Stump removal in Winston-Salem: local operators and what it costs

Grind or pull

Grinding cuts the stump and its root flare into chips below the surface and leaves the deeper roots to break down. Pulling the root ball with an excavator clears everything but leaves a crater, and in firm red clay the root ball comes up with a lot of soil attached. Pulling makes sense mainly where a slab, wall or new tree will go on that spot.

The NC 811 owner exemption

North Carolina exempts the owner of a single-family home digging on their own land from calling NC 811, unless the work encroaches on a utility right-of-way or easement, in which case only hand digging is exempt. A stump in a front yard often sits over the service lines to the house. If the stump is anywhere near a line or an easement, place a request with NC 811 at least three full working days ahead.

Lines 811 will not mark

NC 811 does not mark private lines, such as irrigation, propane, and the water or sewer pipe on the owner's side of the meter. Roots often wrap around those pipes, so find them before a grinder goes deep.

Filling the hole in clay

NC State Extension notes that clay soils compact when wet and are sticky when wet and hard when dry. Chips left in a grinding hole hold water in that clay and leave a soft, sinking spot. Clearing out most of the chips, refilling with topsoil, and topping it up after the first rains leaves a level patch.

Trees in the right-of-way

The city maintains trees on city property and in the right-of-way. If the stump sits in the strip along the street, check with the City of Winston-Salem before grinding.

For your project post

Say how many stumps there are and how wide, how close they are to the house, walls or a driveway, whether surface roots go too, where the chips should go, and the gate width.