Excavation and land clearing in Biddeford, Maine.
Outside the dense core around the mills, Biddeford is still a lot of woods and fields. The city's 2023 comprehensive plan appendix counts 29 parcels, 1,646.53 acres in all, enrolled in Maine's Tree Growth tax program, about 9.8 percent of the city, plus farmland and open space enrollments. When any of that land is cleared for a house, a driveway or a business, it is excavation and site work in some of the most varied ground in York County.
We run our own equipment for land clearing, foundation and site excavation, drainage trenching and retention pond work.
Ledge on one lot, clay on the next
The soil survey maps large areas of the city as Lyman-Rock outcrop complex, shallow loam over bedrock with outcrop covering up to a quarter of the ground. A foundation hole there may hit rock within two feet. Closer to the river and in the low areas, the soils are Scantic silt-clay and Naumburg sand, both hydric and both carrying spring water tables within inches of the surface. Excavation on those sites plans for dewatering, stockpiles that will not slump, and drainage trenching to carry groundwater away from new foundations.
In Biddeford's Rural Farm zone, soils classed as prime farmland or of statewide importance are subtracted from a parcel when subdivision density is calculated, and the Planning Board can require a high-intensity soil survey.
Rules for clearing near water
Clearing within 250 feet of tidal water is governed by the city's Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. The state's model standards allow no cleared openings within 75 feet of the water in timber harvesting and, beyond that buffer, cap cutting at 40 percent of tree volume per acre in any ten-year period. Within 500 feet of the Saco, or up to 1,000 feet in the floodplain, development needs a Saco River Corridor Commission permit.
Owners pulling land out of Tree Growth face a withdrawal penalty set by how long it was enrolled, which is something to settle before the first tree comes down.
Erosion control from day one
Maine's erosion law applies to anyone who fills, displaces or exposes soil, permit or not, and the city's own watershed plan describes the Thatcher Brook soils as highly erodible. Sediment barriers go in on the downhill side before clearing starts, and exposed ground is stabilized as each phase finishes.
Land Clearing · Site Work · Trenching
How we handle excavation & land clearing
We run our own excavation equipment, which means one crew takes your project from raw ground to ready: land clearing, foundation and site excavation, drainage trenching, and retention pond mowing and trenching for commercial properties.
See the full excavation & land clearing service page or everything we do in Biddeford, Maine.
Excavation & Land Clearing in nearby towns
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More services in Biddeford
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- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Biddeford
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- Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal in Biddeford
- Commercial Mowing & Cleanups in Biddeford
- Septic Systems in Biddeford
- Tree & Shrub Services in Biddeford
- Tree Removal in Biddeford
Sources for the local facts on this page
- City of Biddeford — Comprehensive Plan Appendix (2023)
- USDA NRCS — Web Soil Survey (York County, Maine)
- USDA NRCS — Official Series Description, Lyman
- Maine DEP — Chapter 1000, Guidelines for Municipal Shoreland Zoning Ordinances
- Saco River Corridor Commission — About
- Maine DEP — Erosion & Sedimentation Control
- City of Biddeford — Thatcher Brook Watershed Management Plan (2015)
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Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine