Excavation & Site Prep in Myrtle Point, Oregon: 2026 Guide

Excavation and Site Prep in Myrtle Point, Oregon

Myrtle Point is a rural Coos County town in the upper Coquille River valley, ringed by timber, dairy farms, and coast-range hills. Excavation work here tends toward the rural end of the spectrum: farm and acreage site prep, septic and drainfield work, long driveways, and small-commercial jobs in town. The two big factors are the heavy coast-range rainfall and the mix of soft valley-bottom soils against rockier, sloped foothill ground. A contractor has to read which kind of ground a parcel sits on before planning the work.

This guide covers what excavation and site preparation involve on a Myrtle Point property, from grading and drainage to utility work and the Coos County permits that come with it.

What Excavation Covers on a Myrtle Point Property

Excavation bundles several tasks on a typical rural, residential, or small-commercial job:

• Site grading — shaping ground for drainage and level pads or driveways, often on sloped or acreage parcels
• Drainage — French drains, curtain drains, culverts, and outlets sized for heavy rainfall
• Utility trenching — digging and backfilling for water, septic, power, and other lines
• Land clearing — removing brush, stumps, and timber on rural lots
• Foundation and footing excavation — digging to a structural plan's depth

For statewide pricing context, see our excavation cost in Oregon guide, and for grading specifically, the site grading cost in Oregon guide.

Myrtle Point Soils, Rural Sites, and Heavy Rain

Two things define Myrtle Point excavation: rainfall and rural ground. The area gets the heavy precipitation typical of the coast range, well above the inland valley, so water management drives nearly every job. On river-bottom parcels near the Coquille, soils are soft and stay saturated through the wet season, making trenching and compaction harder. Up in the foothills you trade soft soil for slope, rock, and runoff coming downhill.

Many Myrtle Point properties are on acreage with septic rather than sewer, so excavation often ties into drainfield siting, which has its own soil and percolation requirements. Rural access can also mean longer travel and tighter site conditions. A local contractor expects all of this and builds a realistic plan rather than quoting a flat number sight-unseen.

The practical reality: in Myrtle Point, drainage is the heart of the job. With this much rain and these soils, water management makes or breaks a site.

Coos County Permits and Erosion Control

Ground-disturbing work around Myrtle Point can trigger several permitting layers:

• Grading permits once disturbance crosses a set area or volume threshold
• Erosion and sediment control, which the county and Oregon DEQ both require, especially on slopes and near the river
• Floodplain review for parcels mapped along the Coquille River
• Septic and drainfield permitting on the many rural lots without sewer
• Right-of-way or county-road permits when access ties into a public road

Because so much Myrtle Point land is rural and river-adjacent, septic and floodplain questions come up often. A contractor who works Coos County regularly will know which review applies. Our Coos County excavation services page covers the county detail.

Call 811 Before You Dig

Every excavation job in Oregon starts with a call to 811, the state's utility locate service. State law requires it, and on rural Myrtle Point parcels it matters as much as anywhere. Underground lines, including private utilities and old septic features, are not always where records put them. The locate brings utilities out to mark their lines before digging, which keeps you from cutting a line and paying for the repair.

The locate is free. Reputable contractors handle the 811 call as part of mobilizing.

What Excavation Costs in the Myrtle Point Area

Excavation pricing varies with soil, slope, access, haul-off, and depth. The figures below are industry baseline ranges, not Cojo quotes, and real Myrtle Point projects often run higher once heavy-rain drainage and rural access enter the picture.

Industry baseline ranges. Actual costs vary widely with soil, slope, access, drainage needs, and disposal.

Work Type	Industry Baseline Range
Site grading (residential)	$1.50–$6.00 per sq ft
Utility trenching	$10–$25 per linear foot
Drainage system (French drain)	$20–$45 per linear foot
Land clearing	$1,500–$6,000 per acre
Excavation labor + machine	$125–$225 per hour

These ranges assume reasonable access and dry conditions. Myrtle Point's heavy rainfall, soft river-bottom soils, sloped foothill lots, septic work, and longer rural travel can all push real totals above the baseline. The only accurate figure comes from a site visit.

Drainage Is the Local Specialty

If one thing has to be right on a Myrtle Point site, it is handling water. Common local drainage details include:

• Foundation drains keeping water off footings on saturated valley lots
• Curtain drains intercepting hillside runoff above a building pad
• Culverts and ditching sized for coast-range rainfall
• Engineered discharge that respects floodplain and river setbacks

Drainage mistakes in Myrtle Point show up fast given the rainfall. Local experience beats a low bid from a crew that does not understand rural coast-range water.

How Myrtle Point Fits the Service Area

Myrtle Point sits a short drive from Coquille, Coos Bay, and Bandon, so a crew serving the Coos County interior can reach it. If your project pairs excavation with paving once the ground is ready, our asphalt paving cost in Oregon guide covers the next step. For driveways needing repair rather than a rebuild, the driveway repair options guide helps.