Stump grinding in Brevard County

Grinding or pulling the stump

Grinding is what most people mean. A machine with a toothed wheel chews the stump into chips below the grass line, and the roots stay in the ground to rot. The yard takes a small hit: a patch of chips and a ring of torn sod.

Pulling the stump means digging out the root ball with an excavator or a big loader. It leaves a crater and a lot of disturbed sand, and it's usually saved for spots where something solid is going in, like a slab, a pool or a paver driveway, and the old roots would be in the way.

How deep, and what's left behind

Ask the crew how far below grade they plan to grind. If you only want grass back, ask what depth they recommend. If you plan to plant a tree, lay sod right over the spot or set pavers, ask them to go deeper and put the depth on the estimate.

Grinding leaves a pile of chips and soil that's bigger than most people expect. Some rake it back into the hole and let it settle. Others want it hauled off and the hole filled with topsoil so sod takes. As the chips and old roots break down, the spot tends to sink, so plan on topping it up.

Surface roots, driveways and trees you're keeping

Roots lifting a driveway or a sidewalk are a common reason people ask about grinding when there's no stump at all. The catch is that those roots usually belong to a living tree, and grinding them can hurt it.

In unincorporated Brevard the county counts machinery damage to a tree's trunk or roots, soil compaction and grade changes over the root system as land clearing when they affect the tree's viability (Brevard County Code s. 62-4338). Palm Bay requires a permit to remove or damage a tree 6 inches or more in trunk diameter (Palm Bay Code s. 175.014). Before anyone grinds roots off a live oak, ask the crew how close to the trunk they'll go, and check whether your city or the county wants a permit.

Call 811 before the wheel digs in

A grinder goes below the surface, and so do gas, power and cable lines. Sunshine 811 has to be notified at least two full business days before digging, not counting the day you call, weekends or holidays, and its definition of digging includes grading and moving earth (Sunshine 811 FAQs). Ask the crew whether they place the locate request or expect you to.

Sprinkler lines, landscape lighting and invisible dog fences are yours to point out before the wheel spins.

Stumps that come back

Some stumps don't stay dead. Brazilian pepper is the one to plan for. It's a Category I invasive and on the Florida Noxious Weed List, and UF/IFAS says large stands resprout vigorously after mechanical removal, so herbicide or stump treatment is usually needed (UF/IFAS, Brazilian peppertree). Ask the crew whether they treat cut pepper stumps or leave that to you.

Pepper is exempt from the tree permit rules in Melbourne, Rockledge and West Melbourne (Melbourne LDC s. 9.272, Rockledge LDR s. 108-51, West Melbourne Code s. 71-110). In unincorporated Brevard, removing invasives is exempt too, except inside shoreline protection buffers, the coastal construction setback line and wetlands, where the code calls for hand clearing, leaving roots in the ground and aquatic-approved herbicide (Brevard County Code s. 62-4334). A pepper stump on a lagoon-front lot in Merritt Island may be one to cut and treat by hand, so ask the county first.

What sets the price

Crews price stump work in different ways, by the stump, by the inch or by the job, so compare like with like. These move the number most:

• Diameter at ground level, including the flare where the roots spread
• How many stumps, and how far apart they sit
• Whether a grinder fits through the gate or has to be carried in
• Rocks, concrete or old fence posts buried in the roots
• Surface roots to chase out from the stump
• Hauling the chips and bringing in fill soil

Ballpark figures

For published cost figures and where they come from, see the cost guide. This site doesn't quote prices. The crew you're matched with does, after seeing the stumps or good photos of them.