Stump grinding vs stump removal

When a quote is per inch, ask for the minimum too.

Digging a stump out costs about $200 to $700 a stump.^{2, 4} Taking out the whole root system as well costs about $300 to $1,000.^{3, 6}

Tell each company what you want to do with the spot afterwards, whether that's lawn, a garden bed, a patio or a building, and ask:

• How far below the surface it'll grind, and whether that's enough for what you plan.
• Whether the roots need to come out too, and what that adds.
• What happens to the chips, and who fills the hole.
• Whether the price is per stump, per inch or by the hour, and what the minimum is.

Then get quotes and ask for grinding and removal to be priced side by side. If the tree is still standing, the removal cost guide covers the rest of the job.

Three states' dig laws name stump or root removal:

• Georgia counts stump removal as excavation, and excavating there means mechanized digging.⁷
• New Hampshire lists tree and root removal as excavation.⁸
• New Jersey lists tree and root removal as excavation.⁹

Some other states' dig laws don't mention stumps but define digging broadly. Idaho counts any displacement of earth as excavation.¹⁰ Washington counts any earth displacement by any means, and its exemptions don't mention trees or stumps.^11-12 Texas counts mechanized soil disturbance of 16 inches or more as excavation, and doesn't name stumps.¹³ Minnesota exempts tree planting less than 18 inches deep, and the exemption doesn't name removal.¹⁴

Wherever you are, ask the company whether it calls 811 before grinding or digging, and when. Your state's rules page, such as New Jersey's, says what its dig law covers.