How much does stump grinding cost in Tennessee?

Most single stumps in Tennessee run about $75 to $400 to grind. That range comes from a Chattanooga tree service’s published pricing page and from a Middle Tennessee stump company’s cost guide. A statewide cost calculator stretches the top end to $723 once a stump passes 36 inches across.

Those are market numbers, not our price list. Every stump grinding job gets priced off the actual yard. One 10 inch stump in an open lawn and six oak stumps behind a fence are not the same job. The ranges below are for budgeting, and they hold up across Hamilton County and Southeast Tennessee.

What do the published per stump numbers look like?

Two Tennessee sources break the price out by stump diameter. CostPerProject runs a statewide calculator that puts Tennessee about 10 percent under the national average. Rooted in Grace Stump Co, a Middle Tennessee company, publishes its own size brackets. The two line up closely.

The overlap tells you something useful. A 20 inch stump can land anywhere from about $136 to $275 depending on the yard it sits in. Same size, same machine, different number.

National guides sit in the same neighborhood. LawnStarter puts the 2026 national average at $272 per job, with a normal range of $131 to $438. HomeAdvisor lists an average near $250 and a normal range of $120 to $500. Lawn Love comes in lower, at $120 to $210 for a typical stump.

Is stump grinding priced per stump or per inch?

Both, and the two methods often land in the same place. LawnStarter, Lawn Love, and HomeAdvisor all list $2 to $5 per inch of stump diameter. Diameter gets measured across the widest part of the stump at ground level.

Run that math on a 24 inch stump and you get $48 to $120. That is under what anyone actually charges, and the reason is the minimum. Most guides put the minimum charge at $100 to $150.

So on small and mid size stumps, the minimum sets the price. The quote comes back as one flat number. Per inch pricing only starts to drive the cost on the big ones. Lawn Love’s chart runs a 72 inch stump to $147 to $395 on inches alone.

Some companies price by the hour instead. LawnStarter and Lawn Love both list $125 to $200 per hour for the machine and the labor to run it.

What drives the cost up or down?

Size moves the number first. A stump twice as wide holds roughly four times as much wood. Diameter climbs the price faster than it looks like it should.

Wood hardness comes next. LawnStarter lists a hardwood surcharge of $50 to $150 per stump. HomeAdvisor puts the hardwood premium at up to 20 percent. Oak and hickory are common across the Tennessee Valley, and both grind slow.

Access is the third one, and around here it is a big one. LawnStarter adds $50 per hour for hard to reach jobs. A fenced backyard, a slope, or a stump wedged against a shed all cost more. An open front yard is the cheap version.

Compact equipment helps. The mini skid steer we run for clearing work fits through a standard fence gate.

Count matters too. The first stump carries the drive out and the setup, and every stump after that is cheaper. Rock is the last factor. Rocks in the root ball chip grinder teeth and slow the cut, and red clay ground holds plenty of them.

Timing can shave money off. LawnStarter notes that scheduling in winter can cut about 20 percent off the price. The work slows down in the cold months.

Is it cheaper to grind a stump or pull it out?

Grinding is cheaper, and the gap is wide. Fixr prices grinding a 20 inch stump at $100 to $400. Full removal of that same stump runs $370 to $675. A Chattanooga tree service publishes those same two ranges.

The difference is what each job actually does. Grinding cuts the stump into chips several inches below grade and leaves the roots in the ground to rot. Pulling a stump out means an excavator, the whole root ball, and a crater where the tree stood.

That crater is the cost most people miss. It has to be filled and packed, and the dirt has to go somewhere. Grinding below grade is the work we do. For ground you want to mow, it is almost always the right call.

The roots left behind can push up sprouts for a season or two on some species. Mowing over them usually settles it.

What happens to the hole and the wood chips?

Grinding does not leave an open hole. It leaves a shallow dish piled with chips, because a stump gets turned into chips right where it stood. A wide stump makes a bigger pile than most people expect.

Leaving that pile in place is where the frustration starts. Iowa State University Extension says stump grindings should be removed as thoroughly as possible before planting grass. Their high carbon to nitrogen ratio temporarily pulls nitrogen away from new grass. Seed sown into chips comes in thin and yellow.

Doing it right runs in order. The chips come out. Quality topsoil replaces the volume the grinder took. It goes in a little above the surrounding grade so it can settle.

Then the surface gets smoothed and the spot is ready for seed. Early fall is the best window for seeding in this climate.

That restoration is optional, and it is worth settling before the machine shows up. Some quotes include chip cleanup and some do not. Lawn Love lists debris removal at $50 to $200 per hour, or $2 to $4 per inch of ground stump. HomeAdvisor puts sod at $1 to $2 per square foot if you want grass the same day instead of seed.

Is renting a stump grinder worth it?

For one or two stumps, usually not. HomeAdvisor’s 2026 rental data puts a standard walk behind grinder at $200 to $400 a day. A half day runs $110 to $220, plus $50 to $60 for a trailer. It lists Home Depot at $200 to $300 a day and Lowe’s at $120 to $150.

Set that against hiring the work out. HomeAdvisor’s own comparison puts a professional job at about $370 on average. Its verdict is that you pay about the same either way.

The rest of it is where the math turns. You still have to tow the machine, run it safely, and haul the chips off yourself. Guides put a DIY grind at a full day against a few hours for a pro. Renting starts to pay on a property with a lot of stumps and a free weekend.

What your number will come down to

Before you call anyone, count the stumps and measure the widest one across at ground level. Note whether a machine can reach each one. Then decide whether you want the sites restored or just ground down. Those answers are most of the quote.

A photo or two texted over helps us size the job before we drive out. Our stump grinding and yard restoration page covers the full finish, from the grind to a seed ready surface. If the stumps came from a bigger cleanup, tree and shrub removal usually gets quoted in the same visit.

Call or text Three Crosses Land Services at (423) 260-5675. You can also send us the details with your address and stump count. The estimate is free. It comes with a plain explanation of what is in the number and what is not.

Sources used for the ranges above: CostPerProject’s Tennessee stump grinding calculator, Rooted in Grace Stump Co, Tree Worx of Chattanooga, LawnStarter, Lawn Love, HomeAdvisor, Fixr, and Iowa State University Extension.