How deep does stump grinding go?

It depends on the stump and your plans for the spot. One national cost guide says grinding goes as deep as 12 inches on large stumps. If you plan grass or a garden bed there, say so when you get the estimate.

Does stump grinding remove the roots?

No. Grinding turns the stump into chips below the ground, and the roots stay in the soil. Cost guides note that only full stump removal takes the root ball out. Surface roots can be ground as a separate item.

Will a palm stump grow back?

A single-trunk palm will not grow back. UF/IFAS explains that each palm stem grows from one bud at its top. Cut that stem and a single-trunk palm dies, while a clustering palm loses only that stem. Grinding the stump clears the space for grass or a bed.

Do I need to call 811 before stump grinding in Florida?

Sunshine 811 says every digging project needs a locate request, large or small. When you hire the work out, the company doing it makes the request. Florida law sets the notice at two full business days before the work.

Can you plant grass where a stump was ground?

Yes. University extension experts advise pulling most of the chips and filling the hole with soil, mounded a little for settling. They favor sod over seed on the patch.

Do several stumps cost less per stump?

Usually. Cost guides show each added stump on the same visit at about $40 to $75. The machine and the crew are already there, so the setup cost is spread out.

Is this what A Sharper Image Tree Services charges?

No. These are market numbers from national cost guides, not our price list. Your stumps and your access set the real number. Call or text (813) 293-2948 for a free estimate.

How Much Does Stump Grinding Cost in Florida?

Most single stumps cost about $120 to $500 to grind, based on national cost guides updated in 2025 and 2026. The averages those guides report for one stump run from $200 to about $430. The usual rate is $2 to $5 per inch of stump width. Many companies also set a minimum charge of $100 to $150.

These are market numbers, not our price list. A big oak stump or a tight back yard can push a job higher. A batch of stumps brings the price per stump down. For a real number, ask for a free estimate on stump grinding in Tampa or anywhere north to Crystal River.

What do national cost guides list for stump grinding?

The table pulls together four national cost guides. Each line is a market range from those guides.

What you pay for	Market range
Typical range, one stump	$120 to $500
Reported average, one stump	$200 to $426
Price per inch of stump width	$2 to $5
Minimum charge for a small job	$100 to $150
Each added stump, same visit	$40 to $75
Hourly rate	$125 to $200 an hour
Grinding surface roots	$100 to $200 an hour
Hauling the chips away	$50 to $200
Oak and other hardwoods	$50 to $150 more per stump
Difficult terrain	Up to $50 more an hour, or up to $200 flat
Full stump removal, roots and all	$200 to $700

Big stumps can run past these lines. One guide lists large stumps as high as $1,600.

How is the price per inch figured?

Cost guides say the stump is measured across its widest point, where it meets the ground. That width times $2 to $5 gives the base price. A 30-inch laurel oak stump works out to $60 to $150 on that math.

Small stumps rarely reach the minimum charge on inches alone. A 10-inch stump comes to $20 to $50, so a $100 to $150 minimum sets its price. One guide lists a 12-inch stump at $124 to $160 and a 24-inch stump at $148 to $220.

What makes one stump cost more than another?

Width. Every inch adds to the per-inch total.
The wood. One guide adds $50 to $150 per stump for oak and other hardwoods. The live oaks and laurel oaks in Tampa yards fall in that group.
Access. A stump behind a narrow gate or tight to the house takes longer. One guide lists up to $50 more an hour, or up to $200 flat, for rough ground.
Surface roots. Roots that run across the lawn get ground as their own item, often $100 to $200 an hour.
The chips. Cost guides list hauling the chips away as an extra, often $50 to $200.
A stand-alone trip. A stump another company left behind is a trip of its own. Expect the minimum charge, even for a small stump.
The count. The first stump carries the setup cost. Each added stump on the same visit often runs $40 to $75.

What about palm stumps?

Palm stumps are built differently. UF/IFAS Extension notes that every palm root grows from a zone at the base of the trunk. Those roots never thicken the way oak roots do. One tree-service quote site lists palm stump removal at about $75 to $425, by size and access.

A palm that died of Ganoderma butt rot needs more care. UF/IFAS advises removing as much of the stump and roots as possible, or grinding the stump. The fungus survives in the soil, so planting another palm in that spot is risky.

What does a yard full of stumps cost?

Several stumps on one visit cost less per stump. Cost guides show the first stump at full price and each added one at about $40 to $75. Some companies bill a big batch by the hour instead, at $125 to $200 an hour.

A lot with dozens of stumps is a bigger job. At that scale it becomes clearing a lot or acreage, and machines pull or grind the stumps. Building a house there? Ask the builder whether the stumps should be ground or pulled out whole.

Is stump grinding included in the price of tree removal?

Often it is not. One national guide says most tree companies treat stump work as a separate service. Another lists a medium tree cut down and ground together at about $400 to $1,100. Either way, ask to see the stump as its own line on the estimate.

We grind stumps after our own tree removal jobs and for stumps someone else left. If the tree is still standing, start with what tree removal costs in Florida.

Does grinding cost less than full stump removal?

Yes, in the cost guides. Grinding runs about $120 to $500 for one stump. Full stump removal runs about $200 to $700.

The difference is the roots. A grinder chews the stump into chips below the ground, and the roots stay in the soil to rot.

Full removal means digging around the stump and cutting the side roots. Then the whole root ball comes out. That extra work fits a spot where a pool or an addition will go.

Why does Sunshine 811 come before the grinder?

A grinder cuts below the ground, and buried lines can run near a stump. Florida law defines excavation as work meant to penetrate or disturb the surface of the earth. When you hire the grinding out, Sunshine 811 says the company doing it requests the locate ticket.

Florida law sets the notice at two full business days before the work. Weekends and holidays do not count. The member utilities mark their lines by color, such as red for electric and yellow for gas. They do not mark private lines, like sprinkler pipes, so point those out.

What do you do with the hole after grinding?

Grinding leaves a hole full of wood chips mixed with soil. Some owners keep the chips as mulch for beds. Others have them hauled off, which cost guides put at $50 to $200.

University extension experts advise against mixing the chips into planting soil. As the wood rots, soil microbes use up nitrogen that plants need.

For grass, pull most of the chips and fill the hole with soil. Mound it a little, since the spot settles as the buried wood breaks down. The same experts favor sod over seed on the patch.

How do you get a real price for your stumps?

Count the stumps and measure each one across at the ground. Photos help, and so does the width of your gate. Then call or text (813) 293-2948 for a free estimate in writing.

Our compact machines fit through a back-yard gate, and we rake the site clean before we leave. We work Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. See how we grind stumps below grade from Tampa to Crystal River.