San Diego
Wildfire Defensible-Space & Brush Clearing in
San Diego
You cut the brush back off the canyon slope for defensible space — we haul the piles away so the cut fuel is actually gone, not stacked against the house through Santa Ana season. Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Tierrasanta and across East County. Loose piles from $110, yard waste $88 a cubic yard, big canyon loads priced as truck-fill. Green waste routed to the Miramar Greenery. Flat photo price, no CA sales tax on the service.
How brush & yard-debris haul-away works
1 · Send a photo
Snap the piles, the slope, the cleared zone — however it's stacked. A flat price comes back in seconds, no walk-the-lot estimate.
2 · Pick a window
Choose a time — same-day is often open in the canyon and hillside neighborhoods, and we prioritize ahead of a red-flag Santa Ana forecast.
3 · We haul it off
A vetted, insured crew drags the brush up off the slope, loads it, and routes the green waste to the Miramar Greenery for mulch. The cut fuel is gone.
How much does brush & yard-debris haul-away cost?
Flat and photo-quoted before anyone drives — the labor, the drag-out, the drive and the disposal are already in the number. Small trims price as a loose pile; a mixed load of green waste prices by the cubic yard; a full canyon-lot clear prices as truck-fill. No CA sales tax, and we divert green waste to the Greenery so disposal stays honest.
| Job | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Small loose pile — a trim or two | $82 |
| Medium loose pile | $129 |
| Large loose pile | $208 |
| Mixed green waste, per cubic yard | $119 |
| Big canyon-lot clear (quarter truck) | $241 |
| Full truck-fill load | $732 |
$75 minimum. Truck-fill fractions between a quarter and full are $338, $431, $513, $587 and $661. Disposal included; green waste routed to the Miramar Greenery, metal recycled. No CA sales tax on the service — the flat price is all-in.
Canyon lots, eucalyptus and live fire memory
San Diego's inland and hillside neighborhoods live with fire in a way the coast doesn't. Scripps Ranch — master-planned among eucalyptus groves and canyon rims — lost hundreds of homes in the 2003 Cedar Fire, and Rancho Bernardo was hit hard by the 2007 Witch Fire. Poway, Tierrasanta, 4S Ranch and much of East County back onto the same canyon-and-chaparral terrain. Defensible space — cutting brush and clearing dead growth in the zone around the house — is how these neighborhoods protect themselves, and cutting it is only half the job. If the cut brush and dead fuel sit in a pile against the fence or on the slope, it's still fuel. The clear isn't finished until the debris is hauled off the property — and dragging a canyon-slope pile up to a truck is exactly the part homeowners don't want to do by hand.
What we haul off a defensible-space clear
- Cut brush & chaparral — the dead and cut-back growth from the defensible-space zone, dragged up off the slope.
- Branches & limbs — eucalyptus, palm fronds, tree trimmings and prunings.
- Loose green waste — leaves, weeds, grass and the general yard-debris pile.
- Old fencing & a broken-down shed — the wood, the panels, and the junk that stored inside them.
- Patio & yard junk — dead planters, a rusted grill, worn patio furniture and the rest that came out with the clear.
Where the green waste goes — the Miramar Greenery
Brush and yard debris don't belong in a landfill, so we route the green waste to the Miramar Greenery — the city's green-waste facility beside the landfill — where branches, brush and trimmings are processed into mulch instead of buried. Metal from old fencing and a scrapped grill is recycled, and only the true remainder goes to the Miramar Landfill. San Diego's disposal is moderate and there's no add-on refuse tax, and diverting the green stream keeps the flat price fair. Doing it right is also the point of the job — the goal is fuel gone, handled responsibly.
Won't the city green-waste bin handle it?
Not for a real defensible-space clear. San Diego's residential green-waste bins are small and limited to eligible single-family homes on the city's own collection schedule — they'll take a week's grass clippings, not a canyon-lot brush pile you need gone before a Santa Ana forecast. Apartments, condos and many hillside lots get no municipal help at all, and the city points residents toward self-haul for anything beyond the bin. You can confirm your bin service with Environmental Services at 858-694-7000, but when the fire marshal's calendar and the winds aren't waiting, you need on-demand haul-away: we come out flat-priced, drag the piles up, and route it all the same day when a slot's open.
When the canyon neighborhoods call us
- Ahead of Santa Ana season — clearing the cut brush off the slope before the fall winds and red-flag days.
- After heavy spring growth — a wet winter means a big flush of chaparral to cut back and haul off by early summer.
- Fire-inspection compliance — meeting a defensible-space or weed-abatement notice with the debris actually removed.
- Selling a canyon-lot home — a clean, cleared perimeter before it lists.
- Post-clear cleanup — hauling off what a landscaper or tree crew cut but left behind.
Why San Diego's canyon neighborhoods choose JunkRabbit
- Flat price from a photo — the number you see is the number you pay; no walk-the-lot estimate, no CA sales tax.
- We do the drag-out — brush hauled up off the slope and loaded; you don't carry a branch.
- Green waste diverted — routed to the Miramar Greenery for mulch, not buried.
- Canyon & hillside access — Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Tierrasanta and East County terrain, handled.
- Fast when the winds are coming — same-day when a slot's open, prioritized ahead of a red-flag forecast.
What San Diego customers say
"We back onto a canyon in Scripps Ranch and cut a huge amount of brush for defensible space — way more than the green bin would ever take. JunkRabbit dragged it all up off the slope and hauled it off before the Santa Anas. Flat price from a photo, gone same day. Peace of mind before fire season."
"Got a weed-abatement notice on our Rancho Bernardo lot. My husband cut it back and the pile just sat there. They came out, took the whole pile plus an old fence we'd pulled, and routed the green waste to the Greenery. One fair flat price, no tax."
"Tree crew trimmed our eucalyptus in Poway and left a mountain of branches. JunkRabbit hauled all of it the next morning, plus some old patio junk. Easy photo quote, insured, and I didn't touch a limb."
Brush & defensible-space clearing — FAQ
How much does brush haul-away cost in San Diego?
Flat, photo-quoted: small loose pile $82, medium $129, large $208; mixed green waste $119 per cubic yard; big canyon loads as truck-fill from $241 to $732. $75 minimum, disposal included, no CA sales tax.
Do you cut the brush or just haul it?
We haul it. You or your landscaper cut the defensible-space zone; we drag the piles up off the slope and take them away so the cut fuel is gone.
When should I clear?
Year-round, but ahead of the fall Santa Ana winds is busiest, plus after heavy spring growth. There's effectively no fixed fire season anymore.
Where does the green waste go?
To the Miramar Greenery, where it's processed into mulch instead of buried. Metal is recycled; only the true remainder goes to the landfill.
Won't the city bin take it?
Only small weekly clippings from eligible houses — not a canyon-lot brush pile on your timeline. Environmental Services is 858-694-7000. On-demand haul-away is the real answer.
Canyon & hillside neighborhoods we clear
Ready to Get It Gone?
Send a photo and get one flat price back in seconds — carry-out, hauling and disposal are all in it.
Upload Photos & Get Your QuotePrefer texting? 💬 Text (858) 339-5865 — send a photo, get the price.