(479) 304-0400
Yellow excavator on a scraped red-dirt pad, gravel piles behind it and tall pines at the edge

Site preparation and dirt work in Arkansas

Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service does site preparation and dirt work: house pads, driveways, gravel roads, and erosion control, statewide from three Google listings, rated 5.0 on Google.

Call (479) 304-0400 How the job goes

A short recording answers first. Press 1 and you're put through.

Ask any site prep or dirt work company these six questions

We read the 1-to-3-star Google reviews of 88 Arkansas clearing and tree companies, and 172 of them were about the work itself. A pad built the wrong size, a yard left rutted, a start date that kept slipping: each question below answers one of those, with a promise the person running your job carries out.

  1. 01

    Will the pad be where and how big we agreed?

    17 of 172 reviews: the work didn't match what was agreed

    Before the machine starts, we walk and flag the boundaries and anything you want saved, or send you photos of them.

  2. 02

    Will the quote list every charge?

    12 of 172 reviews: the price changed with nothing in writing

    You get a written quote before any work. It lists every charge, travel included. The price changes only if you approve the change in writing first.

  3. 03

    What if the ground is too wet?

    9 of 172 reviews: ruts and a torn-up yard after the machines

    If the ground is too wet to work without rutting, we tell you and reschedule. Any ruts we make are smoothed before we leave.

  4. 04

    When will the work start?

    15 of 172 reviews: no firm date, only "next week"

    Your quote comes with a start week. If the weather moves it, we call you.

  5. 05

    Who calls me back?

    61 of 172 reviews: the crew stopped answering

    Every call or text gets a call back the same working day, from the person running your job.

  6. 06

    Does my job need a permit?

    0 of 172 reviews, yet Google is asked it for clearing, grading, and driveways

    On the first visit we tell you which Arkansas rules may touch your job (burn bans, the 1-acre stormwater permit, septic permits) and who handles each.

Quick answers about gravel drives and dirt work

What Arkansas landowners ask Google before a driveway or a pad goes in. Each answer starts with the answer.

Can you just put gravel down for a driveway?

You can, but it ruts fast if rain sits on it. The Federal Highway Administration's gravel roads guide says water left on a gravel surface softens it and leads to ruts, so the drive needs a crown that sheds water. Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service builds gravel roads and driveways across Arkansas.

Do I need a permit to put gravel on my driveway?

Sometimes, depending on the road it meets. A driveway onto a state highway needs an access driveway permit from the ArDOT district's Permit Officer, and counties and cities set their own rules for their roads. On the first visit, Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service tells you which Arkansas rules may touch your job and who handles each.

What are the downsides of a gravel driveway?

Upkeep. The Federal Highway Administration's gravel roads guide names potholes, ruts, and washboarding as the usual problems, and says washboarding comes mostly from the gravel itself, not the grader. Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service builds gravel roads and driveways, and your written quote lists every charge, travel included.

Who fixes ruts and washouts after the work?

We do, for any ruts we make. If the ground is too wet to work without rutting, Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service tells you and reschedules. Any ruts we make are smoothed before we leave, and if we damage anything, we tell you that day and put the fix in writing.

Old crawler dozer pushing dirt on a lot being cleared of brush and small trees
Frame 02Dirt workArkansas

Over 20 years in business, with the machines for dirt work

Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service is fully licensed and insured. We carry liability insurance and send the certificate on request.

We have the equipment for any land clearing or earth-moving job, so the trees come off, the pad goes in, and the drive gets built by the same crew. The estimate is free, and our lines are open 24/7.

We work statewide from three Google listings: Hindsville, Greenbrier, and Hot Springs. The crew comes to your land.

How the job goes, from your first call to the walkthrough

Six steps, in order, and what you see at each one.

  1. 01

    Your phone rings back

    Every call or text gets a call back the same working day, from the person running your job. If we can't take your job, we say so on the first call.

  2. 02

    We walk the site with you

    You show us where the house, the shop, or the drive will go. Before we quote, we tell you what the ground will look like the day we leave.

  3. 03

    A quote in writing

    You get a written quote before any work. It lists every charge, travel included. Your quote comes with a start week.

  4. 04

    Two calls, then flags

    We call the day before, and again when the crew pulls in. Before the machine starts, we walk and flag the boundaries and anything you want saved.

  5. 05

    The dirt work

    If the ground is too wet to work without rutting, we tell you and reschedule. Any ruts we make are smoothed before we leave.

  6. 06

    Walkthrough, then payment

    We walk the site with you before we call the job done. Final payment is due after the walkthrough. Every payment gets a receipt.

Building pads, driveways, and excavation

Site preparation, site work, dirt work, excavating: it all means getting the ground ready to build on. These are the five kinds of site prep we do in Arkansas.

  • Graded building pad with a gravel pile and two excavators at the tree line

    House pads

    The spot where the house will sit, cleared and shaped so rain runs away from it. Its size and corners are flagged with you before the machine starts.

  • Gravel drive bending into a stand of leafy woods

    Driveways

    A way in from the road to the house, the shop, or the back gate, cleared, shaped, and topped with gravel. How a gravel drive holds up is in gravel roads, below.

  • Operator in a hard hat running a skid steer across a muddy dirt site

    Shop and barn sites

    Level ground for a shop, a barn, or an equipment shed, with room to turn a truck and trailer.

  • One worker in hi-vis standing near an excavator working a flat open field

    Excavation and earth moving

    Digging, moving dirt from the high spots to the low ones, and hauling it in or out. A septic system is its own job: septic installation.

  • Freshly cleared red dirt with a downed log, a stand of pines left at the edge

    Clearing the spot first

    Trees, brush, and stumps come off before any dirt work starts. That part is land clearing.

Motor grader shaping a rural dirt road, a windrow of crushed stone along the edge
Frame 03Gravel roadArkansas

Gravel roads and driveways that shed water

We build gravel roads and driveways across Arkansas, from a short drive up to a house to a long road back to a barn or a hunting camp.

Water is what ruins a gravel road. The Federal Highway Administration's gravel roads guide says water that sits on the surface softens it and leads to ruts that can reach the dirt underneath. A road that lasts needs a crown, the right gravel, and somewhere for the rain to go.

  1. Crown

    The crown is the high middle that sends rain to the edges. The guide recommends about 1/2 inch of crown per foot, roughly 4 percent, and says not to go past 6 percent.Source: Federal Highway Administration, Gravel Roads Construction and Maintenance Guide (2015)

  2. Gravel

    Good surface gravel is a blend of fractured stone, sand, and fines that bind into a crust. Base gravel or sandy fill spread on top stays loose and is hard to keep in shape.Source: Federal Highway Administration, Gravel Roads Construction and Maintenance Guide (2015)

  3. Layers

    Each layer of gravel should be at least twice as thick as its largest stone. The guide adds that water and a roller make a better gravel road wherever they can be used.Source: Federal Highway Administration, Gravel Roads Construction and Maintenance Guide (2015)

Erosion control keeps your dirt on your land

Site work leaves bare dirt, and a hard rain can carry it off the pad, down the drive, and into the ditch. Erosion control is the work that holds it in place. The EPA's list of practices for construction sites splits that work in two.

Cover the soil

Erosion controls keep the dirt from moving in the first place: mulching, permanent seeding, sodding, and matting on bare ground and slopes.

Catch what moves

Sediment controls stop the dirt that does move before it leaves your land: silt fences, straw bales, fiber rolls, and sediment traps.

On a site that disturbs 1 acre or more, Arkansas's construction stormwater permit asks for a written plan for these controls, as the rules below explain.Source: U.S. EPA, National Menu of Best Management Practices for construction stormwater.

Site prep, grading, or drainage work

All three move dirt, and people mix them up. Here is what each one does and what it leaves you with.

Site prep and dirt work

The work
Getting one spot ready: a pad, a driveway, or a gravel road
Leaves you
Ground ready for the slab, the shop, or the trucks
Rain
Runs off the pad and to the edges of the road
Fits
A new house, shop, barn, or way in

Grading and land leveling

The work
Shaping the soil across a yard or a field
Leaves you
Smooth ground that sits level or slopes the way you want
Rain
Follows the new slope instead of pooling
Fits
A bumpy yard, low spots, or a rough field
Grading and land leveling

Drainage solutions

The work
Moving standing water off your land and away from buildings
Leaves you
A yard, field, or pad that dries out after rain
Rain
It's the whole job
Fits
Wet spots, standing water, and washouts
Drainage solutions

What a finished site looks like the day we leave

Site prep leaves ground the next trade can build on and trucks can drive. Three things decide how it looks, and each is settled with you before the machine starts.

Drawn cross-section of a finished site: a flagged building pad, a crowned gravel drive with a ditch beside it, and a silt fence at the edge of the bare dirt 1 2 3
  1. 1The padIts size and corners walked and flagged with you before the machine starts, or shown to you in photos.
  2. 2The driveCrowned so rain runs to the edges. The federal gravel roads guide recommends about 1/2 inch of crown per foot.
  3. 3The edgesBare dirt covered or fenced off with erosion control, so it stays on your land when it rains.
Before we quote

Before we quote, we tell you what the ground will look like the day we leave and what it will need afterwards to keep the brush from coming back.

If we have to leave

If we have to leave before the job is finished, you get the return date before the crew leaves.

5.0on Google

What landowners say about the crew

Every review on our three Google listings is five stars.

We had hired them to do some forestry mulching around Conway. They did a superb job and the crew completed the job on time. Thank you!

Rashel Reece Liu, Google review

  • Mark and his team are outstanding! They were quick to get back with us, and did an excellent job.

    Noela May Tiansay

  • A great job they did on my farm.

    Erin Mitchell

  • I will recommend it to everyone and my family

    Mariz Morada
Call (479) 304-0400

Arkansas rules that can touch site work

On the first visit we tell you which Arkansas rules may touch your job (burn bans, the 1-acre stormwater permit, septic permits) and who handles each.

  1. Stormwater

    The Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality's construction stormwater permit, ARR150000, covers construction that disturbs 1 acre or more. Sites of 1 to under 5 acres are covered automatically but must post a notice and keep a stormwater plan on site. At 5 acres or more, a Notice of Intent and the plan go in at least 10 business days before work starts.Source: Arkansas DEQ, ARR150000 fact sheet, permit effective November 1, 2026

  2. Flood zones

    Land in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area needs a floodplain development permit before any filling, grading, paving, or excavation starts. Putting fill into a wetland needs a Section 404 permit, handled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, before the work. Your county or city floodplain office can tell you whether your land sits in a flood zone.Source: Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Floodplain Management FAQ; U.S. EPA, Section 404 permit program

  3. Driveways

    A driveway onto a state highway needs an access driveway permit, issued by the Permit Officer of the ArDOT district where the driveway will be. For a driveway onto a county road or a city street, and for any local building permit, ask your county or city.Source: Arkansas Department of Transportation, Access Driveway Permits

Site prep and dirt work near you, region by region

Each region page lists its towns and the line nearest you. All three of our lines reach the same crew.

Northwest Arkansas

Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties

Central Arkansas

Pulaski, Faulkner, Saline, Lonoke, Perry, Conway, and Grant counties

Arkansas River Valley

Crawford, Sebastian, Franklin, Logan, Johnson, Scott, Pope, and Yell counties

Ozarks and North Central

Boone, Marion, Newton, Searcy, Baxter, Stone, Izard, Fulton, Sharp, Van Buren, and Cleburne counties

Hot Springs and the Ouachitas

Garland, Montgomery, Hot Spring, Clark, Pike, and Polk counties

Northeast Arkansas

Randolph, Lawrence, Clay, Greene, Craighead, Mississippi, and Poinsett counties

White River Valley

Independence, Jackson, White, and Woodruff counties

Arkansas Delta

Crittenden, Cross, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips, Monroe, Prairie, and Arkansas counties

Southwest Arkansas

Miller, Hempstead, Little River, Sevier, Howard, Lafayette, and Nevada counties

South Arkansas

Union, Columbia, Ouachita, Calhoun, Dallas, Bradley, and Cleveland counties

Southeast Arkansas

Jefferson, Lincoln, Drew, Ashley, Chicot, and Desha counties

Towns we serve, A to Z

Every Arkansas town with its own page, and the line nearest each one

More gravel and dirt work questions

The rest of what landowners ask before the first load of gravel arrives.

Read the guides
What gravel is best for driveways?

Crushed stone blended with sand and fines. The federal gravel roads guide says good surface gravel uses fractured stone and fine particles that bind into a crust, while base gravel or sandy fill stays loose on top. Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service builds gravel roads and driveways across Arkansas.

Is 2 inches of gravel enough for a driveway?

For one layer of 1-inch stone, 2 inches is the minimum. The federal gravel roads guide says each layer should be at least twice as thick as its largest stone. What the whole drive needs depends on the ground under it and the trucks on it, so Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service walks the site before quoting.

Does water pass easily through gravel?

Some gravel does, and that kind belongs under a building, not on top of a road. The federal gravel roads guide says sandy fill drains fast but stays loose on a road, while surface gravel needs binding fines and a crown to shed water. Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service builds gravel roads and driveways statewide.

Can I build whatever I want on my land?

Not always. In a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, a floodplain development permit comes before any filling, grading, or excavation, and counties and cities set their own building rules. On the first visit, Mark's Arkansas Land Clearing Service tells you which Arkansas rules may touch your job and who handles each.

Tell us what you're building and where

(479) 304-0400
Call or text. The person running your job calls back the same working day.

A short recording answers first. Press 1 and you're put through.

Call (479) 304-0400