How much does stump removal cost in Louisiana?

Published ranges put stump removal with the entire root plate at about $150 to $300 per stump. A machine dig-out is listed at $80 to $190 a stump with a $150 to $350 minimum. Guides that average every method together land at $195 to $609. Most price by width instead, at $2 to $5 per inch of stump diameter.

Those are national market figures, not our price list. We dig stumps out with the excavator. On a stump removal job here, the dig-out rows below are the ones to read. Hauling, backfill and the stump count move a total as much as size does.

What the published ranges look like

Cost guides sort stump work three ways. They sort by method, by inch of diameter, and by how many stumps go on one visit. Full removal sits near the top of every list, because it takes a machine or a lot of hand labor, and it leaves a hole behind. Here is where the 2026 numbers sit.

Sources: Angi, HomeGuide, LawnStarter.

Run the per-inch math and the spread starts to make sense. A 24 inch stump at $2 to $5 an inch works out to $48 to $120. That is before anything leaves the property. Haul-off at $1 to $4 an inch adds another $24 to $96 to that same stump. Five stumps on one trip, at the first-stump and additional-stump rates above, lands around $260 to $450.

Grinding is cheaper because it is a different job

A grinder chews the top of the stump into chips and stops four to six inches below grade. The root system stays in the ground. Digging takes the stump and the root ball together. It costs more, and it is the only version that clears the spot for a slab or a fence line.

Sources: HomeGuide, Angi.

We dig stumps out. We do not grind them, and we do not cut trees down. If the tree is still standing, a tree service quotes the felling. One national guide puts tree removal at $400 to $1,200 per tree with the stump left in place. Another puts it at $505 to $980. The stump shows up as its own line either way.

What moves the price on a Louisiana stump

Species is the first thing we look at. A loblolly pine sends a taproot 5.0 to 6.5 feet down in deep sandy or loamy soil. On heavy clay that taproot stays stout and short. On wet ground the roots quit going down and run sideways near the surface.

The Forest Service cites a young pine stand measured in southeast Louisiana. It held 83 percent of its root weight in the top 18 inches of soil. A root plate that wide means a wider hole. It also means more machine time and more dirt to bring the spot level. That is why fill dirt shows up on so many stump jobs around here.

Wet ground is the other local multiplier. Flat land that holds water slows every pass and turns a dry-day job into a two-day job. Tight access does the same, since the machines come in on a trailer and need a way through. Stump count cuts the other way. Published rates drop by half or more after the first one.

Tallow, termites, and why the roots leave the property

Popcorn tree is the reason grinding fails on some lots. Federal research on Chinese tallow records root sprouting up to 16 feet from the trunk. The tree also sprouts strongly after damage. Grind the top off and every one of those roots is still alive under the yard.

Termites are the second reason. Louisiana named Tangipahoa in the Formosan subterranean termite quarantine back in 2005. It is still one of the listed parishes. LSU AgCenter is direct about the land preparation stage. Do not bury wood. Food put in the ground can raise termite numbers. Stumps and roots go on the truck, not into a hole on the lot.

Rules that apply before a machine digs

Louisiana law sets the clock. Notice goes to the regional notification center at least 48 hours before excavation, and not more than 120 hours. Weekends and holidays do not count toward that. A locate request is free through Louisiana 811. We file ours before the excavator comes off the trailer.

Permits depend on scale, not on stumps. Tangipahoa Parish requires a land clearing permit for parcels of five acres or more. Major subdivisions and special use residential or commercial work need one too. The parish application excludes single residential structures that already hold a construction permit. Approvals run one year from the issue date, and the Permit Office in Hammond takes the questions at (985) 542-2117.

Acreage is a different job from a yard stump. Brush and small trees come off first under land clearing. Then the stumps come out. Our land clearing cost per acre guide covers what that side runs.

How long a stump job takes

Published guides put a single stump dig at one to three hours. Clearing a small lot with light growth runs one to three days. Weather sets the rest of the calendar here. A soaked lot gets pushed, because digging it leaves ruts somebody has to fix later.

The work itself is steady. The bucket cuts the lateral roots, the machine rocks the stump loose, and big root balls come out in pieces. Stumps and roots get loaded and hauled off. Every hole gets backfilled and packed in layers. The ground gets smoothed back level for mowing. When a building pad follows, site preparation picks up from there.

Storm stumps are their own category. Hurricane Ida’s winds downed trees and power lines parish wide across Tangipahoa in 2021. Plenty of those stumps are still sitting in yards and fields.

Get a price on your stumps

Send us the address and a rough count of what has to come out. A photo or two helps us size the job before we drive. The estimate is free, and it spells out what is in the number and what is not.

Call or text J-Rod’s Dirt Work at (985) 500-4145 to get your stumps dug out. Or send the form with the address and what the ground needs.