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Who We AreBrooklyn Excavation Company
Empire Excavation NYC is a Brooklyn-based excavation company built for the hardest digging in the country: New York City's tight lots, old foundations, buried surprises and demanding permit process.
Why We Exist
Most excavation companies are built for open land — big machines, wide staging, simple soil. New York City is the opposite: 20-foot lots, shared party walls, a century of buried foundations and oil tanks, rock under half the Bronx and Manhattan, and a Department of Buildings that inspects everything. Homeowners and builders kept hiring out-of-town crews who learned these lessons on their dime. Empire Excavation NYC was started to be the contractor that already knows.
We're based in Brooklyn and work across all five boroughs and Long Island. Our crews run compact excavators for tight-access lots and full-size machines where the site allows it, with hydraulic breakers for the rock that stops lesser outfits cold.
What sets us apart isn't just the iron — it's the judgment. Knowing when a dig needs an engineer before a bucket, when a neighbor's foundation needs protection before a permit, and when to tell a homeowner their "simple" project isn't simple. That honesty is why builders and homeowners call us back for the next job.
What We Do
- Residential excavation — pools, additions, garage pads, drainage and yard dig-outs.
- Foundation excavation — new builds, cellar dig-outs and underpinning with engineered shoring.
- Grading and land leveling — drainage-correct slopes, level pads and driveway bases.
- Trenching, demolition and site prep — utility trenches, structure demo and build-ready sites.
How We Work
1. We look before we quote
Every estimate starts with a site visit: access width, utility locations, soil conditions, neighboring structures and permit triggers. You get a written, line-item number — not a phone guess that doubles later.
2. We handle the paperwork
NYC excavation lives and dies on permits. We identify DOB, DEP and DOT requirements up front and handle the excavation-side filings, so your project doesn't stall waiting on paperwork.
3. We protect what's around the dig
Adjacent foundations, sidewalks, trees, fences — we plan protection before the first bucket hits the ground, and we keep sites clean enough that neighbors don't call 311.
4. We finish like the next trade is watching
Because it is. Grades are verified, backfill is compacted in lifts, spoil is hauled off-site, and the site is left ready for foundations, pavers or landscaping.
Our Service Area
Based in Brooklyn and digging across Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties).
Hiring for the first time? Read our guide to choosing an excavation contractor in NYC — licensing, insurance, owned vs rented equipment, and the red flags to watch for before you sign.