Cost to Level a Yard in Portland, Oregon [2025 Data]

Land leveling costs in Portland average $2,194, and most projects fall between $1,105 and $3,282. Your total will depend mostly on the square feet of land you need to level and the existing slope that you need to correct. Regrading costs tend to be a bit higher in the western parts of the city, where the topography has more severe slopes.

Yard Leveling Cost Factors

Some homeowners in Portland pay as little as $500 to level their yards, but prices can climb as high as $6,000. There are a few factors you should consider if you want the most accurate estimate possible.

Size

On average, you’ll pay between $1 and $2 per square foot of yard that needs leveling, which means the scope of your project is a big consideration. Regrading a small area for a minor landscaping feature will always cost less than leveling an area to ensure proper drainage for a new driveway or patio. You can get a good estimate for your project by measuring the area and using these average costs per square foot.

For larger regrading projects that involve slopes across a significant portion of your property, or projects involving leveling your entire yard to remove depressions and divots, you’ll get a more accurate estimate if you base the cost on acreage. The average lot size in Portland is about 0.138 acres, and it would cost between $6,000 and $12,000 to regrade that entire lot.

Type of Project

The part of the outdoor space you’re regrading and why plays a big role in calculating the final cost to level your yard. Check out these common regrading projects below to get a better idea of where your total will fall.

Severity of Slope

The slope of your existing lawn will help dictate the overall price tag for this project. If you have a very steep slope on one side of your yard that you need to level, that will cost you more than a slight slope. Contractors typically charge based on the elevation change; the more significant the change, the bigger the price tag.

Some of Portland is quite flat, particularly to the east of the Willamette River, and in these areas, you’re unlikely to have a severe slope that will significantly drive up leveling costs. In the western parts of the city, though, properties can have severe slopes, and leveling costs can rise well above the average to correct unevenness.

Land Clearing

In some cases, you may need to pay for land clearing before you can start leveling slopes on your property. You could pay anywhere from $500 to $1,000 or more in land clearing costs, with prices sometimes falling lower for removing light brush or debris and sometimes climbing higher if your clearing involves tree removal. Nearly a third of the entire City of Portland is covered by tree canopy, so there’s a good chance your costs could sit higher than the average for clearing.

Land Surveying

Another potential upcharge you may need to consider would be the cost of a land survey, which totals between $800 and $5,500.

A land survey can delineate property boundary lines, which you may need if you’re leveling land to put up a fence or to install a retaining wall. It can also show you the location of underground utility lines, which can help you avoid rupturing them and causing property damage if you need to excavate to level your land.

Portland doesn’t have much in the way of buried electrical lines, but water and sewer lines run below ground, and most homes are served by natural gas and have underground gas lines that can be extremely dangerous during excavation.

Fill and Topsoil

Fill dirt is a rocky material that’s ideal for packing in pockets during a regrade. It costs between $5 and $30 per cubic yard. How much you need depends on the size of the slope you’re fixing and how much soil is available to relocate from elsewhere in your yard.

Topsoil goes down over the fill dirt. You’ll pay between $12 and $55 per cubic yard. Topsoil costs more than fill dirt because it’s full of nutrients to help nurture a lush landscape.

Yard Leveling Pro Costs

On average, you can expect between 90% and 95% of your total yard releveling cost to go toward labor, which means an average of between $2,000 and $2,100. The cost of living in Portland is more than 25% higher than the national average, so the hourly cost of hiring a pro will be more than you’d pay in most other cities.

Labor for yard releveling is expensive, but it’s almost always worth hiring a landscaper in Portland. Not only will they ensure a perfectly flat yard, but a professional is less likely to hit buried utility lines, and they can ensure that your property still has a minor slope that will help drain the excessive rainfall away from your home, where it can cause major foundation issues.

The City of Portland doesn’t require permits for yard leveling, so you don’t need to worry about permit fees. However, it does require permits for fence, patio, deck, and driveway installation, so if you’re leveling your yard for one of these projects or something similar, be sure to ask your yard grading professional if your additional project will need permits.

Does Leveling a Yard Increase Home Value?

Leveling a yard can increase home value, especially if you’re going from an unusable property due to slope—common in Western Portland—to a usable and enjoyable yard. Even if you’re just smoothing out minor inconsistencies in the flatter parts of Portland, you could see a return on investment (ROI) for related projects.

For example, regrading to make landscaping improvements or add a landscaping feature could provide a healthy return on investment, even if leveling doesn’t directly increase home value.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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