Stump grinding in Oregon

Stump grinding rules across Oregon

Start with the license. Oregon’s Construction Contractors Board statute (ORS 701.005(5)(e)) names stump removal outright in its definition of a contractor, and the Landscape Contractors Board scope under ORS 671.520 lists “removing tree limbs or stumps” too. A grinder operator working for pay should carry one of the two; check it with the Oregon license lookup guide.

Grinding rarely triggers a city permit on its own, because the tree is already down. Of the 40 Oregon cities we track, 7 require a permit for private tree removal, 13 require one in some cases, 13 do not, and for 7 we found no rule. If the tree has not been cut yet, the permit question belongs to the removal, not the stump.

Call 811 before any grinder touches the ground. Shallow gas, irrigation and cable lines often run through the root plate, and a grinder wheel cuts several inches below grade. Near a property line, remember ORS 105.810: cutting or injuring a neighbor’s tree without authority can cost treble damages.

What stump grinding costs in Oregon

BLS puts the statewide mean wage for tree workers at $35.40 an hour. That figure is a wage, not a price, but it is the labor input behind the modeled range below. Diameter at the cut, root flare spread and how far the machine must travel from the truck move the number more than anything else.

Access matters on hillside lots and fenced backyards, where a narrow walk-behind grinder replaces a tow-behind unit and the job takes longer. Several stumps on one visit usually cost less per stump than a single one, so group them if you can. Cleanup of the grindings is often a separate line item; ask before you sign.

Modeled at $4 to $6 per inch of diameter with a $150 minimum, rounded to $50. Modeled estimate, not quotes (method).

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm season and timing in Oregon

NOAA logged 4,808 storm reports across Oregon’s 36 counties, and the busiest counties peak from December through March. Curry County leads with 253 reports, Lane County follows with 249, and Klamath County has 232, all dominated by high wind. Those winter blowdowns leave stumps that sit until spring.

That makes late spring and summer the common grinding window: soil is drier, lawns recover faster and the yard-debris burn window under DEQ rules runs March 1 to June 15 in areas where burning is allowed. In Douglas and Jackson counties, where wildfire is the top recorded hazard, clear grindings away from structures before fire season.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to June 2026 · NWS zone-county correlation files (2019 to 2026 versions). Checked 2026-10-02.

Stump grinding by city

Six Oregon cities have their own stump grinding page so far: Portland, Salem, Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro and Bend. Each covers the local disposal options and the modeled cost for that metro.

Disposal is where cities split. DEQ rules (OAR 340-264) ban backyard burning year-round in the Portland metro counties of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington, so grindings there go to yard-debris carts, mulch or a hauler. Outside that zone, burn windows and ODF fire-season permits under ORS 477.515 decide whether a pile of chips and roots can be burned at all.

• Portland635,109
• Salem181,779
• Eugene178,618
• Gresham111,513
• Hillsboro111,126
• Bend107,342
• Beaverton97,842
• Medford86,494
• Corvallis61,499
• Springfield61,431
• Tigard57,929
• Albany56,894
• Lake Oswego39,722
• Grants Pass39,239
• Keizer39,140
• Redmond38,547
• Oregon City38,175
• McMinnville34,647
• Woodburn31,948
• Happy Valley28,916
• Tualatin28,139
• Wilsonville27,833
• Forest Grove27,252
• Newberg26,896
• West Linn26,567
• Roseburg23,693
• Milwaukie22,114
• Klamath Falls22,111
• Ashland20,889
• Sherwood20,535
• Lebanon20,267
• Hermiston19,906
• Central Point19,139
• Canby18,004
• Dallas17,890
• Pendleton16,989
• Troutdale15,776
• The Dalles15,745
• Coos Bay15,686
• St. Helens14,450

Other tree services in Oregon

Tree removal in Oregon · Tree trimming in Oregon · Emergency tree service in Oregon · Land clearing in Oregon · Arborist services in Oregon

What to do next

Before you book: confirm the stump is on your side of the line, call 811 and wait for locates, and decide whether you want the grindings left as mulch or hauled away. Then check the crew’s CCB or LCB number with the license lookup guide. If the tree is still standing, start with tree removal and your city’s permit rule; for a single stump, the stump grinding guide covers depth and backfill.

Stump grinding across Washington and Oregon · cost guide · all of Oregon.