Site clearing · Miami-Dade County
Site clearing in Miami-Dade
Site clearing in Miami-Dade gets held up by trees more often than by buildings. The county requires a permit to remove a tree under County Code Sec. 24-49, and destroying one through root damage counts the same way.
That changes how a lot is cleared. Trees to keep are marked and fenced before machines arrive, and trees to remove go through the county or city permit with replacement canopy planned. Doral publishes its own tree-removal exemptions, and North Miami Beach wants the tree permit settled before it issues a demolition permit, so we check the jurisdiction first.
Old lots hide old things: slabs from earlier buildings, septic tanks, wells and buried debris. County specifications call for septic tanks to be pumped and abandoned under the state septic rule, and we coordinate a licensed firm for that.
On the Atlantic shore, a lot east of the Coastal Construction Control Line can require a DEP permit for excavation, and sea turtle nesting season in Miami-Dade runs April 1 to October 31. We ask DEP and the city before clearing beachfront land.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor. We quote site clearing at any size and hand over a lot that is ready for survey and construction.
Sequence
- Walk the lot and confirm the jurisdiction by folio.
- Have trees surveyed and file for tree permits where removal is planned.
- Check CCCL and turtle-season rules on beachfront lots.
- Coordinate utility disconnects and septic abandonment.
- Fence trees that stay and set erosion controls.
- Remove structures, slabs, debris and permitted vegetation.
- Grade the lot for survey and construction.
Known risks
Where this work slips, and what we do about it
A protected tree is damaged
Root damage from equipment can count as unpermitted removal. We fence tree protection zones and keep machines and stockpiles out of them.
Buried tanks and old slabs
Earlier buildings leave material in the ground. We probe and dig suspect areas and coordinate licensed firms for septic tanks.
Beachfront work in nesting season
Work near the dune during turtle season can conflict with lighting and habitat rules. We check DEP and city rules and plan the work around them.
What sits outside our scope
Tree surveys, tree removal, septic abandonment, utility disconnects and DEP coastal permitting are other parties' licensed work or approvals that we coordinate. We do not remove a tree without the permit.
Questions
About site clearing
Do I need a permit to remove trees before clearing my lot?
In most cases, yes. Miami-Dade requires a permit under Sec. 24-49, and cities may have their own. Replacement canopy is usually required.
Does sea turtle season affect site clearing?
On beachfront lots it can. Nesting season in Miami-Dade runs April 1 to October 31. Ask DEP and your city what applies.
How much will my demolition cost?
We quote each job after seeing it, in person or through photos and plans when they show enough. The figure moves with the construction type, the floor area and height, the asbestos survey result, the utilities to be cut off, how machines reach the work, what stands next door, what must be kept, and how far the loads travel. A 1950s concrete block house and a 1990s frame addition can sit on the same street and quote very differently, which is why we publish no rates.
Is there a minimum or maximum job size?
No. A single partition wall, a shed, a pool deck or a full apartment building can all be quoted, and so can partial work where most of the structure remains. Describe what is there and what needs to survive, and the quote follows that scope.
Is Romco a licensed contractor?
Yes. Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor based in Fort Lauderdale. Trades that need their own license, such as asbestos abatement, electrical and plumbing disconnects, mold remediation or tree removal, are done by firms holding that license, and we run them on one schedule.
From first call to final
The order a Miami-Dade job follows
Call or send the request
Give us the address, photos or plans if you have them, and a plain account of what goes and what remains.
Site visit
We check how the building is framed, where the services enter, how trucks and machines get in, and what stands on either side.
Scope and quote in writing
You get a written scope listing removals, protections and haul-off, with any item that hangs on the asbestos survey called out.
Survey, notice and permit
A licensed asbestos survey, the DERM notice where it applies, the utility disconnects, then the permit from the city or the county.
Take-down and hauling
Work runs in the agreed sequence. Loads go to permitted facilities, and we keep the tickets.
Final and closeout
The inspector signs off the permit. You are left with a clean lot, or the shell you asked us to keep.
Site clearing throughout Miami-Dade, including Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Doral, Homestead, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Aventura, and every other Miami-Dade city.
More demolition
Other work we quote
- Interior demolitionCondo units, offices and retail space taken back to the shell, in the right order.Interior demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Selective demolitionRemove one part of a building and keep the rest standing and in service.Selective demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Commercial demolitionWhole commercial buildings down to grade, with DERM and the permit file in order.Commercial demolition in Miami-Dade →
- House demolitionA full teardown of a single-family home, from permit to a graded lot.House demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Structural demolitionUnsafe or failed structures taken down under an engineer's plan and the county's order.Structural demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, footings and hardscape broken out, hauled and graded.Concrete removal in Miami-Dade →
- Pool removalIn-ground pools filled in or removed, with groundwater and backfill planned.Pool removal in Miami-Dade →
- Mobile home demolitionManufactured and mobile homes taken down and hauled, additions and pads included.Mobile home demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Storm damage demolitionHurricane- and flood-damaged structures taken down or opened up for repair.Storm damage demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Asbestos coordinationLicensed asbestos survey, abatement and the DERM notice, arranged in order.Asbestos coordination in Miami-Dade →
- Accessory structure demolitionDetached garages, sheds, carports, screen rooms and guest houses removed.Accessory structure demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Something else?Your job is not listed? We still quote it. Call and walk us through it.Call (305) 760-9827 →
Every type, every size, all of Miami-Dade
Tell us what is coming down. We will put a quote on it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single interior partition or a complete building gets the same thing: a written scope and a quote.