Serving Stone County, MO
Forestry Mulching, Land Clearing, Driveway, Drainage, Landscaping, Hardscaping and more.
Stone County is straight north of Berryville across the state line. Highway 21 becomes Missouri 13 at Blue Eye, about 18 miles from our base, and the same road crosses Table Rock Lake to Kimberling City about 30 miles out. The county was organized in 1851, and Galena is the county seat. It covers about 511 square miles, and more than 9 percent of that is water, most of it Table Rock Lake. The 2020 Census counted 31,076 residents, and about 83 percent of them live in rural areas. Most of the land work here is on wooded lake-area lots and hillside acreage: land clearing, forestry mulching, steep gravel driveways, and drainage.
Stone County land, in short
Cherty hillsides. Hailey and Rueter soils are the two largest soils in the county's USDA survey, together more than a quarter of the land. Both are loamy and loaded with chert fragments, typical of steep Ozark side slopes.
Clay and shallow rock in places. Sonsac and Gasconade soils add clayey, rocky ground, and Gasconade is shallow over bedrock. Scholten soils on the broader ridges have a fragipan that holds water in spring.
A county shaped by the lake. Table Rock Lake reaches deep into the county, and the James River enters its northern arm just below Galena. Indian Creek and Long Creek flow straight into the lake. The land between many lake lots and the water is Corps of Engineers property.
Old farm country turning residential. The county's own land use plan notes that the area around Table Rock Lake has been shifting from agriculture to development. That means a lot of former pasture and woodlots being opened for homesites and drives.
National forest land. Part of the Mark Twain National Forest lies in Stone County. If you border it, confirm the line before clearing.
Town pages and drive times
Shell Knob has its own page, and Branson's west side reaches into the county. Elsewhere, here's about how far each community is from Berryville:
Blue Eye: about 18 miles, right at the state line on Missouri 13.
Shell Knob: about 21 miles via Highway 221 and Missouri 39, on the Stone and Barry County line.
Lampe: about 23 miles on Missouri 13, south of Table Rock Lake.
Kimberling City: about 30 miles on Missouri 13, across the lake bridge.
Branson West: about 36 miles, on Missouri 76.
Cape Fair: about 37 miles, on the James River arm of the lake.
Reeds Spring: about 39 miles, north of Branson West.
Crane and Galena: about 46 to 47 miles, in the northern half of the county.
Also served: rural addresses countywide. Nearby: Holiday Island in Carroll County, Taney County to the east, and Barry County to the west.
Services across Stone County
Forestry Mulching: brush, cedar, and small trees ground in place on lake-area lots and hillside acreage, with no burn pile on most jobs.
Land Clearing: homesites, cabin sites, access corridors, and cleanup after logging.
Gravel Driveways: steep drives with base, crown, ditches, and culverts so they stop washing out.
Grading: house and shop pads and slope correction on cherty ground.
Drainage Solutions: swales, French drains, and regrading to move water away from homes on slopes.
Hardscape and Landscaping: rock on slopes that are hard to mow, patio bases, and landscape site prep.
How we sequence the work: Clear → Access → Drain
Stone County lots are steep, so we plan from the top down. We clear the overgrowth first so the slope, rock, and drainage paths are visible. Then we set a driveway line a truck can climb and a turnaround it can use. Then we grade so water leaves the site in a controlled way instead of heading for the house or the lake. The pad or finished drive goes in last. Packages on the home page: Mulch & Open, Clear → Usable, and Clear → Driveway/Build-Ready. Every job starts with a free on-site quote.
Permits worth knowing about
Stone County has a county Planning & Zoning office, and several rules can apply to one project:
Stone County Planning & Zoning: new homes need a county residential building permit from the office in Galena, and the county may require a perc test for the septic system. Projects inside a city also follow that city's codes.
Missouri DNR and Missouri 811: construction that disturbs one acre or more needs a state land disturbance permit with a stormwater plan. Missouri law requires a Missouri 811 locate request two to ten working days before digging.
Roads and shoreline: a new drive onto a state route needs MoDOT approval. On Table Rock Lake, Corps of Engineers land needs written approval for any vegetation work, and vehicles aren't allowed there.
Stone County FAQ
How close are you to Stone County?
Very. Blue Eye is about 18 miles from Berryville straight up Highway 21, and Kimberling City is about 30.
Can you clear a lake lot down to the water?
Only to your property line. Below it is Corps of Engineers land, where vegetation work needs Corps approval and vehicles aren't allowed.
Do I need a county permit before you start?
Clearing brush usually doesn't need one. A new home needs a Stone County building permit, and disturbing an acre or more needs a Missouri DNR permit. Check with Stone County Planning & Zoning for your parcel.
My steep drive washes out. Can you fix it?
Usually. Most steep drives fail because water runs down the gravel. Crown, ditches, culverts, and a compacted base fix the cause.
How does pricing work?
Every quote is free and done on-site. Slope, rock, vegetation, drainage, and access set the price.
Get a free on-site quote anywhere in Stone County
Call or text (870) 350-4046, or request a free quote.
Good Soil Land Management · Berryville, AR 72616