Site Clearing in Collier County

The county's vegetation removal permit application says the building permit for a house allows one acre of clearing, and that clearing additional acreage for permitted accessory uses, or native vegetation for a perimeter fence, takes a vegetation removal permit. The application also says the permit does not replace other county, state or federal approvals. Exotic plants may be cleared mechanically only where the work will not damage native root zones, harm listed species or affect wetlands.

Wildlife is the other check. Gopher tortoises are a threatened species protected by the state, and moving one takes a state permit. Parcels in panther range or near wetlands may need federal review. In Golden Gate Estates, lots that look dry can hold protected wetlands, so a wetland determination should come first.

What is on the ground varies too: old slabs, sheds, fill, fencing and sometimes dumped debris. It is sorted, and the haul is priced separately.

A parcel number, photos and the plan for the lot get things moving. The record is read and the land is walked, and the finished scope separates cleared ground, protected ground and anything waiting on an approval.

Order of work

Parcel record and wetland and habitat mapping
Walk of the lot, marking what is cleared and what is kept
Vegetation, wildlife or wetland approvals the lot needs
Sunshine 811 call and utility locates
Structures, slabs and debris cleared in order
Sorting and haul to licensed facilities
Grading and stabilizing of the surface

Common snags

What tends to hold these jobs up, and our answer to each

The one-acre line

A house permit allows one acre of clearing; more for accessory uses takes a vegetation removal permit. The limit is checked before the machine arrives.

Gopher tortoise burrows

A burrow can stop work until a permitted relocation is done. A survey comes first.

Wetlands that look dry

Dry-looking lots can be protected wetland. A determination comes before any clearing.

Mixed debris

Old lots hold concrete, wood, metal and sometimes fill. Sorting happens as the work goes.

Where our role ends

Tree work, wildlife relocation and wetland approvals are separate and licensed. Nothing is cleared that approvals have not covered, and a lot is not assumed clearable until the records say so.

Questions

About site clearing

How much of my lot can I clear?

Per the county's vegetation removal permit application, a house permit allows one acre of clearing, and more for permitted accessory uses needs a vegetation removal permit. Wetlands and listed species can limit it further.

What if there are gopher tortoises on my lot?

They are a threatened species protected by the state, and relocating them needs a state permit. We survey for burrows before any clearing.

What goes into the cost of a demolition?

A quote comes after we visit the property, or after we review photos and drawings that show enough. The price follows the building's materials and height, the asbestos survey, utility and septic work, how machines reach the lot, what stays, and where the debris goes. We do not publish prices, because two lots that look alike seldom cost alike.

Is there a size limit on the jobs you price?

No limit. Sheds, pools, slabs and single walls get a quote, and so do whole buildings, selective or structural. Describe what stands on the lot and what must stay, and the price follows that description.

Is Romco Builders licensed?

Yes. Romco Builders is a Florida-licensed general contractor with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale. Some tasks need a license or permit of their own, among them asbestos abatement, electrical disconnects, septic abandonment and tree removal. Those go to the firms or agencies with that authority, and we fit them into a single schedule.

Start to finish

Six stages in a fixed order

Send the address and the scope
Ring us or use the quote form, and attach photos or drawings if you have them. Give the area, what has to go and what has to stay.
We walk the site
We visit the lot and look at the building, the utility connections, septic or sewer, the flood zone, how machines and trucks will get in, and the neighbors.
Written scope and quote
A written quote lists what comes out, what is shielded, and what leaves by truck. Anything that depends on a survey is marked.
Surveys, permit and disconnects
Required asbestos testing, utility shutoffs and septic abandonment happen here, and the permit goes to the office that covers your parcel.
Demolition and haul-off
The crew follows the agreed order of work. Debris is taken to permitted facilities, and load records are kept.
Final inspection
The permit is closed by the building department after its last inspection, leaving a clear lot or the shell you requested.

Site clearing across Collier, including Naples, Old Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City, Chokoloskee, Goodland, Isles of Capri, Immokalee, Golden Gate Estates, Bayshore and Gateway Triangle, and every other Collier city.

Also on our list

Other demolition we price

A wide field of broken concrete slabs, bricks and timber with a tall chimney in the distance.

Any type, any size, anywhere in Collier County

Name the place and the job, and we will put a price on it.

Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single wall or a full building: either way you get a written scope and a quote.

Request a quote Call (239) 510-4206