Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What grading, erosion control & site clearing is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
Grading, erosion control and site clearing prepare land for building or fix problems with water and soil. Grading, Erosion Control & Site Clearing in San Francisco is booked through pros who cover its 28 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset. SF's microclimates mean fog, wind, and moisture vary dramatically by neighborhood. Providers account for this in material selection. Each licensed contractor on NorTech sets their own price and warranty for grading work, and you choose.
What a grading, erosion control & site clearing visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Site visit to review slope, drainage and access
- Written scope and a bid before work begins
- Clearing of brush, small trees and debris
- Rough grading to the planned contours
- Erosion control such as straw wattles, mats or seeding
- Hauling of spoils and a final grade check
Pick what is on your list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Site clearing
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a grading, erosion control & site clearing job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
What is not part of grading, erosion control & site clearing
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- Any job where labor and materials together reach $1,000 or more is done by a licensed contractor. All grading and clearing bids come from licensed contractors.
- Structural retaining walls, engineered slope stabilization and foundation work, which require engineering and their own trades.
- Removal of large or hazardous trees. That is a tree service with the right equipment and insurance.
- Utility relocation, septic work and new drainage lines tied to a sewer or storm system, which are licensed plumbing or utility work.
- Geotechnical studies, surveys and engineered plans, which are separate professional services.
- Hazardous material disposal, such as contaminated soil or fuel tanks, which needs specialists.
- In San Francisco, sF DBI permit requirements are among the strictest in California. Smaller jobs stay within the handyman exemption; permitted work is bid on by NorTech-verified licensed contractors.
License and permits for grading, erosion control & site clearing
Grading and site clearing involve heavy equipment, buried utilities and soil work that can affect neighbors and waterways. It is licensed contractor work, and the pro who bids it holds the license for earth-moving and brings other trades where needed.
Grading permits are commonly required when moving more than a small volume of soil, working on slopes, changing drainage paths or disturbing a large area. Some places also require erosion control plans and inspections. Your contractor tells you what applies and which documents are needed.
Check the pro profile for their license, and ask to see the permit and any inspection sign-offs. Keep the final grading plan and photos with your property records.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking grading, erosion control & site clearing works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book grading, erosion control & site clearing
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Photograph water during or after rain
Take pictures and short videos of where water runs, pools and erodes soil during a storm. A pro sees the real flow paths, which are more useful than a description when planning the grade.
Gather your survey and plot plan
Property lines, easements and utility locations affect where work can go. A survey or plot plan helps the contractor stay on your land and away from buried lines.
Call before anyone digs
Contact the local utility locating service before earth-moving starts so gas, power, water and communication lines are marked. Hitting a line is dangerous and expensive.
Tell neighbors about the work
Heavy equipment, noise and dust affect those nearby, and changing the grade can affect their runoff. A quick conversation helps avoid disputes.
Plan the finish before the work starts
Decide what goes on the graded ground, such as lawn, planting, gravel or building. Seed, mulch or planting on bare soil soon after grading is what holds it in place.
Ask what you need to do afterward
New slopes and seed need watering, and wattles and mats need checking after storms. Ask your contractor for written care steps and who to contact if erosion appears.
Say where in San Francisco you are
Add your neighborhood, for example The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes grading, erosion control & site clearing
Together
Book grading, erosion control & site clearing with your neighbors
Every home on the street gets the pro’s neighbor rate, and each one books and pays on its own.
Start a Street Day- Start one
Pick the job, your street, a day and a pro who offers a neighbor rate.
- Share the link
Send it to neighbors. Only the city is ever shown publicly, never your street.
- Neighbors join
Neighbors on your street book the same pro on the same day.
- Everyone saves
Each home gets the pro’s neighbor rate, a percent off the pro’s own price, and books and pays on its own.
Often booked together with grading, erosion control & site clearing
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
A buried drain often works alongside regrading to carry water away from a foundation.
Steep slopes sometimes need a wall to hold grade, and an existing wall may need work first.
Brush and weeds are usually cleared before heavier earth-moving begins.
Larger trees in the work area are taken down by a tree service before grading.
Around San Francisco
Where in San Francisco the work happens, and the cities close by.
Grading, Erosion Control & Site Clearing across San Francisco
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near San Francisco
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in San Francisco
Each one has its own page for this city.
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See pros in San FranciscoTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
San Francisco homeowners
Grading, Erosion Control & Site Clearing reviews in San Francisco
Verified grading, erosion control & site clearing reviews from San Francisco homeowners will appear here.
Be the first grading, erosion control & site clearing review in San Francisco
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell San Francisco how your pro did.
Book Grading, Erosion Control & Site Clearing in San FranciscoFrequently asked