Stumps ground below grade in downtown yards, East Derry house lots and lakefront properties, with the chips handled your way.
We grind stumps for Derry homeowners, builders, landlords and commercial property managers. Our grinders take stumps down below the surface so you can reseed, plant, set a shed or pave over the spot, and debris screens keep chips off cars, siding and windows on tight lots near Route 28 and the downtown streets.
To get on the schedule, call (603) 438-6492 or use Get a Quote and send a few photos with a rough stump count and diameter. If the stump sits within sight of Beaver Lake or Big Island Pond, tell us up front. Waterfront stumps follow different rules, and we will flag that before any work is planned.
Most Derry stumps are routine. A few local situations change how we plan the grind, what we can remove, and how long it takes.
Inside the 50-foot waterfront buffer, state law says stumps and their roots stay in the ground unless removal is approved or tied to runoff control or planting. On these lots we confirm the distance to the water before grinding and may recommend cutting a stump flush instead of grinding it out.
Gas, water, cable and electric lines often run close to old street trees and front-yard stumps in the downtown neighborhoods. Grinding goes below grade, so the area is premarked and Dig Safe is notified at least 72 business hours ahead. Marked lines can limit how deep we grind right next to them.
Stone walls from Derry's farming past, like the ones around the Robert Frost Farm, still run along many property lines, and trees often grew up right in them. Rocks in the root zone slow the grinder and wear the teeth, so stumps tangled in a wall take longer than a stump in an open lawn.
Big Island Pond is already listed as impaired for phosphorus, so loose chips and bare soil near the shore or a drainage swale are worth controlling. We can rake the chips out, leave them as mulch away from the water, or haul them off.
Most backyard stump grinding in Derry needs no permit. Two situations deserve a check first.
Waterfront lots. Under the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act, RSA 483-B:9 (opens in a new tab), stumps and their root systems inside the 50-foot waterfront buffer must be left intact unless removal is approved by NHDES or done for runoff control or planting, and removed stumps must be replaced with pervious surfaces or new woody vegetation. Lots on Beaver Lake, Big Island Pond and other public waters should be measured before any grinding.
Digging near utilities. New Hampshire's damage prevention law, RSA 374:51 (opens in a new tab), requires premarking the work area in white and notifying Dig Safe at least 72 hours ahead, not counting weekends and legal holidays.
If a stump sits in or near a wetland or stream bank, RSA 482-A:3 (opens in a new tab) may require a state wetlands permit. This is general guidance, not legal advice. When we see a permit question on your property, we will point it out so you can confirm with the Town of Derry or NHDES.
Sources: NH RSA 483-B:9 Minimum Shoreland Protection Standards; NH RSA 374:51 Excavation Notice (Dig Safe); NH RSA 482-A:3 Excavating and Dredging Permit
National reference ranges from HomeGuide (updated December 2025) put stump grinding at $120 to $400 for one stump and $30 to $60 for each additional stump, with per-inch pricing of about $2 to $6 per inch of diameter and minimum fees around $80 to $160. Cleanup and chip disposal can add about $2 to $4 per inch. These are national planning numbers, not our prices.
For a closer planning number, try our stump grinding cost calculator, then request a quote for your Derry property.
Try the stump grinding cost calculator
Cost references: HomeGuide: How Much Does Stump Grinding Cost?
A few places locals know, and what they mean for outdoor work nearby.
The poet's former farm on Route 28 (Rockingham Road), now a state historic site with a short nature trail through fields and woods. It is a good picture of the old field and stone wall landscape that still shapes many Derry lots.
Get directions to Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A lake of roughly 137 acres ringed by year-round homes along roads like North Shore Road. Lots here sit inside the state protected shoreland, where stump and root removal near the water is restricted.
Get directions to Beaver Lake (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A large pond shared by Derry, Hampstead and Atkinson, listed by the state as impaired for phosphorus and cyanobacteria. Shoreline erosion control and vegetated buffers matter for any clearing near its banks.
Get directions to Big Island Pond (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A rail trail on the former Portsmouth branch line that crosses Derry. Properties that back onto the corridor often have overgrown edges and limited equipment access from the trail side.
Get directions to Rockingham Recreational Trail (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Photos from our crew's jobs across New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
It depends on how far the stump is from the water. Inside the 50-foot waterfront buffer, RSA 483-B:9 says stumps and roots stay in the ground unless removal is approved or tied to runoff control or planting. We measure first and will tell you if a stump should be cut flush instead.
Grinding goes below the surface, so the area should be premarked and Dig Safe notified at least 72 hours ahead, not counting weekends and holidays. Private lines such as invisible dog fences, irrigation and lamp post wiring are not marked by Dig Safe, so point those out to us.
You choose. Most Derry homeowners have us rake the chips out and leave the rest as mulch. If you plan to seed or pave right away, we can load the chips and haul them off.
Often, yes. Send a photo and the gate width when you request a quote, and we will match the grinder to the access.
Yes. Stump N' Grind is fully insured, and we are happy to talk through coverage when you request a quote.
See every town we cover on our service areas page.
Tell us about the job and we will call you back to talk it through. Fields marked * are required.
