A stump left after a tree comes down is more than an eyesore. It gets in the way of the mower, keeps a patch of lawn from filling in and, if the tree died of a root or butt rot, can keep that fungus going in your yard. Stump grinding takes it down below the surface in one visit. Here is what the job involves in Orlando yards, what you are left with afterward and the questions to ask before anyone starts the machine.
A note on who does what: Tree Service Orlando FL owns no grinder and sends no one to your yard. It is a free phone number, (689) 407-5379. An automated assistant asks how many stumps there are, about how wide, and your city or ZIP, then hands the call to an independent stump grinding or tree company serving that side of the metro. Price, scheduling and the grinding itself are between you and that business.
How deep a stump grinder actually goes
A stump grinder is a heavy cutting wheel lined with carbide teeth. The operator sweeps it side to side across the stump, lowering it a little with each pass, until the wood is chips. Extension specialists at Iowa State and South Dakota State both describe the usual result the same way: the stump and the large roots flaring out from it are ground away to roughly 8 to 12 inches below the surface.
That depth is the standard for lawn and planting beds. If you want sod laid right over the spot, ask for the deeper end. If something structural is going in, such as a paver patio, a shed slab or a pool, say so on the call. Grinding may not be enough, and an excavator may need to pull the root ball instead.
Things that change the job and the price: the width of the stump at ground level, how far the surface roots run, whether the machine fits through your gate, how many stumps there are, and whether the chips are hauled away.
What happens to the roots and the chips
Grinding does not take out every root. A Cooperative Extension answer to a homeowner put it plainly: grinding removes most of the wood from the trunk base and the biggest attached roots, but some roots several inches wide are left in the soil. Those leftover roots die and slowly break down. Roots that are ground away do not grow back.
The chips are the part people do not expect. One stump can leave a surprisingly large mound of shavings mixed with sand. Both Iowa State and South Dakota State extension note that most grinding prices do not include hauling the chips away or filling the hole with soil, and that both are usually extra. So before you accept a quote, settle three things:
- Are the chips raked back into the hole, spread in your beds, or hauled off?
- Is the hole topped with soil, and is that soil included?
- Are surface roots running across the lawn ground out as well, or only the stump?
If grass is going back in, chips alone are a poor base. The same extension answer recommends refilling the hole with topsoil for lawn, because grass wants a good depth of soil and the chips get in the way of its roots. Keep an eye on the spot over the next season and top it up if it dips. Seasoned chips can be used as mulch elsewhere in the yard.
Palm stumps and oak stumps are different jobs
Most Orlando-area yards have both. They come out of the ground very differently.
Oak and other hardwood stumps
Laurel oaks, live oaks and other broadleaf trees have dense wood and thick woody roots that spread out just under the lawn. A wide oak stump can take real time, and the surface roots running toward the house or the driveway are often a separate decision. Some broadleaf trees will also resprout from leftover roots, something Iowa State extension notes when it discusses stumps, so mention any suckers you have seen.
Palm stumps
A palm has no woody root plate. UF/IFAS explains that palm roots all grow from one zone at the base of the trunk, come out at their full thickness and spread mostly sideways, sometimes 50 feet or more on big palms. The stump itself is fibrous. Palms also have a single growing point at the top, so a cut single-trunk palm does not regrow from its stump.
When a palm died of Ganoderma butt rot, grinding is more than cosmetic. UF/IFAS says there is no cure or chemical control for the disease, that the fungus survives in the soil, and that removing or grinding the stump limits the spore-producing conks that grow on leftover wood. Its advice is to plant something other than a palm in that spot.
Termites, fungus and old stumps near the house
Homeowners often worry that a stump or a pile of fresh chips will draw termites. UF/IFAS entomologists who studied the question found that termites survive the chipping process poorly. Their concern is larger pieces of wood carrying enough termites to keep a colony going, and wood sitting in contact with the soil. For mulch beside a house, they recommend a thin layer, under 2 inches, kept back about 6 inches from the foundation so the slab edge can be inspected.
Put simply: do not let the grinding crew bank a deep pile of chips against your foundation. Ask for them to be spread thin in beds away from the house, or hauled off. If you already have a termite contract, check its terms before changing mulch or soil levels near the slab.
Mushrooms and shelf fungi on an old stump are a sign the wood is decaying. On a palm stump, bracket-shaped conks low on the trunk are the classic sign of Ganoderma, which is one more reason to grind it out rather than leave it.
Sunshine 811, sprinkler lines and what the crew should check first
Grinding cuts into the ground, and Orlando yards hide a lot under the grass: power, cable and fiber drops, gas service lines in some neighborhoods, water mains near the street, and irrigation pipe almost everywhere.
Florida's Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act, Chapter 556 of the Florida Statutes, defines excavation as any man-made cut, cavity or depression in the earth intended to change the grade or to penetrate or disturb the surface. Excavators must notify Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before they begin, and a locate ticket is good for 30 calendar days. The law's homeowner exemption covers only digging by the owner of a single-family home, done with care, no deeper than 10 inches. A stump grinder run by a hired company goes past that.
Sunshine 811 says the contractor doing the work is responsible for making the call. It also says plainly that private facilities are the homeowner's responsibility, which means utilities do not mark your sprinkler system, private electric lines to a shed or pool equipment, or septic lines. Before the grinder arrives:
- Ask the company whether it has a current Sunshine 811 ticket for your address, and look for the paint or flags in the yard.
- Run your sprinkler zones and flag the heads around the stump so the crew can see where the pipe runs.
- Point out any low-voltage landscape lighting, a pool or shed line, and the septic tank and drain field if you have one.
- Move cars, grills and patio furniture well back. Grinders throw chips and small stones.
What stump grinding costs around Orlando
Published figures give a starting point. The real price comes from the company that sees your stumps.
| What Angi reports for Orlando | Published range |
|---|---|
| Stump grinding, per job | $155 to $510 |
| Stump up to 12 inches across | $25 to $65 |
| 24 inch stump | $50 to $125 |
| 72 inch stump | $150 to $370 |
| Full manual stump removal | $205 to $710 |
Source: Angi's Orlando stump removal cost data, updated September 2026. Per-stump figures often sit under a company's minimum charge for a visit, which is why a single small stump can cost more than the table suggests and why grouping several stumps into one visit usually helps. Ask whether the quote includes chip hauling, backfill and surface roots. For the tree itself, see the tree removal cost guide.
Questions to ask before you say yes
- Depth: how far below grade will the stump be ground, and are surface roots included?
- Cleanup: what happens to the chips, and is soil to fill the hole part of the price?
- Locates: who calls Sunshine 811, and when?
- Damage: what happens if a sprinkler line or landscape light is hit?
- Paperwork: can you send your liability insurance certificate and workers' comp proof before the job?
Check the company yourself. Florida has no state license for tree trimming or removal, so ask the company for a certificate of general liability and workers' compensation insurance, and for the ISA certification number of its arborist. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).
Have a stump, or several? Call and describe them. The company you are put through to looks at the job and gives you its own price before any grinding starts.
How a stump grinding call works
- Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (689) 407-5379 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
- Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
- Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
- Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.
How this line works: Tree Service Orlando FL is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Orlando area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Orlando FL a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.
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