equipment. Your neighbors are close on both sides, so we cut trees in sections and lower them instead of felling them whole, chip brush at the curb and load logs from the road rather than dragging them across anyone’s yard. Burning is out, since Florida keeps residential pile burns 300 feet from occupied homes, so we haul the wood.

Dry island sand is also where gopher tortoises dig. We walk the lot for burrows first, and work within 25 feet of one needs an FWC permit. Under the slab we strip stumps, roots and topsoil down to clean sand, the same as any lot clearing job for a builder.

Will summer rain hold things up?

It can. Much of the city sits on somewhat poorly drained fine sand, so the afternoon storms soften it and bare ground washes. We put silt fence up before the rain season and plan around the forecast, as our rainy season guide explains. Our after clearing guide covers keeping silt fence and sod in place until the house is done, and the land clearing cost guide breaks down what moves the price, with the city’s fee on top.