How much does stump grinding cost in Spring, TX and the Houston area?
Around Spring and the Houston area, grinding one stump usually runs $100 to $500. National guides price the work at $2 to $5 per diameter inch. Minimum charges run $75 to $100. A big pine or oak stump over 36 inches can pass $1,000. Diameter sets the base price. Ground and access move it from there.
What does stump grinding cost per stump by diameter?
Two sets of numbers answer this. National cost guides price a stump at $2 to $5 per diameter inch. That puts a 12 inch stump at $30 to $60, and a 36 inch stump at $72 to $180. Houston-area price pages run higher, from $100 for a small stump to $1,000 and up for the biggest.
| Stump diameter | National cost guides (This Old House, Lawn Love) | Thumbtack (pro-quoted, national) | One Houston-area company’s 2026 price page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 12 inches | $15–$60 | $267–$354 | $100–$200 |
| 12–24 inches | $48–$135 | $324–$443 | $200–$350 |
| 24–36 inches | $72–$180 | $355–$486 | $350–$500 |
| 36 inches and up | $92–$395 | $372–$494 | $500–$1,000+ |
| Per diameter inch | $2–$5 | $4 and up | Not published |
| Minimum charge | $75–$100 | Not published | Not published |
| Each additional stump | $40–$70 | $75 | 15–25% off |
Flat-rate averages land above the per-inch math. Fixr puts a typical job at $150 to $300, with a national average of $200. LawnStarter reports an average of $272 and a range of $131 to $438. This Old House puts the national average at $340, with most jobs between $75 and $500. Homewyse priced a large stump at $173 to $307 in May 2026.
Minimum charges explain most of that gap. A crew and equipment still have to reach your address for a 10 inch stump. MTM Land Clearing Services prices stump grinding and removal in Spring the same way the guides describe: per stump, by diameter, with the count factored in.
How do per-inch pricing and minimum charges work?
Per-inch pricing is simple. The published rate is $2 to $5 per diameter inch. Thumbtack puts pro-quoted work at $4 an inch and up. A 20 inch stump at $3 an inch is $60 of grinding. Nearly every quote also carries a minimum of $75 to $100, which is why that stump does not cost $60.
The second stump is where the price breaks in your favor. LawnStarter prices the first stump around $123 and each one after at $37 to $70. Fixr lists a base of $80 to $150 for the first and $40 to $75 for each additional. Thumbtack gives the plain version: a company charging $150 for one stump may charge only $75 for each one after.
Hauling the grindings off is a separate line. LawnStarter puts debris removal at $2 to $3 per diameter inch. Thumbtack puts hauling at $100 to $120. Leaving the chips in the hole costs nothing.
Is it cheaper to grind a stump or remove it completely?
Grinding is cheaper. Fixr prices grinding at $150 to $300 against $200 to $700 for full removal. One Houston-area company’s 2026 price page puts complete removal at two to three times the grinding price. Grinding leaves the root system in the ground. Full removal pulls the stump and the root ball out.
Fixr is plain about what grinding does: it removes the visible portion of a stump while leaving the roots intact. That is enough for grass or a fence line. It is not enough under a slab, a driveway, a pool or a utility run. Those need the root ball out.
On our jobs, full removal means pulling the stump and root ball with a mini excavator. That is the usual finish after we clear a lot for a build. Full stump and root removal costs more and disturbs more ground. Decide which one the project actually needs. Taking the tree down is a separate line. Our tree removal cost guide for the Houston area covers that side.
What changes the price in Montgomery County?
Size first, then the ground. Loblolly pine and oak are the big stumps around Spring, and diameter sets the base price. Our clay and sandy loam hold water, and wet ground slows the work. A back yard behind a narrow gate costs more than a stump beside the driveway.
- Root spread. The USDA Forest Service notes that loblolly roots generally spread laterally farther than their crowns. On heavy clay soils the taproot tends to be stout and short. A wide, shallow root plate means grinding around the stump as well as through it.
- Ground condition. Clay and sandy loam across Montgomery County stay soft for days after rain. Soft ground means ruts and slower passes.
- Access. Equipment has to reach the stump. A gate, a fence line, a septic field or a slope all add time to the job.
- Buried lines. Texas 811 is free, and you call or file online at least two business days before digging. Grinding near a service line is a hand-dig and locate job first.
Storm-snapped pines leave stumps behind too, and those jobs get priced with the rest of the cleanup. Our guide to storm damaged tree removal around Houston walks through that work.
What does a whole lot of stumps cost after land clearing?
Past a handful of stumps, per-stump pricing stops making sense. The discounts stack instead. LawnStarter prices the first stump around $123 and each one after at $37 to $70. One Houston-area company’s 2026 price page takes 15 to 25 percent off a multi-stump visit. On a cleared lot, the work gets quoted by the acre.
What you plan to build changes the bill more than any per-inch rate. On a lot going to bare dirt for a slab, the excavator pulls the stumps. That is part of land clearing in Spring and Montgomery County. When the ground stays pasture or trail, grinding the few stumps in the way is cheaper. Our guide to land clearing cost per acre in Texas breaks down the per-acre side.
Do you need a permit to grind a stump?
Probably not for the stump itself. Inside the City of Houston, the permit rule covers trees on city property. The Houston Permitting Center lists rights of way, medians, parks and setbacks. Trees on your own single-family lot need no city permit. The stump itself is not addressed either way.
Outside Houston the answer changes by address. The Woodlands Township’s 2024 Residential Development Standards protect living trees. Written approval comes first for anything over six inches in diameter, measured two feet above grade. A stump is not a living tree. That rule speaks to the tree, not what is left of it. Inside Conroe, clearing a lot takes a clearing permit and a pre-clearing inspection through the city’s OpenGov portal. Check with your city before a crew starts, and call Texas 811 before anything breaks ground.
How long does stump grinding take and how deep does it go?
Most stumps are done in under two hours. Fixr times a 20 inch stump at 15 minutes to 2 hours. One Houston-area company’s 2026 price page puts most stumps at 30 to 90 minutes. Depth is usually 4 to 6 inches below grade.
This Old House describes the standard job as removing the stump 4 to 6 inches below ground level. Fixr says the practical range is 1 inch to 12 inches. The Houston-area page grinds 6 to 12 inches down. Deeper takes longer, and it earns its cost where sod or a slab is going in.
Grinding leaves the roots. Fixr says the roots, root system and part of what is below ground are left alone and intact. On most trees around here that is the end of it. Two species are the exception. Texas A&M reports that tallowtrees resprout quickly from crown and root buds when topgrowth is mechanically removed. The USDA Forest Service says sweetgum regeneration following logging can be expected to originate from root sprouts. If either one was your tree, expect shoots and plan a follow-up.
How do you get a real number for your stump?
Every range above is a published market range, not a quote from us. Your number depends on what is in the ground. The diameter at the flare, how wet the soil is, how the equipment gets in, and the stump count. We look at it and quote it free.
MTM grinds and removes stumps across Spring, Montgomery County and north Houston, one stump or a whole cleared tract. Call (281) 432-7360 or request a free estimate.