Yard Grading or Leveling

Need yard grading or leveling? If you’re unsure how to start, or what it might cost this will help.

One thing to understand is that many people use the term “bobcat” when referring to dirt work with a “skid steer”. To clarify, a skid steer has wheels, whereas a compact track loader (or CTL) runs on “tracks” just like a bulldozer has, except our tracks are rubber, disperse the weight better, and are less disruptive to surrounding areas and surfaces.

About Grading Dirt for Yards

Here are some national average costs¹ from 2022 to help you estimate what might be involved.

We also include the typical rental expenses for equipment to do this type of work below in case you want to do it yourself.

Be aware that there are MANY other costs you need to consider if you go this route… Here are some of them:

• Laborers
• Permit fees
• Locating utilities (and avoiding damaging any)
• Equipment & attachments rental fee
• Equipment rental taxes
• Equipment rental insurance
• Equipment delivery fees
• Fuel costs
• Soil or gravel imported (or exported)
• Trucking costs for importing or exporting
• Debris or Soil disposal fees
• City permits, and…
• Any costs should you damage the equipment

Now, if you hire someone to do this, all or most of those will be included in their quote and your costs removing the hassles you might experience by renting yourself.

Understand that any quotes you might get will be based on many factors, such as the equipment needed, the total area graded, access to the work, obstacles, utilities nearby, if soils need to be imported or exported, hauling away any debris, and the slope of your project.

You will also have to consider if any excavation is required for yard grading, and if it is taking place near any utility lines. If it is anywhere close, we ALWAYS require that you call “811” no less than two full working days before you plan to re-grade (or dig).

Once called, they will send the correct people and equipment out to properly locate and mark ALL utilities (including cable). Any good contractor will probably have a disclaimer that they are not responsible for these lines if they are not properly marked by the correct personnel from the local utility location services.

You can find more details about calling 811 here.

Minimum Rate for Grading

Another important factor to understand is that most contractors have a minimum charge of ½ a day for any dirt work, plus costs to mobilize any equipment to/from a job.

This is because even if it takes only a couple of hours to do the work needed, they will have blocked at least half of the day to mobilize equipment to your site, do the work, and then move equipment off your site.

It removes their ability to work on any other projects that entire day (unless they have another job very close).

Regrade or Level a Yard – by Square Foot

The average size of most yards is from 5,000-10,000 square feet (and possibly even larger in my area). Costs just to level can range from $1.25-$2.25 per square foot, but we know that most people don’t always have to regrade their entire yard, so your costs will vary.

The national “average” to level (or regrade) a yard is $2,141, ranging from the low end of $1,017 to the higher end of $6,500. ¹

Remember these costs are affected by many factors…

Just a few factors are;

• the total area that needs to be graded
• access to the work area
• obstacles in the graded area or for ingress and egress
• if sod needs to be stripped and hauled off
• whether soils are to be imported or exported
• if debris needs to be hauled off
• how close or far away the work is from existing structures
• the slope of your project
• and more

There are also considerations if the re-grading would cause the removal of existing irrigation or sprinklers, in which case you will need to plan on having your landscape contractor come in to modify or disconnect and remove your system before re-grading is started.

Regrade or Level a Yard – by the acre

Each excavation contractor’s prices for earthwork and grading are different. Some might price by the square foot, or by the acre.

Typical costs for leveling dirt while yard grading can vary greatly because of not knowing exactly what soils lie underneath the top layers like soft or water saturated soil, or rock, or not knowing what might need to be imported or exported. National average rates by the acre are as follows:

1/5 acre (appx 8,700 sf) ranges from $3,000-$9,000
½ acre (appx 21,780 sf) ranges from $7,500-$22,500
1 acre (appx 43,560 sf) ranges from $15,000-$45,000

DIY – One-Day Rental (Equipment Only)

Thinking about doing it yourself?

Here are some equipment rental costs similar to those we use for most yard grading projects in the greater Scottsdale area. Keep in mind, that this is with NO operator, materials, material or delivery fees, compaction roller, permits, or any other fees.

	Low	High
Compact Track Loader w/bucket	$510	$510
Round trip delivery	$300	$600
Rental protection plan (equipt damage, theft, etc.)	$620	$620
Fuel	$75	$110
Operator	not incl.	not incl.
“Other” Fees	?	?
Rental Tax (8.5% if less than 31 days)	$128	$158
1-day Rental	$1,633	$2,013

It’s not as cheap as people think once they see all the fees involved. We can’t blame anyone for trying to do it themself, but it usually is much more involved than anyone anticipates and more than you’d guess.

Have a gravel drive that needs work? Read More about it here if you need a gravel driveway repaired or replaced.

¹Data based on HomeAdvisor research, May 2022