On a building lot, the pre-clearing order of operations matters more than the price of any single step. Survey first, because clearing an area the plan later moves is money spent twice and screening lost for nothing. Then approvals, then utility location, then erosion controls installed, and only then the clearing, and only the approved plan area, staked on the ground. Clear the investigation access before the full envelope, so the geotechnical, septic and drainage work can happen while the position of the house is still adjustable. Total the earth disturbance across the whole plan, not per phase, because Vermont's Construction General Permit triggers at one acre including anything that is part of a larger common plan of development.
Low Risk coverage requires temporary or final stabilisation within the 7, 14 or 21 days its project authorization sets, counted from initial disturbance, and that clock starts when the first machine moves, not when the builder arrives.
The short answer
Clear what the approved plan and next trade need, not an undefined extra area.
| Step | Before | If it slips |
|---|---|---|
| Boundary survey | Everything | Cleared area in the wrong place, or a trespass |
| Approvals | Any disturbance | Stop-work and retroactive permitting |
| Utility location | Any machine work | A struck service |
| Erosion controls | First disturbance | Sediment leaving the site |
| Investigation access | Full envelope clearing | The house moves after the screening is gone |
| Envelope clearing | Excavation | Clearing twice |
| Stabilisation | Within 7, 14 or 21 days of disturbance, per the authorization | Permit non-compliance |
Sequence the project around verified information
The sequence, in order
- Get the approved site plan with the limit of disturbance drawn on it.
- Stake the limit of disturbance on the ground.
- Total disturbance across the whole plan for the stormwater threshold.
- Install erosion controls before the first machine.
- Clear investigation access only, then wait for results.
- Clear the envelope once the position is fixed.
- Stabilise on schedule regardless of when the builder starts.
What goes wrong
- Clearing before the septic and drainage investigation.
- Counting acreage per phase.
- Removing screening that the finished house needed.
What Vermont agencies add to a builder's pre-clearing checklist
Clearing is not the first item on a building-lot checklist. DEC's Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply program issues permits for soil-based wastewater systems under 6,500 gallons a day and for private water supplies. Those permits require a licensed designer to design the system. The lot's septic and well areas therefore decide where a machine may travel, and they should be flagged before any brush comes out.
Underground utilities come next. Vermont Gas' Dig Safe guidance says to call 811 at least 72 hours before digging, both to comply with Vermont law and to locate buried lines. Stump removal is digging.
Stormwater comes after both. DEC's Construction General Permit applies once earth disturbance reaches an acre, or when a smaller disturbance is part of a larger common plan of development. Put the septic reserve area, the utility marks and the acre count on the same marked plan the contractor quotes from.