Land disturbance permit
Also called: grading permit, erosion control permit, clearing permit, site disturbance permit, LDP
A county or city permit required before clearing, grading or excavating more than a threshold area — often one acre, sometimes as little as 5,000 sq ft — to control erosion and runoff. Usually needs an erosion-control plan and an inspection. $100–$500 for residential jobs.
Bare, freshly cleared ground washes into ditches, creeks and neighbors’ yards with the first hard rain, which is why nearly every county regulates how much of it you can create at once. The federal Clean Water Act sets a one-acre threshold for construction stormwater permits; states and counties commonly set lower ones, and areas near streams, wetlands and steep slopes have their own buffers where clearing may be prohibited outright.
The permit itself is cheap. What it requires is the work: a simple plan showing where silt fence goes, how bare soil will be stabilized (seed, straw, mulch), and a schedule; then an inspection. Contractors handle this routinely and include it in the quote. Homeowners clearing their own land are equally responsible and frequently don’t know it until a stop-work order arrives.
Separate from this, many cities require a tree removal permit for trees over a stated diameter, and open burning of debris needs a burn permit from the fire district. Check all three before any cutting starts.