Excavation in Durango, CO
Full-Service Site Work for the Four Corners
Animas Excavating handles the ground work that has to happen before anything gets built, and the repairs that can't wait once something fails. We clear and grade raw land, install septic systems and underground utilities, build roads and retaining walls, handle demolition, and repair sewer lines from the city main to the house.
One crew, across La Plata County and the Four Corners region, with a 5.0 Google rating.
5.0 Star on Google
7+ Years Serving the Four Corners
Certified OWTS Installer
Site Preparation
Excavation
Underground Utilities
Septic Systems
Sewer Line Repair
Demolition
Retaining Walls
Road Construction
Land Clearing
Grading
Locally-Owned in Durango Since 2018
Mike Zarlingo spent 20 years at Oracle before he traded the desk for an excavator and started taking jobs around Durango in 2018. His name is still the one on the company, and foreman Ben Keil runs the crew on-site. From the first walk of your property to the final grade, you deal with the same people.
Our family has been in the Four Corners since 1939, and that history shows up in the work. Durango isn't flat, easy dirt. There's hard rock close to the surface that has to be hammered out before you can think about a foundation, steep parcels that live or die on drainage, and a freeze-thaw and mud-season calendar that out-of-area crews tend to underestimate.
We've been reading this ground long enough to plan around it instead of getting surprised by it. We're licensed and insured, and we know what we're getting into before we ever pull onto your lot.
Learn more about Mike and the company's history.
Excavation and Site Development Services in Durango
The most expensive part of a lot of projects isn't the dirt. It's the gaps between contractors. When your grading, utilities, septic, and foundation each belong to a different company, the schedules don't line up, messages get lost, and you're the one chasing people down to find out why nothing's moving.
We handle the whole sequence ourselves:
- General excavation and site development
- Sewer line repair from the main to the house
- Certified OWTS septic installation
- Underground utilities for water, sewer, storm drain, and gas
- Demolition, residential and commercial
- Retaining walls, pre-cast concrete block and natural stone
- Road and driveway construction
- Foundation and pad preparation
- Land clearing and final grading
For homeowners, that usually starts with a raw piece of land. We clear it, grade it, prep the pad, put in the driveway, and install the septic system, since most rural and mountain properties in La Plata County sit too far out for city sewer.
You can see what that covers on our site preparation page.
For developers and general contractors, it's mass grading, utility work, and road construction at commercial scale, the kind of work on our projects page. We're an FMCSA-registered carrier too, which matters when your contractor's compliance paperwork has to hold up.
Certified OWTS Installer for Septic Systems in Durango
OWTS stands for Onsite Wastewater Treatment System, the formal name for what most people call a septic system. If your property isn’t on a municipal sewer line, you need one, and across La Plata County that’s a large share of homes.
Here’s what a lot of buyers don’t realize until they’re in it: this work calls for a certified installer, not just an excavator with a backhoe. We’re listed on the La Plata County Public Health roster, which you can verify directly through the county.
That means the system gets designed and installed to code, the documentation is clean, and you’re not sitting on a compliance problem when it comes time to sell or refinance. On a rural lot, that paperwork is worth as much as the dig.
Sewer Line Repair in Durango: From the Main to Your House
Sewer line trouble doesn't wait for a convenient week. Our scope covers the full lateral, from the city main in the street all the way to the house, which is the stretch you're responsible for as the property owner even when it runs under the pavement.
That full repair includes:
- Cutting the asphalt to reach the line
- Locating and tapping into the city main
- Making the repair or full replacement
- Backfilling with special flow fills
- Patching the asphalt, sidewalk, curb, and gutter back to a clean finish
A lot of excavation outfits hand the asphalt or the main tap off to someone else. We don't, so you get one bid for the whole job instead of three contractors each owning a piece of the mess. This is the work Mike cut his teeth on, and it's still near and dear to us.
200 +
Projects Completed 3D Smart Grade GPS Technology on Durango Job Sites
On larger residential projects and most commercial projects, we grade with 3D smart grade GPS satellite technology. Instead of setting wooden grade stakes and string line by hand, GPS-guided machine control feeds the operator real-time elevation off satellites, so the blade follows the engineered plan exactly. The grading comes out more precise and faster, and you don't lose a day re-staking after a hard rain or a clipped stake.
On a typical larger commercial job, that approach can cut roughly $90,000 in surveying costs, because our crew handles grading and elevation verification ourselves instead of bringing a survey team back at every phase. We don't run it for the novelty. We run it because it makes the grade better and the invoice smaller.
Frequently Asked Questions About Excavation in Durango
What excavation services does Animas Excavating provide in Durango?
Everything from raw land clearing and grading to septic installation, underground utilities, sewer line repair, demolition, retaining walls, road construction, and final grading. We run the full sequence as a single crew, which takes the coordination burden off you.
Do I need a permit for excavation or site work in Durango, CO?
Most projects need at least one. Inside the city limits, grading or excavating more than 10 cubic yards requires an excavation permit through the City of Durango Engineering Department, and a building permit is required before any ground disturbance on a construction project. In unincorporated La Plata County, permitting runs through the county. Work in the public right-of-way comes with stricter rules and needs written permission before you dig. We’ll tell you exactly what your project needs.
Do I need a permit for excavation or site work in Durango, CO?
Most projects need at least one. Inside the city limits, grading or excavating more than 10 cubic yards requires an excavation permit through the City of Durango Engineering Department, and a building permit is required before any ground disturbance on a construction project. In unincorporated La Plata County, permitting runs through the county. Work in the public right-of-way comes with stricter rules and needs written permission before you dig. We’ll tell you exactly what your project needs.
What is an OWTS installer, and why does it matter for my Durango property?
OWTS is the formal name for a septic system. A certified installer has met the standards the county health department sets, and you can verify our listing directly with La Plata County Public Health. This matters on rural and mountain properties where many parcels aren’t on city sewer and need a properly permitted, correctly installed system.
How does 3D GPS grading technology benefit my project?
It replaces grade stakes and string line with GPS-guided machine control, so you get grading that matches the engineered plan more precisely, faster work, and less rework after rain or equipment movement. On a typical larger commercial job, it can save roughly $90,000 in surveying costs.
Serving Durango and the Four Corners Region
Durango is our home base, and our crews run out across La Plata County and the broader Four Corners region, including: Bayfield, Hesperus, Mancos, Cortez and Pagosa Springs.
We also work rural lots, mountain subdivisions, and ranch parcels throughout the area. If you're nearby and not sure whether you're in range, reach out and we'll let you know.
Request a Free Estimate
Tell us about your project and we'll get back to you within two hours.
Let’s Work
Contact Animas Excavating in Durango
When you reach out, we get back to you promptly, set up a site visit, and follow up with a clear bid, so you know where your project stands before any work starts.
Estimates are free, whether you're a homeowner planning a septic install in Bayfield or a developer putting together a commercial site in Durango.
Address:
2942 E 4th Ave, Durango, CO 81301
Phone Number:
(970) 403-2787
Email Address:
mike@animasexcavating.com