or

By signing in, I accept the Rebuildetroit.com Terms of Use.

Agent Registration

Find Your Agent Profile

Agent Registration

Metro Detroit

Site Excavation in Metro Detroit

Compare verified contractors for full site prep: clearing, digging, grading, utilities and hauling. Get free quotes, check licenses, and hire with confidence.

0Featured pros
0Excavation Contractors profiles
6Metro counties
Rebuild Detroit Verified NetworkDated license, insurance and identity checks. See How We Vet →

Get site excavation quotes

Add your ZIP. We route your request to local excavation contractors. Free, no obligation.
Or call (833) 313-2434
Your details go to Rebuild Detroit and the pros you choose.

Protected by reCAPTCHA. Google Privacy Policy and Terms apply.

Free for homeowners: no fees to compare or request quotes
Compare side by side: verification status on every profile
One request goes to the local pros you choose
Local to Metro Detroit: Detroit, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and more
Featured site excavation pros

Top Site Excavation Pros in Metro Detroit

Featured spots are paid placements shown first. The Verified badge records dated checks; other listed businesses have not been verified yet. Confirm current licensing, insurance and written scope with each provider.

Featured excavation contractors spots are open for site excavation.

No business holds a featured or verified spot here yet. Tell us what you need and Rebuild Detroit will route your request to local excavation contractors.

Own an excavation company in Metro Detroit? Claim the first featured spot →

Get featured here

Do you offer site excavation in Metro Detroit?

Get verified, then lead this page and the city pages your customers search. Pay online and go live in minutes.

Get featured here
Before you hire

Site excavation in Metro Detroit: what to expect

Site excavation prepares a lot for construction from start to finish: clearing, stripping topsoil, cutting and filling to the plan grades, digging the building footprint, trenching for water, sewer, gas and electric, and bringing in stone for drives and pads. One contractor managing the sequence keeps trucks, inspections and other trades on schedule.

Infill lots in Detroit and older suburbs often come with surprises, such as old basements, broken concrete and abandoned service lines from houses long gone. Outer county lots in Livingston, Lapeer and St. Clair are more likely to involve tree clearing, septic and well locations, and wetlands or streams nearby. A good site contractor reads the survey, engineering plans and soil reports before quoting. For a single dig, see foundation excavation.

What a proper job includes

  • Review of survey, site plan, soil reports and permits
  • MISS DIG 811 ticket and marking of private lines
  • Soil erosion controls installed before earth moving
  • Clearing, topsoil stripping and stockpiling
  • Cut and fill to plan grades with compaction
  • Footprint excavation and utility trenches
  • Stone base for drives and pads, plus final rough grade

What drives the price

  • Lot size and how much soil must be cut or filled
  • Clearing: trees, stumps, old foundations or debris
  • Soil conditions, groundwater and need for engineered fill
  • Length and depth of utility trenches
  • Hauling spoils off site or importing fill
  • Soil erosion permit and control measures
  • Schedule, weather and coordination with other trades

Rebuild Detroit does not publish price ranges. Get written quotes for the same scope and compare.

Permits and licensing in Michigan

Earth changes that disturb one acre or more, or that are within 500 feet of a lake or stream, generally require a Part 91 Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control permit from the county or municipal enforcing agency, and some local rules are stricter. The project needs a building permit from the local building department (BSEED in Detroit). Work in the street or sidewalk, such as utility connections, needs a right-of-way permit; in Detroit that comes from DPW. Anyone digging must notify MISS DIG 811 at least three business days ahead.

Paid residential excavation above a threshold set by state law requires a LARA Maintenance & Alteration license listing Excavation, or a Residential Builder license.

Verify: LARA license lookup MISS DIG 811 and safe digging (MPSC) Soil erosion permits (EGLE) How We Vet

How to compare quotes

  1. Provide the same plans and survey to every bidder.
  2. Ask for a line item scope: clearing, cut and fill, trenches, stone.
  3. Confirm who pulls the soil erosion and right-of-way permits.
  4. Ask how unsuitable soils or buried debris are priced.
  5. Check the LARA license and ask for proof of insurance.

Ready to get started?

Tell us once. Rebuild Detroit routes your request to Metro Detroit excavation contractors.

Common questions

Site Excavation FAQ

Grading shapes the ground surface. Site excavation covers the whole earthwork package, including clearing, digging the footprint, trenching for utilities and grading.
For new buildings it is often required or strongly recommended. Soil borings tell the engineer and excavator whether the ground can carry the load and where water sits.
A typical residential lot can take several days to a few weeks depending on clearing, weather, inspections and how many utilities are run.
The site contractor digs the trenches, but licensed plumbers and electricians make the connections and the utilities set their own schedules. Clarify this in the contract.

Get site excavation quotes from local pros

Compare Metro Detroit excavation contractors and confirm credentials, scope and cost drivers before you hire.

Call (833) 313-2434