Print this out and walk your property before requesting a quote. Ten to fifteen minutes with this checklist in hand gets you a meaningfully more accurate first estimate, and surfaces the handful of things — boundary questions, terrain quirks, EQIP eligibility — that are much easier to address before a crew shows up than during the job itself. This applies whether you’re on a Franklin estate lot or a long-fallow Columbia hayfield; the checklist is the same regardless of which town on the corridor your property sits in.
1. Vegetation
☐ Note whether the property has cedar, privet, kudzu, or a mix — see What’s Actually Growing on Your Land if you’re unsure how to tell them apart.
☐ Estimate density in different areas: light (scattered), medium (thicket, walkable), or dense (hard to walk through).
☐ Take photos from a few different spots, including the densest area.
2. Property Boundaries
☐ Locate any existing recorded plat or survey through your county’s Register of Deeds or GIS parcel viewer.
☐ Walk the property line looking for physical markers (iron pins, concrete monuments) at the corners.
☐ Note any spot where you’re genuinely unsure where the boundary falls — see Mark Your Property Lines Before Clearing.
3. Terrain
☐ Note any rock outcrops, unusually shallow topsoil, or depression features that might indicate karst or sinkhole activity.
☐ Walk the property after a rain if possible, and note where water actually pools or moves.
☐ Flag any meaningfully steep sections. See Slopes, Sinkholes, and Karst for what this affects.
4. Access
☐ Identify how equipment would reach the work area — existing driveway, gate width, or a route across open ground.
☐ Note any tight spots, low-hanging utility lines, or structures equipment would need to maneuver around.
5. Project Goal
☐ Decide, even roughly, what the end use is: pasture reclamation, building pad, hunting lanes, view clearing, or general maintenance.
☐ If building is any part of the plan, even a future one, say so — it changes whether mulching alone is sufficient. See Mulching vs. Excavation vs. Grubbing.
6. Cost-Share Eligibility (Agricultural Reclamation)
☐ If the goal is returning pasture to hay or grazing use, note whether you’ve contacted your local NRCS office about EQIP cost-share.
☐ If pursuing EQIP, confirm the sequence with NRCS before scheduling clearing — see Eastern Redcedar Removal & EQIP Cost-Share.
7. Permits
☐ If your project involves grading or exceeds roughly an acre of disturbance, check current thresholds for your county or city — see Land Clearing Permits in Middle Tennessee.
☐ If you plan to burn debris, confirm you’re within the October 15 to May 15 burn-permit season and check for any city-specific rules.
8. Timeline
☐ Note any hard deadline — permit expiration, builder’s schedule, hunting season — and how much flexibility exists around it.
☐ If timing is tight, request a quote earlier rather than later; scheduling lead time is often the bigger constraint, not the work itself.
Ready to Request a Quote
With this checklist walked, you’re ready for an accurate first conversation. Request a quote and include your photos and notes — the more of this checklist you can answer up front, the more useful the estimate you get back.