Fence line pricing, per linear foot
Fence line clearing runs $2.50 to $11 per linear foot, priced by density the same way acreage is, plus a $150 to $350 mobilization charge. A quarter mile of light regrowth along an old barbed wire line prices toward the bottom of that range. The same quarter mile choked with volunteer cedar and greenbrier tangled through the wire runs toward the top. Minimum job is $750, since setting up a machine for a 200-foot stretch costs about the same as running 1,000 feet.
Fence line clearing rates, 12 to 16 foot swath
| Density | What that looks like | Per linear foot |
|---|
| Light | Grass and light regrowth along the line | $2.50-$4.00 |
| Moderate | Brush and small trees under 6 inches | $4.00-$7.00 |
| Heavy | Vine-tangled trees, volunteer cedar, wire grown into trunks | $7.00-$11.00 |
One fact, not an adjective: we cut a 12 to 16 foot swath centered on the existing line, wide enough for a fence contractor's post-hole auger truck to drive it and for a surveyor to run a sightline, not just a footpath through the brush.
How a fence line job runs
- Locate the line. We confirm the fence line off your existing posts and wire, a plat, or corner stakes if the fence itself has partially fallen or disappeared.
- Measure and quote. Total linear footage times the density rate, plus mobilization, in writing before we schedule.
- Flag anything to save. Gate posts, corner braces still in good shape, or a specific tree line you want kept get flagged before the machine starts.
- Clear the swath. The mulching head works both sides of the existing fence, grinding brush and small trees while staying off the wire itself.
- Hand-clear around the wire. Sections where old wire has grown into a tree trunk or wraps through brush get cleared by hand rather than run through the machine.
- Walk the line. We walk the cleared swath with you to confirm it's wide enough for whatever comes next, new fence, survey crew, or just foot and vehicle access.
What makes a fence line harder than acreage
Old barbed wire wrapped in growth. Decades-old fence wire tangled into tree trunks and vines is the single biggest slowdown on fence line jobs. A mulching tooth catching wire stops the machine and risks damage, so these sections get cut by hand first.
County road right-of-way. Fence lines that run along a county road, including many of the numbered county roads through the Tarkington and Shepherd areas, sit close to road right-of-way. We confirm where your property line sits relative to the road easement before clearing anything roadside.
Shared lines with a neighbor. A fence line is, by definition, shared. We clear to the visible line and won't clear onto a neighbor's side without their say-so, which sometimes means the swath is narrower on one side than you'd like.
Gate posts and corner braces. Good corner and gate posts are worth saving even on an otherwise rough line. Flag them ahead of time, unflagged posts in bad shape get treated like the rest of the brush.
How long it takes
A quarter-mile fence line (about 1,320 feet) with light to moderate brush usually clears in half a day. A full mile of heavy, vine-choked line can run 2 full days once you factor in hand-clearing sections tangled in old wire.
One limit worth knowing: we clear the line, we don't set fence. If you need new fence built after we open the swath, that's a separate contractor and we'll hand off a clean, walkable line for them to work from.
Fence lines we see most
Fence line calls come from three kinds of property: acreage owners along Liberty County's numbered county roads reopening an old boundary before a survey, Colony Ridge lot owners establishing a first fence line where none existed, and Tarkington and Shepherd area landowners maintaining longer perimeter fences that border neighboring pasture or timber tracts. Property along the Trinity River bottoms tends to have the heaviest overgrowth since fence maintenance often takes a back seat when the ground is too wet to get equipment out for months at a time.