How Much Does Stump Removal Cost in Florida?

One national cost guide puts stump removal at $100 to $400 per stump on average. A second national guide puts the national average at $369, based on 16,293 projects. A third guide lists Orlando at $144 to $280 per stump, with labor and materials included. That guide prices removal at $2 to $5 per diameter inch.

These are market numbers, not our price list. In the first guide, grinding runs $120 to $400 for one stump and $30 to $60 per additional stump. Digging a stump out with a backhoe runs $80 to $190 each, with a $150 to $350 minimum. Tree root removal runs $150 to $300 in the same guide.

What does stump removal cost per stump and per inch?

Each row below is a published market range, not a quote. Stump size and the removal method move the price.

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

For one stump in a yard, grinding is usually the cheaper route. Two of the guides call digging out the most expensive method. A grinder chews the stump into chips below the ground. The second guide says that method leaves the roots intact.

We do not offer stump grinding. If you have one stump in a finished lawn, call a stump grinding company for that job. Our work is excavator stump and root ball removal. The excavator digs around the stump, and the stump and root ball come out together.

Digging costs more because it is slower work. The first guide puts grinding a 10 to 15 inch stump at 15 minutes to an hour. Digging a stump up takes 1 to 3 hours on average in the same guide.

The extra time takes out the roots. The first guide says a stump grinder alone cannot remove all the tree roots underground. It names an excavator as one of the machines that can. The third guide also says digging out gets rid of the roots.

What does it cost to take stumps out during land clearing?

A few stumps in a yard get priced one at a time. A wooded lot or tract is a different job. There the stumps come out with the trees and brush while the excavator is on site. That is how clearing a homesite lot runs.

On that kind of job the stumps are one part of the price. Our land clearing cost per acre guide covers what the whole job runs in Florida.

Stump-only work gets cheaper per stump as the count goes up. The second guide says most pros charge a $100 to $150 minimum for a single stump callout. With more than one stump, that rate often drops to $40 to $75 per stump.

Why pull the roots instead of leaving them in the ground?

What goes on the ground next decides it. Roots left behind rot out and leave voids, and Iowa State Extension ties that to settling and uneven ground. The same source says a stump left to rot on its own can take more than ten years.

Fields need the roots out too. UF/IFAS says all stumps and roots have to come out of ground headed for hay, silage or cropland. Where a food plot will be disked, the stumps come out first.

Ponds need clean ground as well. A USDA pond specification calls for logs, stumps, roots and sod to be cleared from a dam’s foundation. It says they would prevent a good bond between the foundation and the fill.

Do pine and hardwood stumps cost the same to remove?

Not always. The second guide says dense hardwoods like oak and hickory may take longer and cost more in labor. The third guide agrees and names pine as a softwood that may come out faster.

Root shape matters once the whole stump is coming out. The US Forest Service puts a longleaf pine taproot at 8 to 12 feet long on good sites. UF/IFAS says much of a sweetgum root system is shallow, with deep vertical roots under the trunk. A grinder leaves most of both root systems in the ground.

Soil counts too. The first guide says removing stumps in rocky or clay soil takes longer. Monticello sits in the Red Hills, which Tall Timbers describes as rolling hills and red clay soils.

What about storm root balls after a hurricane?

Storm-blown trees leave root balls in pastures and fields. Helene in 2024 and Idalia in 2023 both crossed the Big Bend, per the National Weather Service.

None of the guides above prices a storm root ball on its own line. The closest rows are tree root removal at $150 to $300 and root work by the hour. When the root balls need to go, we haul stumps and storm debris off with the dump truck.

What else adds to a stump removal bill?

Cleanup can be its own line. The first guide adds $2 to $4 per inch of stump width for cleanup and disposal. A dug-out stump leaves a bigger hole, and the same guide lists extra costs for backfilling with new dirt.

Distance counts as well. The first guide says most companies charge more for travel time outside standard service areas. The second guide says metro areas typically charge more than rural areas.

Digging brings one more step. Sunshine 811 is free, and it notifies its member utilities so they mark their lines. They ask for two full business days before digging starts.

How do you get a price for the stumps on your land?

Published ranges help you set a budget. Your price depends on the stump count, stump size, tree type and what the land is for next.

We give free estimates on stump removal around Monticello. That covers Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Leon and Wakulla counties, plus South Georgia across the state line. Call or text (850) 815-0054. See how excavator stump and root ball removal works, from the first dig to the backfill.