Site Clearing and Mass Grading in the Denver Metro

Before a footing is dug in Adams County, earthwork has to answer two questions: what is in the ground, and where is it allowed to go? Commerce City sits in the shadow of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which was built in 1942 on 17,000 acres, listed on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List in 1987 and cleaned up for $2.1 billion, with groundwater treatment still continuing. Parcels near land like that deserve a deliberate approach to every cubic yard moved.

We clear and mass grade industrial sites across the metro, from small contractor yards to multi-building campuses. The work includes demolition of old structures and slabs, tree and brush removal, stripping and stockpiling topsoil, cut and fill to design grade, overexcavation of weak or expansive soils, building pad preparation and rough grading for truck courts, ponds and utility corridors.

The finished product is a pad that has been proof-rolled, tested and accepted, with grades the civil engineer can build to without field adjustments.

Ground With a History

Legacy industrial use is a defining feature of the north and west metro. Neighborhood activism in Globeville and Elyria-Swansea won a 1994 settlement with a smelting company that funded soil cleanup, a sign of legacy contamination to check in due diligence near those industrial areas. In the arsenal area, the Army will permanently manage about 1,000 acres that contain landfills, waste consolidation areas and groundwater treatment facilities.

That history does not make building impossible. It means grading starts with records review, then field screening, then a soil management plan agreed with the environmental consultant. We stage excavation so that impacted soil, if found, can be segregated, stockpiled on liners and hauled to an approved facility without stopping the rest of the site.

What the Earthwork Package Includes

The scope usually starts with survey control, erosion control and construction entrances, followed by clearing and grubbing, demolition and removal of buried obstructions such as old foundations, tanks and abandoned utilities. We then strip topsoil, excavate and place engineered fill in controlled lifts, moisture condition soils to target ranges and compact to the specified density.

Building pads are over-excavated and replaced when the geotechnical report calls for it, and subgrades for pavement and truck courts get the same attention. We layer in utility corridors, detention basins and haul roads so the earthwork serves the rest of the project instead of being done in isolation. The package ends with finish grading, tolerance surveys and an as-built grade model.

Cut, Fill and Where the Dirt Goes

Importing or exporting soil is among the largest costs on any grading job. We try to balance cut and fill on site by shaping the finished floor elevation and pond location around the existing topography, then test that balance against the geotechnical findings on soil quality. At the north end of the airport area, a greenfield site bounded by Tower Road, Himalaya Road and 70th and 72nd streets was identified in a May 2022 plan amendment as having potential to become a local employment center, and open land of that kind usually offers the best opportunity to balance earthwork.

Where it does not balance, we manage haul routes, truck counts and disposal tickets, and we report quantities against the estimate each week so the owner sees any variance early.

Dust, Wind and Neighbor Control

The plains east of Denver are open and windy, and earthwork is dusty work. We maintain water trucks and apply soil binders where needed, limit disturbed area at any one time, track mud off public roads with stabilized entrances and sweep as needed. A dust log is part of our daily report.

Excavation safety includes trench protection, spoil setbacks, competent-person inspections and utility locates well beyond the minimum, particularly in older industrial areas where record drawings may be incomplete. Equipment operators and haul drivers follow a traffic plan that keeps them away from neighbors and public streets.

Sequencing for Weather and Compaction

Denver averages about 49 to 54 inches of snow per year, and frozen ground cannot be compacted to specification. We plan large fills for the drier months, protect subgrades with temporary covers or stabilization before winter and reserve cold-weather windows for demolition, haul and utility trenching where possible.

Moisture is as important as temperature. In the South Platte valley, shallow groundwater can complicate excavation, so we monitor and, when necessary, dewater with sumps or wellpoints under a discharge permit. Proof-rolling is done with loaded trucks under the observation of the geotechnical engineer, and any soft areas are corrected before the next phase starts.

Permits and Erosion Control Obligations

Grading is regulated at several levels: the city or county grading permit, state stormwater construction permit coverage for larger disturbed areas and, in some places, air quality dust control plans. Each requires inspections and records, and we keep an up-to-date erosion control plan with weekly inspection reports.

Because Commerce City, for one, bases its flood hazard mapping on a FEMA study dated March 5, 2007, we confirm elevations and floodplain limits before moving earth, and we coordinate with the civil engineer to document any change to the base grade. The permitting and entitlements coordination team carries this paperwork from application through closure.

What Follows the Pad

Mass grading hands the site to stormwater detention and drainage, site utilities and foundations.

We often coordinate with industrial demolition services when a building must be removed first, and with stabilized laydown yards when owners need working space before the building starts.

Developers of logistics and distribution parks near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal area and the airport use our mass grading as the first step in a multi-building plan.

Get the Pad Ready

Share the site plan and geotechnical report. We will estimate quantities, identify screening needs and outline a grading schedule.

Common Questions

How long does mass grading take for a 20-acre site?

With good weather and balanced earthwork, a site of that size can be graded in six to ten weeks, though soil conditions, hauling and permit timing change the answer. We provide a production-based schedule once the quantities are known.

What if we find contaminated soil during excavation?

We stop work in the affected area, notify the owner and environmental consultant, and follow the soil management plan. Impacted material is segregated, characterized and disposed of at an approved facility. Work continues elsewhere to protect the schedule.

Can you grade in winter?

Yes, within limits. We can strip, haul and rough grade during cold months, but compacted structural fill generally needs unfrozen soil and favorable moisture. We schedule fill-intensive work for warmer periods when possible.

Who decides how much to overexcavate?

The geotechnical engineer sets the recommendation, based on borings and lab testing. We verify the limits in the field with the engineer and document the depth, material and compaction results for the file.

Do you handle erosion control reporting?

We do. We install and maintain the controls, perform inspections after storms and keep a log available for city and state review.

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