Kenmore · King County
Land Clearing in Kenmore, WA
Brush, trees, stumps and debris cleared from lots, pastures and acreage across Kenmore, from Kenmore and the north end of Lake Washington. The logs, brush and spoil are hauled out by the same crew on our own trucks.
What clearing land in Kenmore involves
Tall Douglas fir, western red cedar and bigleaf maple on the hillsides, often over homes on the slope below. Clearing here usually means deciding which trees stay, felling the rest safely, pulling or grinding stumps and dealing with the brush, blackberry and root mat underneath.
Mostly 1950s to 80s homes on sloped, wooded lots, with newer infill and redevelopment near downtown. That decides whether a job is a selective clean-up around an existing home or a full clear for a new building site, shop, arena or pasture.
Glacial till and outwash on the slopes, with soft, wet lake and river deposits along the shoreline. Once the vegetation is off, we strip only as much topsoil as the plan needs and leave the rest stockpiled or graded so the ground does not turn to mud in the first rain.
Common land clearing projects in Kenmore
Building site clearing
Clearing the footprint, driveway and utility corridor for a new home or ADU in Kenmore, keeping the trees that are meant to stay and protecting their roots.
Selective clearing and thinning
Taking out brush, small trees and hazard trees while leaving a healthy stand, the way most homeowners around Inglewood want their property cleaned up.
Clearing around buffers
Work up to, but not into, the stream, wetland or shoreline buffers that cover parts of Kenmore, with the buffer line marked before any machine moves.
Lot clean-up before a sale
Clearing brush, junk piles and dead trees so a Kenmore lot shows well and buyers can see the ground, with debris hauled on our own trucks via SR 522 (Bothell Way).
What our land clearing work in Kenmore covers
- Brush & Undergrowth Clearing
- Tree Removal & Thinning
- Stump Grinding & Grubbing
- Construction Access
- Debris Haul-Off
- Rough Grading
Permits & Rules
Clearing rules in Kenmore
Lake Washington shoreline, the Sammamish River, Swamp Creek and Little Swamp Creek carry shoreline and stream buffers. Many slopes are mapped critical areas. Buffers around these features usually cannot be cleared, so we map them on the site walk and build the clearing plan around them.
Inside city limits, the City of Kenmore sets the clearing and tree rules. Outside them, the King County Department of Local Services does. Larger timber removal on rural land can also trigger a Washington DNR forest practices application. We tell you which applies before any cutting starts.
Cost & Timing
What affects the cost of land clearing in Kenmore
We do not publish flat prices because no two Kenmore sites are the same. These are the things that move the number most here.
Slope and access
Steep Kenmore lots take smaller machines, more careful staging and sometimes engineering, which adds time compared with flat, open ground.
Soft ground
Where Kenmore soils are soft or wet, over-excavation, fabric and imported rock are often part of the job, and we price that in up front.
Buffers and permits
Work near Kenmore's rivers, creeks, lakes or shoreline can need permits and limits on where machines go. That affects scope and schedule more than price.
Haul-off and disposal
How much material leaves the site, and what it is, drives cost. Our own trucks keep that predictable on Kenmore jobs.
When to schedule land clearing in Kenmore
Clearing in Kenmore is easiest from late spring through early fall, when the ground is firm and machines leave fewer ruts. Winter clearing is possible on drier ground with mats and good planning.
Work near Kenmore's streams and shoreline can be limited to certain months to protect fish and water quality, so plan buffer-adjacent clearing well ahead.
Kenmore's till soils hold water through the winter, which is when drainage problems show up. That is a good time to see where water goes, and the dry season is the time to fix it.
Where We Work
Land clearing across Kenmore
Kenmore sits at the north end of Lake Washington where the Sammamish River enters it. Much of the city is steep, wooded hillside above the lake and the Burke-Gilman Trail.
We clear building sites, overgrown pastures, fence lines, access roads and wooded lots across Downtown Kenmore, Inglewood, Moorlands, Arrowhead, Uplands and Northshore Summit.
Logs can be hauled out, bucked into firewood or left for you. Brush is chipped, ground or hauled. Stumps are pulled and the holes filled. Our trucks use SR 522 (Bothell Way), Juanita Dr NE and 68th Ave NE to get material off site the same week it comes down.
We also do land clearing nearby in Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Brier and Mountlake Terrace. See everything we do in Kenmore, read our full guide to land clearing, or browse all service areas.
Why DirtRaptor
Why Kenmore owners call us for land clearing
Owner on the machine
On Kenmore jobs you talk to the person who walks the site, writes the quote and runs the equipment.
Trees and dirt, one crew
If trees are in the way of your Kenmore project, we take them down ourselves instead of waiting on a separate tree service.
Our own trucks
Haul-off and deliveries run on our schedule along SR 522 (Bothell Way) and Juanita Dr NE, not a subcontractor's.
Built for slopes
We plan machine placement, drainage and erosion control for Kenmore's sloped ground before we start.
How a land clearing job runs
- 01
Walk, Scope & Retention Plan
- 02
Felling & Selective Thinning
- 03
Stump Removal & Grubbing
- 04
Debris Haul-Off & Rough Grade
Real Jobs
Recent DirtRaptor work near Kenmore

Demolition · Edmonds, WA
Driveway Removal & Concrete Prep
Tearing out an old blacktop driveway and prepping the ground for a new concrete pour — broken material hauled off, base left clean and ready.

Demolition · Everett, WA
Condemned 100-Year-Old Shed Teardown
A 100-year-old shed, condemned and unsafe, brought down and hauled off — the site left graded flat and clean.
Questions
Land Clearing in Kenmore: FAQs
How much of my Kenmore property can I clear?
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It depends on buffers and local rules. Lake Washington shoreline, the Sammamish River, Swamp Creek and Little Swamp Creek carry shoreline and stream buffers. Many slopes are mapped critical areas. We map what can and cannot be cleared before we quote, so the plan matches what the permit will allow.
Do I need a permit to clear land in Kenmore?
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Often for anything beyond routine yard work. Inside city limits the rules come from the City of Kenmore; outside them, from the King County Department of Local Services. Large timber removal can also need a DNR forest practices approval.
What happens to the trees and brush you clear?
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Your choice. We can haul everything away on our own trucks, buck logs into firewood rounds, chip brush for mulch, or leave usable wood stacked on site. It is spelled out in the quote.
How much does land clearing cost in Kenmore?
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It depends on the site, so we quote after a free site walk rather than guessing on the phone. The biggest drivers in Kenmore are usually slope and access, soft ground, buffers and permits. You get a written number with inclusions and exclusions spelled out.
When is the best time to schedule land clearing in Kenmore?
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Clearing in Kenmore is easiest from late spring through early fall, when the ground is firm and machines leave fewer ruts. Winter clearing is possible on drier ground with mats and good planning.
Can you remove a tree above my Kenmore house on a steep slope?
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Yes. On slopes we usually take trees down in sections and leave stumps and roots in the ground to hold the soil. If the slope is a mapped critical area, we flag what review is needed.
Do you work along the Kenmore shoreline?
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Yes, within the shoreline rules. Work near the lake or river can need approval, so we check before starting.
How long does clearing an acre take?
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Light brush on accessible ground can be a single day. Dense timber with stump removal and full haul-off can run a week or more per acre. Disposal volume, not cutting, is usually what sets the timeline.
Ready for a real number in Kenmore?
Send the address and a few photos. We walk the site for free and come back with a written quote.

