The grinder left a hole full of chips by the driveway. Can sod go straight on top?

Not straight on the chips. Rake most of them out, fill with topsoil and let it settle before laying sod. HomeGuide notes that grass needs a grind of 6 to 8 inches, and Fixr says a shallow hole can often be covered with a thin layer of soil and grass. HomeGuide puts sod at $1 to $2 a square foot installed.

We want a new shade tree where the old oak stood. How soon can it go in?

Not right on the old spot. HomeGuide advises removing the chips and sawdust, adding fresh topsoil and waiting at least a few weeks for the ground to settle, then planting 3 to 4 feet away from where the stump was. Planting in the same spot only works once all the roots are gone and new soil and fertilizer are in.

The stump from last year's removal keeps sending up shoots. Will grinding stop them?

Not always. Fixr notes that a stump occasionally regrows shoots and that grinding won't prevent it; only full removal does. HomeGuide also lists sprouting from some hardy roots as a drawback of grinding. If shoots keep coming back, ask about digging the stump and the main roots out instead.

Stump Grinding in Palm Coast, FL

Stump Grinding Jobs, From One Stump to a Backyard Full

A grinder is a spinning cutting wheel that chews the stump into chips below the soil line. What it costs depends on the stump's width, the wood and how many stumps share the visit. HomeGuide notes that old hardwood stumps take longer and need bigger machines than young, rotted or softwood ones.

Gray stump grinder working a single oak stump in the middle of a grass lawn, chips spraying into a neat mound

A Single Stump in the Lawn

One stump means paying the first-stump price and possibly the company's minimum. HomeGuide prices grinding by diameter, so measure across the widest point at ground level before you call. A stump tight against the house foundation, or in a yard the machine can't easily reach, carries a higher labor rate, and sloped or rocky ground adds time. HomeGuide says stumps of 3 to 15 inches from young trees grind the quickest.

Up to 12 inches across: $30 to $70; 24 inches: $50 to $150; 36 inches: $70 to $220 (HomeGuide)
Minimum fees run $80 to $160
Fixr's second guide: $150 to $300 a stump, $200 on average

Row of three old pine stumps of different sizes along a back fence, one freshly ground to chips, the grinder parked beside the next

Several Stumps on One Visit

Stumps are cheaper ground together. HomeGuide notes reduced rates for multiple stumps, and its per-stump figures drop sharply after the first. Hourly pricing of $100 to $200 is normally used only on big lots with many stumps and a heavy grinder. HomeGuide also finds that booking grinding together with other yard work brings the overall cost down.

Each additional stump: $30 to $60 (HomeGuide)
Per-inch pricing, if used: $2 to $6 per inch of diameter

Very wide old live oak stump with thick surface roots spreading into the lawn, a gray grinder positioned at its edge

Extra-Large Hardwood Stumps

A big oak stump with roots spreading across the lawn is a longer and heavier job. HomeGuide sets these apart at $300 to $800 each, because hardwood takes more time and a larger machine.

48 inches across: $100 to $290; 60 inches: $120 to $360; 72 inches: $150 to $430 (HomeGuide by diameter)
Surface roots beyond the stump are a separate job; see tree root removal

Low palm stump cut flush with sandy ground beside a pool deck, a pile of fibrous palm chips next to it

Stumps Left by Cut-Down Palms

HomeGuide's palm removal guide calls grinding the easiest way to deal with a palm stump. A palm lost to Ganoderma butt rot needs its stump ground out, or dug out with as many roots as can be removed; the disease itself is covered on the palm tree disease page.

Palm stump grinding: $100 to $250; palm stump removal overall $80 to $250 (HomeGuide palm guide)

Wide shallow hole of loose soil and chips where a stump was dug out with its roots, a mound of soil beside it on the lawn

Grinding vs Digging the Stump Out

Grinding leaves the roots in the ground; digging lifts the whole stump. HomeGuide's comparison favors grinding for speed, cost and a smaller hole, and digging when a new tree has to go in the same spot.

Fixr: grinding $150 to $300 against $200 to $700 for full removal of an average stump
HomeGuide: digging out $80 to $190 a stump, with a $150 to $350 backhoe minimum; dug holes can reach 12 feet wide
Renting a grinder runs $100 to $400 a day, and HomeGuide says that for a few stumps it often costs more than hiring the job out

Gloved hand cutting a dead brown frond off a sabal palm with a curved pruning saw, green fronds left on the crown above

Why Palm Coast homeowners, HOAs and property managers call Palm Coast Tree Service

Each request goes to just one tree company
Free to use; you pay only for work you sign off on
Ask for an estimate that lists cleanup and hauling
Ask to see liability and workers' comp proof

Call 811 Before the Grinder Starts

Chapter 556, Florida's underground damage law, defines excavation to include any cut "intended to penetrate or disturb the surface of the earth." It doesn't name stump grinding, but a grinder works 1 to 12 inches below grade, so a stump grinder should call 811 two full business days before the visit. FPL's advice for yard work that involves digging is to call at least two business days ahead, and Florida Statute 556.105 sets notice at not less than 2 full business days before excavation.

How to call
Dial 811, or Sunshine 811 at (800) 432-4770.
The homeowner exemption
It covers only a single-family owner's own digging, and only to 10 inches deep. A hired grinder isn't the owner.
Why it matters
Sunshine 811 says underground lines are hit 100 times a day in Florida.

After the Grinder Leaves: Chips, Hole and Replanting

The grinder turns the stump into a heap of chips and sawdust, roughly where the stump stood. Settle what happens to it before the price is agreed. Fixr notes that many companies treat cleanup as a separate service rather than part of the grind, and that you can save that charge by raking it up yourself.

Cleanup
HomeGuide prices hauling chips at $2 to $4 per inch of stump diameter; Fixr says $2 to $3. Some companies fold it into labor.
Filling the hole
HomeGuide suggests wood chips, topsoil or sod once the stump is gone. Topsoil runs $10 to $50 a yard.
Leaving it alone
An unground stump takes 3 to 10 years to rot, HomeGuide says, and draws pests and fungi in the meantime. An old stump is also a tripping hazard and something to mow around.
Leftover sawdust
HomeGuide lists decaying roots and excess sawdust as a pest draw after grinding, which is one more reason to rake the chips out.