Stump grinding in Washington

Stump grinding rules across Washington

A stump grinder cuts several inches below grade, often near buried gas, power and water service lines. Call 811 a few days before the job so utilities can mark their lines, and keep the operator outside the marked zone. Ask the contractor whether they will place the call or expect you to.

Stump work falls under the same L&I contractor registration that chapter 18.27 RCW applies to tree removal, with a bond and insurance behind it; check it with the license lookup guide.

Permits usually attach to the tree, not the stump. Of 59 cities we tracked, 13 regulate removal outright and 30 in some cases; if you are removing the tree and stump together in a city like Lacey (4 inches DBH) or Bellevue (6 inches), the permit covers the tree first. A stump on a property line is a boundary question, and grinding a neighbor’s stump without permission falls under the trespass statute, RCW 64.12.030.

What stump grinding costs in Washington

The modeled range below is built on stump diameter and crew time, with BLS’s statewide mean of $32.20 an hour for tree workers as the wage index. It is a wage, not a price (method).

Large conifer stumps cost more because their root flare is wider than the trunk was at chest height. Depth, rocky soil, a narrow gate and a stump within a few feet of a foundation or fence all add hand work. Hauling the grindings off rather than leaving them on site is the other cost to ask about.

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 Washington

Stump grinding is mostly a dry-ground job, and the state’s storm calendar tells you when the ground will not be dry. NOAA logged 6,231 storm reports statewide, and the eight busiest counties, led by Spokane at 707 and Okanogan at 581, all list heavy snow as their top type, peaking from December through February.

Plan grinding for late spring through early fall, when a truck-mounted machine can cross a lawn without rutting it. If you want to replant in the same spot, grind deeper and replace the chips with soil; fall planting gives roots the wet season to settle.

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

City stump pages exist for Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue. They cover each city’s 811 reminders, yard-debris and burning rules, and any quarantine that limits moving wood.

The bigger difference is east versus west. Ecology’s burn rules (RCW 70A.15.5020, WAC 173-425) ban outdoor burning in any urban growth area or city over 10,000 where alternatives exist, so grindings in Seattle, Tacoma or Bellevue go to mulch or yard waste. On DNR-protected land, WAC 332-24-205 requires a written permit for piles outside rule-burn conditions and bars fire within 50 feet of a structure. The burning rules guide sorts out which applies.

• Seattle784,777
• Spokane230,783
• Tacoma229,816
• Vancouver199,698
• Bellevue154,193
• Kent134,871
• Everett113,567
• Spokane Valley108,405
• Renton104,975
• Federal Way99,729
• Yakima97,458
• Kirkland97,410
• Bellingham96,395
• Kennewick88,366
• Auburn86,301
• Pasco82,848
• Redmond82,506
• Marysville77,686
• Shoreline66,542
• Sammamish66,110
• Richland65,258
• Lakewood62,755
• Lacey58,833
• Olympia56,724
• Bothell52,199
• Burien51,859
• Bremerton45,482
• Edmonds42,748
• Puyallup42,682
• Lynnwood42,132
• Lake Stevens42,091
• Issaquah39,423
• Longview38,362
• Wenatchee35,547
• University Place35,479
• Mount Vernon35,193
• SeaTac34,578
• Walla Walla34,058
• Pullman33,756
• Des Moines33,032
• Maple Valley28,482
• Tumwater28,010
• Camas27,749
• Moses Lake27,469
• Mountlake Terrace25,430
• Mercer Island25,422
• Bainbridge Island24,691
• Kenmore24,249
• Oak Harbor24,083
• Battle Ground23,513
• Bonney Lake22,139
• Arlington22,031
• Tukwila22,003
• Covington21,496
• Ellensburg21,308
• Mukilteo21,239
• Mill Creek20,902
• Port Angeles20,146
• Monroe20,025

Other tree services in Washington

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

What to do next

Call 811, measure the stump at its widest point, and decide whether you want the grindings left as mulch or hauled. If the tree is still standing, check the permit rules for the tree itself on your city page or the permit guide.

Verify the contractor’s L&I registration in the license lookup guide. When you are ready, the call button connects you with a local stump grinding service (stump grinding overview).

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