Stumps ground below grade in Andover yards, with the town's wetland buffers checked before we start.
We grind stumps in Andover for homeowners, builders, landowners and commercial properties. Our professional stump grinders, debris safety screens and mini excavator handle a single backyard stump or a whole row left after tree work. We grind 4 to 8 inches below grade, then rake the chips out, leave them piled, or haul them away with our trucks and trailers.
To get started, call (978) 696-6659 or use Get a Quote with a few photos and the number of stumps. We are family owned, fully insured and have 12 years of experience. Loam and seed are an optional add-on if you want the spot ready for grass. Details are on our stump grinding page.
Andover's wetlands bylaw reaches further than the state law, and its glacial ground is full of boulders. Both change how a stump gets ground.
Under the town bylaw, land within 100 feet of a wetland, pond or stream is a regulated resource area, and so is land within 200 feet of a river or perennial stream such as the Shawsheen River, Fish Brook, Husseys Brook or Rogers Brook. A stump in a back corner near a brook can fall inside that zone, so we ask where the stump sits before scheduling.
Andover's Conservation Department says it often grants tree removal permission with conditions, such as leaving the stump in place, no heavy equipment in the wetland, and wood chips taken off site. That can mean a stump near wetlands stays unground or gets a different method, and chips leave the property.
Andover is shaped by drumlins, eskers and glacial erratics, and nearby Harold Parker State Forest is described as rolling hills with erratics and rocky outcroppings. Rocks beside a root flare wear down grinder teeth and may need to be dug out or worked around, which adds time to a stump in rocky ground.
The Fish Brook and Haggetts Pond Watershed Protection Overlay District adds extra rules in the part of town that feeds the reservoir, and the Conservation Commission helps enforce them through the wetlands bylaw. If your stump is in west Andover near the brook or pond, check the overlay map first.
When a tree sits on Town land, the Conservation Department and Department of Public Works decide whether and how work happens. If you are not sure whose land a stump is on, check the property line before you book.
Many Andover stumps can be ground with no town filing, but two rules decide the plan.
Dig Safe. Massachusetts requires at least 72 hours of notice to Dig Safe, excluding weekends and holidays, and tickets expire every 30 days. In Massachusetts a ticket is required regardless of where the excavation is, and Dig Safe notes that most earth-penetrating activities need one, even small jobs (Dig Safe Excavator Manual (opens in a new tab); see MGL c.82, §40 and following). Private lines such as irrigation, sewer laterals and propane tanks may not be marked, so tell us where they run.
Wetlands and buffers. The Andover Wetlands Protection Bylaw covers land within 100 feet of wetlands and ponds and within 200 feet of any river, and defines altering a resource area to include the destruction of plant life and the cutting of trees (Town bylaw, Section 2 and Section 16 (opens in a new tab)). Andover's Conservation Department says trees in a wetland or buffer may need permission before removal, and that it can approve with conditions, recommend a filing with the Conservation Commission, or deny (Tree Removal Guidance (opens in a new tab)). Call the Conservation Department at (978) 623-8630 before grinding in or near a buffer.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. We help you spot when a permit question exists so you can confirm it with the Town before work starts.
Sources: Dig Safe System: Excavator Manual (Nov 2025), notice rules for NH and MA; Town of Andover: Wetlands Protection Bylaw; Town of Andover: Wetlands Protection By-law Fact Sheet; Town of Andover Conservation: Tree Removal / Tree Work Guidance Document
We don't publish set prices, because every stump is quoted after we see it. For planning, HomeAdvisor (opens in a new tab) lists stump grinding at about $2 to $5 per inch of diameter, with a national average near $250 and minimum fees that many contractors set around $100 to $150. These are national reference ranges, not our prices, and rocky ground or a wetland buffer can push a job to the high end.
For a quick planning number, try our stump grinding cost calculator, then call (978) 696-6659 or request a quote for an exact price.
Try the stump grinding cost calculator
Cost references: HomeAdvisor: How Much Does Stump Grinding Cost
A few places locals know, and what they mean for outdoor work nearby.
A state forest of about 3,300 acres that spans Andover, North Andover, Middleton and North Reading, with rolling hills, glacial erratics, rocky outcroppings, ponds and swamps. Properties that border it sit in the same wooded, rocky ground, where boundary lines and hidden boulders matter.
Get directions to Harold Parker State Forest (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A 704-acre Trustees of Reservations property in Andover and North Andover, where Holt Hill at 420 feet is the highest point in Essex County. Steep wooded ground like this shows up on nearby lots, where slope and access affect equipment choice.
Get directions to Ward Reservation (opens Google Maps in a new tab)The reservoir in west Andover that supplies the town's water. The Fish Brook and Haggetts Pond Watershed Protection Overlay District adds extra watershed rules that Andover's Conservation Commission helps enforce.
Get directions to Haggetts Pond (opens Google Maps in a new tab)One of the perennial streams the town names in its wetlands guidance, alongside Fish Brook, Husseys Brook and Rogers Brook. Each carries a 200-foot riverfront area under the town's bylaw, which reaches well past most backyards.
Get directions to Shawsheen River (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Photos from our crew's jobs across New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Possibly, after the Town weighs in. Land within 100 feet of a wetland or 200 feet of a river is regulated under Andover's bylaw, and the Conservation Department may approve with conditions such as leaving the stump in place. Call them at (978) 623-8630 or send us photos and we will point out what to ask.
Yes, a ticket is required for most earth-penetrating work even on small jobs. Dig Safe needs at least 72 hours of notice, excluding weekends and holidays. Tell us about private lines such as irrigation or sewer laterals, since they may not be marked.
We grind 4 to 8 inches below grade. Chips can be raked out, left piled, or hauled away with our trucks and trailers. In a wetland buffer the Town may require chips to leave the site. Loam and seed are an optional add-on.
Look up your address on the Town's Andover GIS Viewer, where wetlands show in green hatching, and ask the Conservation Department. The 100-foot and 200-foot zones are measured from the wetland or stream, not your property line.
If the tree is on Town land, the Conservation Department and Department of Public Works decide whether and how work is done. Confirm the property line first. We can grind stumps on your side once ownership is clear.
See every town we cover on our service areas page.
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