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Excavation in Alberta

Needs filtering — large unfiltered list · 64 providers

General excavation services for foundations, utilities, and site work.

When to use: Foundation excavation, utility trenching, and general earthworks.

Duration: 1–15 days
Typical size: Varies by project
Permits: May require municipal permit

Scope of work

Excavation
Material removal
Trenching
Backfill
Compaction

How this works in Alberta

Excavation is the first physical change on most projects. Ponds, pads, and trenches all start with the same honest dirt work.

General excavation is usually billed by the hour for the machine and operator. The Land Intelligence planning estimate (Aug 2026), not a quote, is $100 to $200 per hour for an excavator with operator, varying with machine size. To budget a job, ask the contractor for an hour estimate, the machine size, mobilisation charges and whether trucking of spoil is extra.

Every dig in Alberta starts with a locate request. Utility Safety Partners, formerly Alberta One-Call, takes requests online ("Click Before You Dig") or at 1-800-242-3447 and notifies member utilities, which mark their own lines. Members require a minimum of 3 full business days before the planned dig, and that is a response time rather than a guarantee, so allow extra. Each request needs a drawn polygon covering the dig area; nothing outside it is cleared. Private lines such as septic pipes, water-well lines and power runs to outbuildings will not be marked and need a private locator.

Once lines are marked, mechanical digging is not allowed inside a utility's hand-expose zone until the line is hand-exposed and visible, unless the owner says otherwise. Locators do not give depth.

If anyone will work in the excavation, Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Code rules apply to employers. Cut-backs or temporary protective structures are needed when an excavation is 1.5 m deep or more and the worker is closer to the wall than the excavation is deep. Walls in soft, sandy or loose soil must be sloped from the bottom at not less than 45 degrees from vertical; in soil classified as hard and compact by a competent person, walls must be sloped to within 1.5 m of the bottom at not less than 30 degrees from vertical.

Spoil matters too: keep the leading edge of the pile at least 1 m from the edge. If topsoil is to leave the property, check your municipality, which can require a permit for topsoil removal.

Typical cost in Alberta

Hourly rates; no Alberta commercial price page meeting our sourcing standard was found.

Item	Range	Source	Type
Excavator with operator	$100–$200 per hour	Land Intelligence market compilation (planning estimate, not a quote)	Land Intelligence planning estimate · 2026-08-11
Excavator	$120–$185 per hour (most common, 2016; range $90–$255)	Custom Rates 2017 - Land Clearing and Breaking (surveyed fall 2016), Alberta Agriculture and Forestry	Official · 2017-09-25
Backhoe	$130 per hour (2016)	Custom Rates 2017 - Land Clearing and Breaking (surveyed fall 2016), Alberta Agriculture and Forestry	Official · 2017-09-25
Dump truck	$100–$110 per hour (2016)	Custom Rates 2017 - Land Clearing and Breaking (surveyed fall 2016), Alberta Agriculture and Forestry	Official · 2017-09-25

The Land Intelligence figure is a planning estimate (Aug 2026), not a quote. The provincial survey figures were collected in fall 2016 and published as "survey results only - not recommended rates"; trucking to the site is not included. Treat them as a dated reference point and get current written quotes.

Ranges are planning figures from the sources shown, not quotes. Get written quotes for your site.

Alberta rules and permits

Submit a locate request before any ground disturbance; Utility Safety Partners members require a minimum of 3 full business days, and private underground lines are not located through USP. (Digging Safely in Alberta, Homeowner Edition v1.4, Utility Safety Partners)
Locate requests can be made online or by phone at 1-800-242-3447. (Utility Safety Partners (formerly Alberta One-Call))
Mechanical excavation is not permitted within a hand-expose zone until the facility is hand-exposed and clearly visible, unless the utility owner specifies otherwise. (Digging Safely in Alberta, Homeowner Edition v1.4, Utility Safety Partners)
Cut-backs or temporary protective structures are required where a worker is in an excavation 1.5 m or deeper and closer to the wall than its depth; spoil piles must be at least 1 m from the edge; trenches over 1.5 m deep need a safe exit within 8 m of the worker. (Excavations: Cutting back walls (EXCV001), Government of Alberta OHS)
If soil is not classified by a competent person, it must be treated as soft, sandy or loose. (Excavations: Cutting back walls (EXCV001), Government of Alberta OHS)
A council may by bylaw provide for permits governing, or prohibit, the removal of topsoil. (Soil Conservation Act, RSA 2000 c S-15 (current as of Nov 16, 2022), Alberta King's Printer)

Sizing and planning

Define the dig as length, width and depth; the locate polygon must cover the full area.
Depth of 1.5 m is the trigger for wall protection where workers enter.
Unclassified soil must be treated as the weakest class, which means wider 45-degree cut-backs and more digging.

Alberta providers

64 providers on file — Needs filtering — large unfiltered list. Showing 7 first (verified and located listings first). Confirm relevance and service area before you contact anyone.

2 Sons Excavating Ltd

UNCLAIMED Identified

open.alberta.ca/dataset/39cefffc-7ef5-4764-bf4d-e85edbe4d2c0/resource/e4a0716f-2322-4ebc-ae3f-2f43b2861c55/download/ma-private-sewage-certified-installer-list-2024-11.pdf · Airdrie, AB

Service area: Airdrie