Excavation Contractor
Site prep, dig-outs, trenching, and land development for any project.
Disturbing more than 5,000 square feet of ground in New Jersey, roughly an eighth of an acre, makes the work a project under the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act and requires a plan certified by the county Soil Conservation District rather than by the town or NJDEP. The Act excludes genuinely agricultural or horticultural work, and a single-family dwelling that is not part of a subdivision, site plan, variance, planned development or a group of two or more homes. Disturbance counts stockpiles and machine access tracks, not only the area you pictured. Hauling spoil off site is separately regulated: soil and fill recycling services must be registered under New Jersey's Dirty Dirt Law.
Want that answered for your property instead of in general? Call 862-268-2510 or get a free on-site estimate. We will tell you straight, including when the answer is that you do not need us.
Whatever the project needs pulled out of the ground, we handle it. From site prep and foundation dig-outs to trenching for utilities, we bring the right machine and an operator who knows the soil in this area.
How we do it
Good excavation is planned backwards from what the site needs to become. We figure the cuts and fills, call the markouts, and pick the machine that fits the job and the access, then dig to grade with the spoils managed as we go instead of piled where they will be in the way.
Material that leaves gets loaded and hauled; material that stays gets placed and compacted where the site needs it. We finish with the subgrade proof-rolled and ready for whatever comes next: footings, base stone, or topsoil and seed.
What's included
- Site preparation & clearing
- Foundation and footing dig-outs
- Utility trenching
- Backfill and compaction
- Hauling and material removal
- Residential and commercial
Prepping a pad for a coop or livestock shelter? We grade for any builder you have lined up. Still need the structure? TF Coops builds custom predator-proof coops and animal housing here in New Jersey.
Excavation: what people ask us
Is my job too small for you?
No. We run machines sized from mini excavators to full-size, so a stump, a footing dig, or a small trench gets the right machine, not a monster that tears up your yard.
What happens if you hit rock?
Around here it happens a lot, especially in the Highlands towns. We carry the attachments and bring in the bigger tools to break out and remove ledge rock so the job keeps moving.
Do you haul away the spoils?
Yes. We load and haul excess material off site, or regrade it on site if that works better for your project. Either way the site is left clean.
What New Jersey actually requires
Most of the surprises on this kind of job are regulatory, not mechanical. Here is what binds the work in our counties, with the state sources so you can read them yourself.
| What | What it means for your project |
|---|---|
| Soil Erosion and Sediment Control plan | Disturb more than 5,000 square feet, about an eighth of an acre, and the work is a project under the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act and needs a plan certified by your county Soil Conservation District, which has 30 days to grant or deny. Most site work crosses that line. Agricultural and horticultural work is excluded, and a single-family dwelling is excluded unless it is part of a subdivision, site plan, variance or a permit covering two or more homes. |
| Who certifies it | Your county Soil Conservation District, not the town and not NJDEP. Which district you are in is set by county, and they are the office that reviews and certifies the plan. |
| Highlands region | All seven counties we work in fall at least partly inside the Highlands. In the Preservation Area, disturbing an acre or more can become Major Highlands Development with NJDEP in the approval path. |
| Who may haul your spoil off site | New Jersey regulates this. Under the Dirty Dirt Law, soil and fill recycling services, which the statute defines as the collection, transportation, processing, brokering, storage, purchase, sale or disposition of soil and fill recyclable materials, require an A-901 license or a Soil and Fill Recycling Registration. NJDEP reads the law as having no self-generator exemption, so a contractor hauling dirt it dug itself is not automatically outside it. Virgin quarry products are excluded; excavated site soil is not. Worth asking any hauler about, because it is a real cost difference between a compliant bid and a cheap one. |
Sources: N.J.S.A. 4:24-39 et seq., the NJ Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act (statute text) · NJ Department of Agriculture: New Jersey Soil Conservation Districts · NJ Highlands Council: Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act · NJDEP: A-901 licensing and Soil and Fill Recycling (the Dirty Dirt Law, P.L. 2019 c.397). This is general information, not a ruling on your property. Your county Soil Conservation District and your town have the final say for your address. Every New Jersey threshold in one table →
What it costs
How much does excavation cost for a house in NJ?
$15,000 to well over $100,000
If you need one number: usually $50,000 to $60,000.
What moves it:
- Rock. Hammering out ledge or boulders is slow, hard work and it is the single biggest swing factor.
- What is being built on: a slab, a crawlspace or a full basement are three different excavations.
- Whether the utilities are overhead or underground, because underground means more digging and more coordination.
- Whether the site is on city sewer and water, or septic and well. A septic system and a well are their own projects on top of the dig.
How much does rock excavation cost in North Jersey?
$4,400 per day to hammer rock, one day minimum
What moves it:
- How much rock is actually there, which nobody knows until the hammer is in it. That is why this is billed time and materials rather than as a lump sum.
- The size of the job. A bigger job gets a better rate, because the mobilization is spread across more days.
Rock is the one thing we will not quote as a fixed price, and any contractor who does is guessing. The day rate above is for hammering with a Case 160. Time and materials on rock is not a contractor hedging, it is the only honest way to price something nobody can see.
How much does it cost to fill in an old swimming pool in NJ?
around $8,000 for a typical pool
What moves it:
- The size of the pool, which sets how much fill it takes. A typical one is a few truckloads of RCA or DGA.
- Access for trucks, because fill has to get to the hole.
The pool itself has to be broken up rather than simply buried, so that water can drain through instead of collecting in a bathtub under your yard. Skipping that is how a filled pool turns into a settling, soggy patch a few years later. Whether a permit is required varies by town, so ask yours before anything starts.
Our ranges in northern New Jersey as of August 2026, not a quote. Every range on the site is on what this work costs.
Excavation: the questions behind the job
What Actually Drives Excavation Cost
Excavation for a house runs $15,000 to over $100,000 and usually lands at $50,000 to $60,000. Rock, what you are building on, and whether the site is on city services are what move it. How to read an excavation bid like someone who knows.
Do I need a permit to clear land in New Jersey?
Disturb more than 5,000 square feet and the state calls it a project. Here is the threshold, the two exclusions written into the law that people miss, and what the Highlands and wetlands rules add on top.
Call before you dig: how NJ mark-outs actually work
Every dig in New Jersey starts with a free call to 811 and colored paint on the ground. Here is what those marks mean, how long the process takes, and why we will never put a bucket in the dirt without one.
Excavation: in our customers’ words
“From start to finish, JWSR exceeded all my expectations. They completed the work on time and within budget, and left everything spotless. Highly recommend for any excavation, fiber installation, or heavy-duty projects! 10/10 service!”
“I purchased a large property with an old building my insurance required me to tear down. I hired James and his crew and couldn't be more pleased with the results. I'll be going through James for all my future projects.”
“Excellent professional service. Showed up on time. Did the order as requested and, more importantly, did it correctly. I strongly recommend them for excavations.”
Excavation across northern & central NJ
We provide excavation across all 7 counties we serve. A few of the towns we cover:
Ready to get started?
Free on-site estimates. 24/7 emergency service. Call and talk to a real person.
Call 862-268-2510