Guides
Know the rulesbefore the dirt moves.
Plain guides for landowners in South Central Texas. Every rule and number links to the official source, and the price guides explain what sets the price without quoting numbers. We do not publish prices.
- 13 guides
- Official sources linked
- No sales numbers
Price guides
What the price is based on
The things that set the price of land work. We do not publish prices, and these guides quote no numbers.
What land clearing costs depend on.
The brush, rock, access, debris and paperwork questions that set the price of a clearing job.
Read the guide
What a stock tank costs depends on.
Dirt moved, soil, rock, access, spoil and design: the things that set the price of a dirt tank.
Read the guideRules and how-to
Clearing, water, roads and the rules
Burn bans, oak wilt, tree permits, the Edwards Aquifer, stock tanks, roads, valuation and cost-share.
Selective cedar clearing in the Hill Country.
What TPWD and AgriLife say to keep, when to clear, the warbler question and the water claims to ignore.
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Oak wilt and clearing: protecting your oaks.
How oak wilt spreads, the February to June rule, painting wounds and San Antonio's oak rules.
Read the guide
Do you need a permit to clear land here?
Tree ordinances, the Helotes survey, Edwards Aquifer plans, floodplains and who to call.
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Edwards Aquifer rules for land work.
Which counties, when a TCEQ plan is needed, what is excluded and what it means for each kind of job.
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Burning brush piles: rules, bans and options.
TCEQ's rules for burning cleared brush, county burn bans, and what to do with the piles during a ban.
Read the guide
Building a stock tank that holds water.
Siting, soil tests, clay, sizing for the herd, depth for drought and the 200 acre-foot rule.
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Leaky stock tank? Causes and fixes.
Why tanks leak, from limestone and sand lenses to a weak dam, and the published fixes.
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Caliche, road base or asphalt millings?
What each surface is, where it fits, what sets the price and why drainage matters more.
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Ranch road drainage: crowns, culverts, crossings.
Crowns, ditches, turnouts, culverts and low-water crossings, plus floodplain review and flood safety.
Read the guideLand work and your wildlife or ag valuation.
How brush management and ponds fit TPWD's wildlife practices, and who actually decides.
Read the guide
EQIP cost-share for brush, ponds and roads.
How EQIP works, the practice codes that match land work, and where a contractor fits in.
Read the guideFree estimate
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for your land?
A guide can only explain what moves the cost. We look at the ground, talk through what you want and give you a free estimate before any work starts.
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- Ranch land, acreage and homesites
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