Stumps ground 4 to 8 inches below grade in subdivision yards, pond-side lots and wooded properties across Windham.
We grind stumps in Windham for homeowners, builders finishing house lots, and landowners who want old stumps gone so the yard can be mowed, planted or built on. Our crew brings professional stump grinders, debris safety screens and a mini excavator for roots and rocks, and we grind 4 to 8 inches below grade.
When the stump is gone we can rake the chips out, leave them piled, or haul them away. Loam and seed are an optional add-on. Call (603) 438-6492 or use Get a Quote with photos and the number of stumps. We are family owned, fully insured and have 12 years of experience. Details are on our stump grinding page, and neighbors in Londonderry and Derry can find their pages there too.
Windham is mostly houses on suburban lots, with two large water bodies and plenty of wetland. These are the conditions that change how we set up a stump.
Cobbetts Pond covers about 302 acres and Canobie Lake touches Windham's eastern border. Lakes and ponds over 10 acres are public waters, so a stump within 50 feet of the shoreline must stay in the ground unless NHDES approves removal or the stump is replaced with new woody plants. Lakeside lots are also tight, with cottages and year-round homes close together.
Windham grew from 13,592 residents in 2010 to 15,817 in 2020, and Wikipedia describes much of the town as suburban subdivisions. Finished lawns, beds and irrigation are common there, so we set debris screens around the work area and keep the grinder on a path that spares sprinkler heads and plantings.
Windham's zoning includes a Wetland and Watershed Protection District where altering the surface configuration of the land needs approval, and a Watershed Protection Overlay District with erosion control rules. A stump on the edge of a wet area or beside a brook such as Beaver Brook on the western border deserves a call to the town first.
Newer subdivisions mean buried electric, gas and water lines, and many yards have irrigation or pet fences that Dig Safe does not mark. Stumps near a driveway, the street or a service line need the locate done before we go below the surface.
Most stump grinding in a Windham yard needs no permit, but a few rules can apply depending on where the stump is.
Dig Safe. New Hampshire counts tree and root removal as excavation (RSA 374:48 (opens in a new tab)), and RSA 374:51 (opens in a new tab) requires notice at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays. Dig Safe does not mark private lines, so tell us where yours run.
Shoreland. Lakes and ponds larger than 10 acres are public waters, and land within 250 feet of them is protected shoreland (RSA 483-B:4 (opens in a new tab)). Within 50 feet of the reference line, stumps and root systems stay in the ground unless NHDES approves removal, and removed stumps are replaced with pervious surfaces, new trees or woody vegetation (RSA 483-B:9 (opens in a new tab)).
Town overlay districts. Windham's Wetland and Watershed Protection District states that no structure may be erected and no alteration of the surface configuration of the land is permitted there except as authorized by Planning Board approval (Section 601). The Watershed Protection Overlay District (Section 616) calls for grading and vegetation removal to be minimized with erosion controls in place (Town of Windham checklist (opens in a new tab)). Check with Windham Community Development if a stump is near a wetland, brook or the water.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. We help you spot when a permit question exists so you can confirm it with the town or NHDES before work starts.
Sources: NH RSA 374:48, definitions (excavation includes tree and root removal); NH RSA 374:51, notice before excavation; NH RSA 483-B:4, shoreland definitions (public waters); NH RSA 483-B:9, shoreland minimum standards; Town of Windham: Wetland & Watershed Permits Checklist (Zoning Sections 601 and 616)
We don't publish set prices, because every stump is quoted after we see it. For planning, HomeGuide puts stump grinding at about $120 to $400 for the first stump and $30 to $60 for each additional stump, or roughly $2 to $6 per inch of diameter, with minimum fees of $80 to $160 (HomeGuide (opens in a new tab)). It lists cleanup and debris disposal as an extra $2 to $4 per inch on top when a contractor charges for it separately. These are national reference ranges, not our prices.
For a quick planning number, try our stump grinding cost calculator, then call (603) 438-6492 or request a quote for an exact price.
Try the stump grinding cost calculator
Cost references: HomeGuide: Stump Grinding Cost
A few places locals know, and what they mean for outdoor work nearby.
A pond of about 302 acres east of the town center, ringed by a mix of seasonal cottages and year-round homes. Anything over 10 acres counts as public water under state law, so land within 250 feet of the pond is protected shoreland with limits on stump and vegetation removal.
Get directions to Cobbetts Pond (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A lake on Windham's eastern border shared with Salem. Like Cobbetts Pond it is large enough to be public water, so shoreland rules apply to lots near its edge.
Get directions to Canobie Lake (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A level, paved 4.1-mile trail for walking and biking that runs from Windham into Derry. It follows a former rail corridor through town, and private lots beside it keep their own boundaries and brush lines.
Get directions to Windham Rail Trail (opens Google Maps in a new tab)A manor completed in 1915 by collector Edward Francis Searles and now rented for events, one of Windham's best-known landmarks. It sits in a town that has grown quickly, from 13,592 residents in 2010 to 15,817 in 2020.
Get directions to Searles Castle (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Photos from our crew's jobs across New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Yes, depending on how close it is to the water. Within 50 feet of a public water, state law keeps stumps and roots in the ground unless NHDES approves removal or the stump is replaced with woody plants. Beyond that distance we can usually grind normally.
We plan the grinder's path around visible heads and beds, and we use debris screens. Dig Safe does not mark private irrigation lines, so show us where the zones and valves are before we start.
We can rake the chips out, leave them piled to use as mulch, or haul them away. Hauling usually adds to the cost. Loam and seed are an optional add-on if you want the spot ready to grow grass.
Often no, but a wetland or brook edge can bring Windham's Wetland and Watershed Protection District into play, where altering the surface of the land needs approval. Call the town's Community Development office with the lot address before we start.
We grind 4 to 8 inches below grade. That is deep enough to mow or plant over. Tell us about surface roots you want ground too.
Yes. Stump N' Grind Inc. is fully insured and family owned, with 12 years of experience. Our debris safety screens protect houses, cars and windows from flying chips.
See every town we cover on our service areas page.
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