How much does yard grading cost in Florida?
HomeGuide puts the average yard grading job at $500 to $5,000, or $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot. HomeGuide’s national average is $2,300. Angi puts the typical range at $1,021 to $3,332. The price moves with the yard’s size and slope, and with how much fill dirt it needs.
Each figure on this page names the guide or the rule it comes from. Our grading and dirt work page shows how the work gets done on Panhandle ground. A real number takes an on-site look at where the water goes and how much dirt moves.
What does yard grading cost per square foot?
HomeGuide puts finish grading at $0.40 to $1.00 per square foot and rough grading at $1 to $2. Finish grading smooths the top 1 to 3 inches of soil. Rough grading takes out a slope or reshapes a yard so it drains.
Angi puts most yard leveling at $1 to $2 per square foot. LawnLove builds its $1,700 national average on a 1,200 square foot lot at $1.40 a square foot.
At HomeGuide’s rates, finish grading on a 1,000 square foot yard runs $400 to $1,000. HomeGuide puts rough grading on the same yard at $1,000 to $2,000. HomeGuide’s reported jobs run from a $200 minimum to a $10,000 maximum.
How do the cost guides compare by job?
HomeGuide, Angi and LawnLove all put flattening a slope or hill at $1,000 to $5,000. On patio and deck pads, HomeGuide tops out at $1,000 while Angi and LawnLove run to $4,500.
| Grading job | HomeGuide | Angi | LawnLove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level ground for a pool | $200 to $850 | $200 to $900 | $200 to $850 |
| Pad for a patio or deck | $500 to $1,000 | $500 to $4,500 | $670 to $4,500 |
| Regrade around the house | $1,000 to $3,000 | $1,000 to $3,000 | $835 to $3,000 |
| Level or regrade a backyard | $1,000 to $5,000 | $500 to $4,500 | $650 to $3,600 |
| Flatten a slope or hill | $1,000 to $5,000 | $1,000 to $5,000 | $1,000 to $5,000 |
| Pad for a new home or addition | $1,000 to $5,000 | Not listed | $1,000 to $6,700 |
| Quarter acre lot | $4,400 to $10,900 | $4,200 to $11,250 | $3,950 to $11,134 |
| One acre | $17,400 to $43,600 | $17,000 to $45,000 | $15,800 to $44,535 |
| Fill dirt, per cubic yard | $5 to $25 | $5 to $30 | $6 to $17 |
| Topsoil, per cubic yard | $10 to $50 | $12 to $55 | $11 to $53 installed |
How much does it cost to regrade a yard so water drains away from the house?
HomeGuide puts regrading one side of a foundation at $500 to $1,000. HomeGuide prices grading around the whole house at $1,000 to $3,000. LawnLove’s range for regrading around a foundation starts lower, at $835.
HomeGuide says grading around a house fixes drainage problems and prevents erosion around the foundation. Florida’s residential building code sets the target. Lots must be graded to drain surface water away from foundation walls. The grade has to fall at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet.
On a regrade, we cut the high side down and carry that dirt to the low side. HomeGuide calls that cut and fill, and it notes that some projects need extra fill dirt.
What does it cost to level a yard with low spots and soggy corners?
Angi puts lawn leveling at $500 to $4,500, and LawnLove puts basic lawn re-leveling at $650 to $3,600. HomeGuide’s warning signs include pooling water and spongy soil in low areas.
A low spot gets built back up with fill dirt. HomeGuide prices fill dirt at $5 to $25 per cubic yard. By HomeGuide’s math, one cubic yard covers 55 square feet at 6 inches deep. HomeGuide also notes that many grading contractors charge for fill and topsoil separately.
We spread and grade fill as part of the job. Angi says the fill you need depends on what can be moved from elsewhere in the yard.
How much does lot grading cost before you build?
HomeGuide puts leveling land for a new home or addition at $1,000 to $5,000. LawnLove puts preparing a site for a new home at $1,000 to $6,700. HomeGuide adds that land must be cleared before leveling.
A wooded homesite needs land clearing before any grading starts. Angi budgets $1,300 to $5,700 for land clearing on a yard leveling project. Our guide to clearing land to build a house covers the homesite from clearing to the pad. The driveway into a new homesite is its own job, and our gravel driveway cost guide covers it.
What does grading cost per acre?
HomeGuide puts land grading at $17,400 to $43,600 per acre. LawnLove puts an acre at $15,800 to $44,535, with a national average of $30,000. Angi runs as high as $45,000 per acre.
HomeGuide’s acre range tracks its finish grading rate, $0.40 to $1.00 a square foot, times 43,560 square feet. HomeGuide also says most residential grading projects are a quarter acre or less.
Angi says size-based pricing measures the area of land you need to level. On a big lot, the house pad and yard can be shaped while the back acreage stays as it is.
What moves the price of a yard grading job?
The more the ground has to change, the more the job costs. Angi says contractors typically charge by the elevation change, so a steep slope costs more than a slight one.
On moving dirt, the guides disagree widely. HomeGuide prices excavation at $2.50 to $15.00 per cubic yard. LawnLove prices cut and fill excavation at $60 to $200 per cubic yard of dirt. Digging out root balls or cutting a trench is excavation, a different job from shaping the surface.
Some contractors bill by the hour. HomeGuide says operators with their own machines charge $100 to $300 an hour. LawnLove puts hourly grading at $40 to $180, machine and operator included.
Access matters too. LawnLove says the cost depends on how easily heavy equipment can get onto the property. Obstacles like old sheds and boulders make the work harder and more expensive, by LawnLove’s account. LawnLove adds that a city yard costs more to level than rural land, because of access and higher labor costs.
HomeGuide says grading companies need an onsite visit to give an accurate estimate. That visit is what turns these ranges into a real number for your yard.
Why does Panhandle sand change a grading job?
Some Panhandle sand drains fast, while some sits over a high water table for months at a time. The grade has to work with whichever one a yard sits on. The USDA describes Lakeland sand, found around Milton and Pensacola, as excessively drained. Its seasonal water table sits more than 80 inches down, and rain soaks into it fast.
Leon sand around Navarre works the other way. The USDA puts its water table 6 to 18 inches down for 1 to 4 months in most years. In low flats it sits within 6 inches of the surface for more than 3 weeks. On ground like that, rain has nowhere to soak, so the grade has to carry it off the surface.
Bare sand needs cover once it is shaped. HomeGuide says pros reseed or lay new sod right after grading to hold the soil in place. HomeGuide puts sod installation at $1 to $2 per square foot.
Timing matters on sand too. HomeGuide names spring or fall, in dry weather, as the best time to regrade. The same guide advises against grading in the rainy season, when loose topsoil can wash away.
Do you need a permit to grade a yard in Florida?
Often, yes, and the county or city sets the rules. HomeGuide puts a grading permit at $50 to $400, and Angi puts permits at $100 to $500. HomeGuide adds that most residential projects do not need a grading plan. Santa Rosa, Escambia and Okaloosa set their own rules, and our post on Florida land clearing permit rules covers them.
Florida law counts work meant to change the grade of land, or to disturb its surface, as excavation. On a hired grading job, Sunshine 811 needs notice at least 2 full business days before the work starts. That clock runs on top of any permit, so it pays to start both early.
Clearview grades yards and lots across Santa Rosa, Escambia and Okaloosa Counties and into lower Alabama. Twenty-plus years of running machinery sit behind the company. For a free on-site estimate with a written number, contact us or call (850) 910-2447.