Service
Stump Grinding in Portage Lakes & Summit County, OH
Stump grinding uses a rotating carbide wheel to chip a tree stump down 6–12 inches below ground level, leaving a hole of wood chips you can rake flat, backfill, and seed or sod over. It is faster, cheaper, and far less destructive to your yard than digging the whole root ball out.
Portage Lakes Stumps is a family-run, fully insured tree service in Portage Lakes, Ohio, serving all of Summit County. Stump grinding is the service we are named for, and we do it as a standalone job just as often as we do it after one of our own removals. If a previous owner left you a stump, or another crew took the tree and left the base, that is a normal call for us. Free estimate either way —(234) 288-4032.
What Stump Grinding Costs in Summit County
Every job gets a firm number after we've seen the stump — the estimate is free, and there's no obligation. What we can tell you up front is what moves the price:
What moves the number
- Size and species. Height, trunk diameter, and wood density all drive the labor. A 60-foot silver maple is a very different job from a 20-foot ornamental pear, even in the same yard.
- Access. If a truck and grinder can reach the work, it is cheaper. Backyard stumps behind a narrow gate, steep lake-lot slopes, and tight side yards all add time.
- What is underneath and around it. Trees leaning over a roof, near power lines, or beside a fence have to come down in pieces with rigging rather than felled in one drop. Buried utilities near a stump mean an 811 locate before grinding.
- Condition. A dead, hollow, or storm-damaged tree is less predictable than a healthy one and has to be handled more carefully, which costs more, not less.
- Cleanup and haul-away. Whether you want the wood hauled off, cut to firewood length and stacked, or the grindings left as mulch changes the final number.
- How many at once. Mobilization is a real cost. Doing four stumps or three trees in one visit is always cheaper per unit than four separate trips.
The single biggest lever is how many stumps you have. Mobilizing the grinder is most of the cost of a small job, which is why the fourth stump costs a fraction of the first. If you have several, get them all done in one visit.
How Our Stump Grinding Works
We look at the stump and quote it
Free and on site. We measure the stump across its widest point at ground level, check what the machine has to get through to reach it, and give you a firm price.
Utilities get located
For anything near a house, drive, or property line we call in an Ohio 811 locate before the wheel touches dirt. Grinding blind into a gas or fiber line is how people make the news.
We clear and protect the area
Rocks, loose debris, and anything the grinder could throw come out first. Nearby windows, siding, and vehicles get shielded.
We grind below grade
Standard depth is 6–12 inches below ground level — deep enough to plant grass, lay sod, or run a mower over without ever hitting it. Tell us up front if you plan to plant a new tree in the same spot; that needs to go deeper.
Surface roots come out too
The runners radiating from the stump get ground down as well, so you are not left with a ring of trip hazards where the stump used to be.
Cleanup, your call
We can haul the grindings away and backfill the hole with topsoil, or rake them level and leave them — they break down into usable mulch, and leaving them costs you less.
Stump Grinding vs. Stump Removal
These are two different jobs and the words get used interchangeably, which causes a lot of confused quotes. Grinding chips the stump away in place. Removal excavates the entire stump and root ball out of the ground.
| Stump grinding | Full stump removal | |
|---|---|---|
| What's left | Wood chips 6–12" below grade | An open crater where the root ball was |
| Damage to the yard | Minimal — one machine, one path in | Significant — excavator, torn turf |
| Cost | Lower | Substantially higher |
| Time | Usually under an hour per stump | Hours, plus fill dirt and restoration |
| Best when | You want lawn, mulch bed, or patio over the spot | You're regrading, building, or replanting a tree in the exact spot |
Where We Grind Stumps
We cover every community in Summit County. A few we work in most often:
- Portage Lakes
- Akron
- Coventry Township
- Green
- New Franklin
- Barberton
- Cuyahoga Falls
See all Summit County communities we serve →
Related Reading
Stump Grinding FAQs
How deep do you grind the stump?
Standard is 6 to 12 inches below grade, which is deep enough to seed, sod, or run a mower over the spot without ever hitting wood. If you want to plant a new tree in exactly the same place, tell us in advance — that requires grinding deeper and removing more of the root mass.
Can I plant grass or a new tree where the stump was?
Grass, yes — backfill the hole with topsoil and seed it. A new tree in the identical spot is harder: leftover wood chips tie up nitrogen as they decompose and the remaining root mass gets in the way. Either plant a few feet off to the side, or ask us to grind deeper and excavate the chips so you can bring in clean soil.
What happens to the wood chips?
Grinding one stump produces a surprising volume of chips — usually more than fills the hole. We can haul them off and backfill with topsoil, or rake them level and leave them for you to use as mulch. Leaving them is cheaper and plenty of homeowners prefer it.
Do I need the stump ground at all?
Not strictly, but stumps left in place sprout suckers, host carpenter ants and termites, breed fungus, make mowing a nuisance, and take years to rot on their own. If you want the space back for lawn, patio, or planting, grinding is the practical answer.
Do you grind stumps left by another company?
All the time. It does not have to be a tree we removed. Old stumps from previous owners, storm losses, or another crew's removal are a standalone job we are happy to quote.