Land Clearing in Gunter, TX

Land Clearing Services in Gunter, TX

Gunter sits where SH 289 crosses FM 121, about twelve miles southwest of Sherman in Grayson County. SH 289 is Preston Road, and north of Dallas it closely follows the old Preston Road that soldiers under Col. William Gordon Cooke finished in 1843, which served as the main immigrant route into North Texas until the railroads came, according to the Texas State Historical Association. The town itself began as ranch land. The City of Gunter's history page says Jot Gunter and a partner put together 25,000 acres here that served in the early 1880s as a staging area for shorthorn cattle, and a rail line built through the ranch in 1901 set the townsite in motion.

That ranch heritage explains what clearing in Gunter usually looks like: long fence lines, pasture that has filled in with cedar and volunteer trees, and creek bottoms where brush has gone unchecked. The town stayed small for a century. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2,574 residents in July 2025, up from 2,058 in its April 2020 base.

The roads coming north are what is changing it. NTTA's Dallas North Tollway Phase 4 will extend the tollway 13.7 miles north of US 380 toward the Collin and Grayson county line, with the first section, US 380 to FM 428, listed for late 2027 and the section to the county line not yet scheduled. NTTA notes that a proposed Grayson County tollway beyond that point is not an NTTA project. In 2025, Centurion American announced Platinum Ranch, a roughly 1,998-acre development in Gunter planned for about 4,200 single-family homes, with frontage on the planned Grayson County toll road less than a mile west of Preston Road.

What We Clear in Gunter TX

Gunter Permits: Plats, the City and Grayson County

Inside Gunter city limits, permits are filed through the city's online development portal. The city's FAQ also points out that FM 121 and SH 289 are maintained by TxDOT, so a new driveway or culvert onto either highway is a question for TxDOT, not City Hall. The city's subdivision rules say no building permit will be issued for a parcel until it has final plat or development plat approval. If you are clearing ahead of a build, make sure the platting step is on track so the cleared site is not waiting on paperwork.

In the unincorporated county around Gunter, Grayson County Development Services is the office that matters. It issues Development Certificates for new culvert installations, new E911 addresses and floodplain determinations, plus Floodplain Development Permits when work encroaches on a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and septic permits for new homes. Clearing for a rural homesite here often runs alongside the address, culvert and septic steps, so it helps to know where the drive and septic field will go before the brush comes out.

Gunter Soils, From Heavy Clay to Loam

USDA soil survey data around Gunter shows a mix that is more varied than the Collin County blackland to the south. Heiden clay and the Fairlie and Houston Black clays cover much of the gently sloping ground, but Normangee clay loam, Wilson silty clay loam and Speck loam variants also appear, and the bottoms are mapped as Elbon soils, frequently flooded. The clay areas shrink, crack and turn slick much like Celina's; the loamier spots dry out sooner and usually take equipment earlier after rain. A contractor who knows which soil is under each part of the job can schedule around it instead of tearing up wet ground.

Questions for a Gunter Contractor

• Is the property inside Gunter city limits or in unincorporated Grayson County?
• If a plat is required, will the clearing line up with the platted lot lines and easements?
• Does any part of the clearing touch a creek bottom or mapped flood hazard area?
• How will cedar along working fences be cut without damaging fence that stays?
• What is the plan for the brush: mulch in place, pile, or haul?

For nearby areas, see Van Alstyne to the east, Anna to the southeast, and the Celina area to the south.