Land Clearing in Marion County, FL: Ocala Costs & Rules
Marion County led these six counties in new homes: 5,420 single-family buildings were authorized in 2025, after 6,067 in 2024 (Census BPS). Much of that building happens on wooded land.
The Forest Service estimates about 544,000 acres of forest, roughly half the county. The most common forest type is sand pine (about 22% of forest acres), followed by slash pine. Scrub oak covers another 52,000 acres.
Ground is mostly flat: only 4% of mapped soil has slopes of 8% or more. So the price drivers on an Ocala-area lot are usually tree count, stumps and debris rather than terrain.
Permits
Marion County's tree code protects trees 10 inches DBH or larger. Before any site clearing, grading or construction that needs a county building permit, a tree removal permit comes from the County Landscape Architect.
Exemptions: a parcel used or to be used for a single-family home; bona fide agricultural or silviculture clearing; dead, dying or hazardous trees; species on the UF/IFAS invasive lists.
The agricultural exemption has a catch. If land is cleared under it, no land-use change can be applied for within one year unless trees are replaced or a mitigation payment is made.
Burning needs Florida Forest Service authorization. Gopher tortoise burrows need a 25-ft buffer or an FWC permit.
Local conditions
Flat, sandy terrain: 4.0% of mapped soil is ≥8% slope, 0.5% ≥15%.
Wet pockets: 40.3% of the soil survey area is somewhat poorly to very poorly drained, so equipment access can change with the season.
248 insured flood claims on record, peaking in 2017.
What drives local prices
- Tree count over 10 in DBH on non-exempt (non-single-family) sites. Replacement runs 100 DBH inches per acre on average.
- Stump grinding to grade for build sites ($120–$400 first stump, $30–$60 each additional)
- Debris plan: mulch in place versus haul. Residential burn piles need 300-ft setbacks from occupied buildings.
Common jobs
- Full land clearing for new home sites
- Forestry mulching for pasture and fence lines
- Stump grinding after tree removal
- Lot clearing and grading for new construction
Service area
Coverage across Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon, Silver Springs Shores, Marion Oaks, and the rural county.
Single-family parcels are exempt from Marion's tree permit requirement; commercial sites need permits for trees 10 in DBH or larger.
Communities: Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon, Silver Springs Shores, Marion Oaks, Rainbow Lakes Estates, Summerfield, Fort McCoy, Citra, Reddick, McIntosh, Ocklawaha
If it is an emergency
A storm-downed tree on a house, driveway or power line is a tree-service or utility call, not a land-clearing job. Marion's code exempts trees that pose an immediate threat. Call the utility before going near any line.
Questions about Marion County
Do I need a county tree permit to clear my lot in Marion County?
Not for a parcel used or to be used for a single-family home; the county code exempts it (Sec. 6.7.2.E). Commercial and subdivision sites need a permit for trees 10 in DBH or larger before any clearing or grading. Check whether your parcel sits inside a city, which has its own rules.
I cleared under the farm exemption. Can I rezone next year?
Marion's code bars land-use change applications for one year after exempt clearing, unless you replace trees at up to 100 DBH inches per acre or pay the equivalent into the county's Tree Mitigation Fund (Sec. 6.7.2.C).
Sources
- MA1: Single-family (1-unit) buildings authorized: 5,023 (2023), 6,067 (2024), 5,420 (2025)
- MA2: 2025 reported value of those 1-unit permits: $1,132,757,088, about $209,000 per building
- MA3: Forest land about 544,193 ac (SE 8.4%), 53.3% of the sampled area
- MA4: Sand pine is the top forest type: 119,875 ac, 22.0% of forest (41 plots); slash pine 16.0%
- MA5: Mixed upland hardwoods 11.3%; southern scrub oak 9.6% (52,176 ac)
- MA6: Trees ≥10 in DBH are protected; a permit from the County Landscape Architect is required before site clearing or grading (Secs. 6.7.3, 6.7.5)
- MA7: Exempt: single-family parcels, bona fide agriculture or silviculture, trees under 10 in DBH, UF/IFAS-listed invasives (Sec. 6.7.2)
- MA8: After exempt agricultural clearing, no land-use change application for one year unless 100 DBH inches/acre is replaced or paid into the mitigation fund (Sec. 6.7.2.C)
- MA9: Replacement ratios: 10–19 in trees 1 in per 2 removed; 20–29 in 1.5 per 2; healthy trees ≥30 in inch-for-inch at 4-in caliper minimum (Sec. 6.7.8)
- MA10: Tree permits expire after one year or with the building permit; utility-related removals must grind stumps ≥2 in below grade (Sec. 6.7.5)
- MA11: 4.0% of the soil survey area has slopes ≥8% and 0.5% ≥15%; 40.3% (303,168 ac) is somewhat poorly to very poorly drained
- MA12: 248 NFIP claims on record, $5.98 million paid; peak year 2017 (64 claims)
Fees and rules change; confirm with the permitting office. Run the estimator for a cost range.