Stump grinding in Myrtle Beach — below grade, utilities marked, ready for sod
A stump in a beach yard is a trip hazard, a termite buffet and a mower problem. We grind it 6 to 12 inches below grade after SC 811 has marked the yard, and leave you a spot you can sod or plant.
Every removal leaves a stump, and on the Strand the stumps have their own problems: oak stumps sprout for years, pine stumps attract termites and the beetles that killed the tree, palmetto stumps are a fibrous mass that takes a decade to rot, and all of them sit in sand that's easy to grind but full of things that shouldn't be ground — irrigation lines, the cable the builder buried six inches down, the gas line to the pool heater. So the job starts three working days before we show up, with an SC 811 locate request, and our grinder doesn't start until the utilities are marked. Then a tracked grinder (narrow enough for a beach-lot gate) chews the stump and the main surface roots 6 to 12 inches below grade, the chips get raked out or left as mulch, and you have a spot you can sod, plant or pave.
A few Strand-specific things we tell people. If you're replanting in the same spot, let us go deeper and haul the chips, because fresh wood chips rob nitrogen as they rot. If the stump is near a seawall, a bulkhead or a septic drainfield, we grind shallower and tell you why. If it's a palmetto, grinding is the only practical way to get rid of it — they don't rot and they don't burn. And if the tree came down in a storm and the root plate heaved, the hole it left is a separate job (backfill and compaction) that we quote alongside the grinding. The debris from grinding is yard waste the county landfill takes at $22 a ton; the city won't collect it from the curb, so we haul it.
What's included
SC 811 first
Locate request filed at least three full working days ahead; no grinding until the marks are down.
6–12 inches below grade
Deep enough for sod and a new planting; deeper on request for a replacement tree.
Surface roots
Main lateral roots chased out so the lawn doesn't keep tripping over them.
Tight access
Tracked grinder fits through a 36-inch gate; mats on the sand.
Chips hauled or left
Raked out and hauled to the county landfill, or left as mulch — your call.
Backfill & sod prep
Topsoil and compaction for storm-heaved root plates, quoted alongside.
Stump grinding cost in Myrtle Beach, SC
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stump grinding, per inch of diameter | $3 – $5 | Measured at the widest point at ground level |
| Minimum charge | $100 – $150 | Small stumps, single visit |
| Typical 24–36 in oak stump | $300 – $550 | Below grade, chips raked |
| Palmetto stump | $150 – $350 | Fibrous; grinding is the only practical removal |
| Multiple stumps, same visit | Discounted | Lot cleanups after a storm |
| Chip haul-off | $75 – $200 | Per load; or left as mulch free |
These are 2026 Grand Strand ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — the climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, the permit for your town — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about stump grinding
How long does it take?
A typical oak stump takes 30 to 90 minutes. The three-day wait is the 811 locate, not the grinding.
Can I plant a new tree in the same spot?
Yes, if we grind deep and haul the chips, and you backfill with topsoil. Give it a season or plant a few feet off to the side; the old roots take years to rot.
Will it damage my irrigation?
811 marks public utilities, not your irrigation or landscape lighting. Show us where the lines run, or we'll probe before we grind. We repair anything we hit.
What happens to the hole after a storm uprooted the tree?
A heaved root plate leaves a crater once the stump is ground. We can backfill and compact it, and you'll likely need to re-sod. We quote it with the grinding.
Do you grind stumps you didn't remove?
Yes, any stump, any age.