Hayden Land Clearing & Driveways
Wooded, rolling and often rocky ground in southwest Blount County, from Highway 160 and County Road 7 out toward the Locust Fork. We clear it, build the way in, and set the pipe at the road.
They called this place Rockland first
Before the railroad came through and the name changed in 1914, this town was Rockland, possibly on account of how rocky the soil is. Anybody planning a driveway here should keep that old name in mind. Hayden sits in southwest Blount County, strung along State Route 160 with the CSX line running through and County Road 7 heading northwest. Take 160 west and it reaches US 31 at Smoke Rise, next to I-65 Exit 284. Take it northeast and it runs through Nectar, over the Locust Fork and on to Cleveland. The census counted 444 people in Hayden in 2010 and 1,342 in 2020, and Blount County gets described as one of the fastest growing in the state because Birmingham is close.
Land for sale around here runs from small lots to tracts past 170 acres, and plenty of it is rolling woods with a creek running through. That means the first job is usually getting a way in. Rock is not one thing here either. Rickwood Caverns, just west of town, is in Mississippian limestone. Elsewhere in the county there is limestone and dolomite along the folds and Pottsville sandstone under the lower areas. Three soils named from Blount County could hardly be more different: Hanceville, deep red clay with 5 to 9 feet or more to bedrock; Wynnville, with a dense pan 18 to 36 inches down; and Palmerdale, which is coal mine spoil. None of that tells you what is on your tract, so we look before we price the cut.
What grows here
Mostly woods. Forest is the main cover through this coal country, and tracts near Hayden tend to be rolling timber with small creeks through them.
What the ground does
Limestone near the caverns, sandstone and shale elsewhere, deep red clay on some hilltops and shallow soil on others. Any of it washes once cut bare on a slope.
Common jobs here
A driveway and culvert off a county road, a house spot opened up in the woods, and a stone road back to a corner of the tract near a creek or the Locust Fork.
Where a Hayden job usually starts
A wooded tract needs a way in before it needs anything else, so here that work comes first and the clearing follows.
Chert drives off County Road 7 and Highway 160
Built up and crowned to shed water, with chert and gravel hauled in our own trucks. Rock near the top can make a good base or slow the cut, so we look first.
Turnout pipe on Blount County roads
The county’s driveway access permit spells out the pipe. Get that in hand and we set it to match, with stone over it.
House spots in rolling woods
Open what you need and leave the trees you like. Tops and brush get mulched on the ground, so there is no burn pile near your creek.
Home sites on rocky ground
Clearing, cut and fill for the pad and a way in for the builder. Where limestone or sandstone sits close, we plan around it before work starts.
The work
Everything shown here is real Suttles & Sons equipment and work, not stock. Wooded, rocky ground like southwest Blount County calls for the same care with pipe and stone you see here.
White and yellow dump truck tipping a load on a wide red dirt site.
Red dump truck unloading beside a dirt pile on a grassy lot.
White and yellow dump truck on a red dirt site.
Blount County has a form for your turnout, and it has teeth
On a Blount County road, the turnout runs through the County Commission’s driveway access permit. The form puts cost, upkeep and proper installation on the applicant, wants pipe at least the size written on the permit, caps the pipe at 40 feet, and gives one year to finish. The applicant also tells the district commissioner who the contractor is when the pipe is bought. Questions under the permit end with the County Engineer.
Splitting land is a separate question. County subdivision rules reach divisions into two or more lots, counting the parent parcel, with exemptions such as agricultural use, transfers to immediate family and 20 acres or more with no improvements. Even an exempt split needs a letter from the County Engineer. Inside or close to Hayden, call Town Hall first. We found no clearing or grading rule posted on the town’s site, and a city’s planning reach can extend past its limits.
Highway 160 entrances generally go through ALDOT. ADEM’s stormwater permit starts at one acre of disturbance or a larger common plan, and the county’s form can ask for an ADEM registration or a best practices plan at the engineer’s call. We tell you what we can see at quote time.
Why a Hayden quote starts with the rock
Clearing is the easy part to guess. These are the parts that take a look.
Limestone, sandstone or shale
What the machine hits decides how far a cut goes, how a pipe gets bedded and how much stone it takes to build on top.
Pipe at the turnout
Size comes off the county permit, and the ditch at your entrance decides how much work it is to set it right.
Hills and creek crossings
Rolling tracts mean curves, grade and sometimes a wet crossing between the road and the house spot.
Woods or brush
Timber left to stand and thick understory price differently than a stand you want all the way down.
Southwest Blount County and just over the line
Along with Hayden we take jobs in Nectar, Smoke Rise, Blount Springs, Trafford and the town of Locust Fork. Warrior is right down the road and has its own page.
What Hayden landowners ask
How do you price a clearing job in Hayden?
By looking at that tract. How thick the woods are, how rocky it is and how hard the way in will be all figure into it. Send pictures and a pin to (256) 735-3214 and you will get a number made for your place, not a guess per acre.
Is anything going to get burned on my land?
No. We mulch what we clear and leave it on the ground. Material that has to go, like spoil from a cut, can be hauled off in our trucks.
Can you clear under the trees and leave the big ones?
Yes. That is what forestry mulching is good at. Show us which ones you want and we take the understory out from around them.
What permits come with clearing land around Hayden?
It depends where the land is and what you are doing. Call Hayden Town Hall if you are in or near town. A turnout on a county road goes through the County Commission. An acre or more of disturbance can bring in ADEM. We share what we know of when we quote, but the offices have the last word.
Who handles the pipe permit on a Blount County road?
The Blount County Commission takes the driveway access application and the County Engineer settles questions under it. Once you have the permit, we can set the culvert to the size written on it.
Will rock stop you from building my driveway?
It is more likely to change the plan than stop it. We may route around a ledge or build up on top instead of cutting down. See how chert and gravel driveways get built, then send us a picture of the worst spot.
Can you build a road down toward the Locust Fork?
Often, yes. We build access roads on rough ground. River frontage can bring flood zone questions though, so look at those before you spend money on a route.
I live in Birmingham and the land is in Hayden. Can you quote without meeting me out there?
Usually. Photos from your last trip, the road frontage and a map pin will do it. If it needs walking, we will tell you, and you do not have to be there for that.
Hayden land, from the road back
Land clearing in Hayden, Alabama with Suttles & Sons starts where your land meets the road: chert driveways, culverts, then clearing, forestry mulching and house sites, with our own dump trucks bringing in the stone.
We cover this end of Blount County, including Nectar, Smoke Rise and Blount Springs. Read up on driveways, land clearing and home site prep.
Each job gets its own quote at no charge. Call or text (256) 735-3214.
Show us your Hayden land
Send the road frontage, the rockiest spot you can find and a map pin. Kalob will say what it takes and whether he needs to walk it first.
Request an estimate
Photos help most. Text them to (256) 735-3214 after you send this.