# How much does stump grinding cost?

> What stump grinding costs: our typical ranges per inch and for a first stump, what moves the price up or down, and the costs that sit outside it.

URL: https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/stump-grinding-cost/

Cost Guide

Per-inch and first-stump ranges, the factors that move a job, and what a grinding price leaves out.

Last Updated: November 8, 2026 · Written by Sunward Palm Coast Land Clearing

[Sunward Palm Coast Land Clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/)’s typical range for stump grinding is **$2 to $6 per inch** of stump diameter, with a **first stump at $120 to $400** because the machine has to come out for it. Additional stumps on the same visit cost less each. Hardwood, wide surface roots, tight access and hauling the grindings push a job up. We grind stumps across Palm Coast and Flagler County and price them from photos or a quick visit.

**In short**

- Per inch of diameter: our typical range is $2 to $6.
- First stump: $120 to $400.
- More stumps per visit lower the cost per stump.
- Outside the price: tree removal, permits, soil and sod.

## What do we charge?

| How it is priced | Our typical range | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Per inch of diameter | $2 to $6 | Measured across the top of the stump |
| First stump | $120 to $400 | Covers the trip even for one small stump |

We confirm your price before we start. A 20-inch pine at the per-inch range would fall between $40 and $120 on its own, which is why the first-stump figure, not the per-inch figure, sets the floor for a single small job.

## What moves the price

| Factor | Lower | Higher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wood | Pine, palm | Live oak, other dense hardwood |
| Roots | Compact base | Wide surface roots ground out across the lawn |
| Access | Open from the street | Through a gate, between fences, up steps |
| Depth | A few inches for sod | Deeper for pavers or a new planting |
| Grindings | Left to fill the hole | Raked out, hauled, backfilled with soil |
| Count | Many stumps, one visit | One stump, one trip |
| Surroundings | Open lawn | Beside a driveway, foundation or buried lines |

Live oak and other hardwoods take far longer to grind than pine, and their surface roots often run several feet across a lawn. Palm stumps are fibrous and grind fast. Next to a driveway, a sidewalk or a foundation, the wheel works down slowly and the last of the stump may be cut by hand. Near the street, we have lines located through 811 before grinding starts.

## What a grinding price leaves out

Grinding starts with a stump. Taking down the tree is a separate job, and in Palm Coast any tree of 6 inches or more across at 4.5 feet needs a [tree removal permit](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/palm-coast-tree-removal-permit/) first, with replacement trees possibly required at $220 to $580 each if paid into the city’s tree bank. Soil to top up the hole and sod or seed over it are usually separate too, and the spot settles a little as the roots decay, as the [after clearing guide](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/after-land-clearing/) notes for cleared lots generally.

We don’t grind stumps under a planned slab, driveway or pool at all. We pull them out with their roots as part of [clearing and grubbing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/clearing-and-grubbing/), which is priced with the clearing; the [grind or remove guide](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/stump-grinding-vs-stump-removal/) explains why.

## Grinding as part of a larger job

Stumps ground on the same visit as other work, such as a [brush clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/brush-clearing/) job or the edges of a newly cleared lot, share the cost of bringing the machine. On a building lot, stumps under the house are pulled during clearing and only the ones at the edges are ground, so the grinding line on a lot clearing quote is usually a handful of stumps rather than the whole lot.

## Local labor

Labor isn’t what makes grinding expensive here. Tree trimmers and pruners in the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro, which includes Flagler County, earn a mean $23.11 an hour, below the $26.91 national mean, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A wage is not a billing rate: the price also carries the grinder, its teeth and fuel, the trailer, insurance and overhead.

## Example budgets (illustrative)

These examples are illustrative, built only from the ranges above. They are not quotes and do not describe real jobs.

- **One 14-inch pine stump** in an open front lawn, chips left in the hole. The first-stump range sets the price.
- **Five pine stumps of 10 to 20 inches** along the edge of a newly cleared lot. Priced per inch across all five, with the trip spread over them, so each costs less than a lone stump would.
- **One 30-inch live oak stump** behind a fence with wide surface roots and the grindings hauled. Toward the top of the per-inch range, plus the haul and soil.

The [Palm Coast land clearing cost guide](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/land-clearing-cost-palm-coast/) covers stumps as part of a full lot clear, and the [stump grinding page](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/stump-grinding/) covers the work itself.

Want a price for your stumps?

Send a photo of each stump with a tape measure across the top, and how the machine gets to them.

## Three more questions

### How do I measure a stump for a price?

Measure straight across the top at the widest point, including any flare at the base that will be ground. A photo with a tape measure across it is the most useful thing to send.

### Does hauling the grindings cost extra?

Usually. Leaving the chips to fill the hole is the default; raking them out, hauling them and backfilling with soil adds time and a disposal trip.

### Is grinding cheaper with several stumps?

Per stump, yes. The machine's trip is paid once, so additional stumps on the same visit cost less each than the first.

Want a price for your stumps?

Call, or send the address or parcel number, what you plan to build or keep, and whether the building permit has been applied for.

[(386) 465-4658](tel:+13864654658)

- **Mon-Fri**: 8am-6pm
- **Sat-Sun**: 9am-2pm

Outside these hours, emergency calls only.

Further reading

## More guides on clearing a lot

- [Decision GuideStump grinding or stump removal?](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/stump-grinding-vs-stump-removal/)
- [Cost GuideWhat land clearing costs in Palm Coast](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/land-clearing-cost-palm-coast/)
- [Cost GuideWhat forestry mulching costs](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/forestry-mulching-cost/)
- [LearnWhat to do after land clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/after-land-clearing/)

## Contact Sunward Palm Coast Land Clearing

- Phone: [(386) 465-4658](tel:+13864654658)
- Email: [office@sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com](mailto:office@sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com)
- Address: 18 Market Ave, Palm Coast, FL 32164
- Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-2pm (America/New_York). Outside these hours, emergency calls only.
- Request an estimate: https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/contact/#estimate