{
  "slug": "cost-to-remove-a-tree-and-stump-calculator",
  "title": "Cost to Remove a Tree and Stump Calculator",
  "heading": "Cost to Remove a Tree and Stump Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-remove-a-tree-and-stump-calculator",
  "summary": "Height, trunk size, access risk and stump grinding priced separately.",
  "description": "Tree removal is priced on risk, not on wood. A 70 ft oak in an open field is a straightforward drop; the same tree leaning over a roof with power lines behind it becomes a rigging job with a crane, a spotter and a utility coordination call, and the quote triples. This calculator builds the estimate the way an arborist does: a base by height band, a multiplier for trunk diameter, a risk multiplier for access and what is underneath, and then separate lines for stump grinding by diameter, hauling the debris, and any crane or utility work. Worked assumption for the defaults: a 60 ft tree, 24 in trunk, moderate access with a structure nearby, stump ground and debris hauled — about $1,700 in a national-average market and near $2,300 on the West Coast.",
  "formula": "Total = (height base × diameter factor × access factor + stump diameter × grind rate + hauling + crane) × regional index.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=cost-to-remove-a-tree-and-stump-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "heightBase",
      "label": "Tree height",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "900",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "350",
          "label": "Under 25 ft — $350 base"
        },
        {
          "value": "600",
          "label": "25–45 ft — $600 base"
        },
        {
          "value": "900",
          "label": "45–65 ft — $900 base"
        },
        {
          "value": "1500",
          "label": "65–85 ft — $1,500 base"
        },
        {
          "value": "2400",
          "label": "Over 85 ft — $2,400 base"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diameter",
      "label": "Trunk diameter at chest height",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 24,
      "unit": "in",
      "min": 4,
      "max": 90
    },
    {
      "id": "region",
      "label": "Region",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": "Applies a regional labor-and-bid multiplier to the whole job.",
      "default": "1",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "1",
          "label": "US national average — 1.00×"
        },
        {
          "value": "0.86",
          "label": "Rural / small town — 0.86×"
        },
        {
          "value": "0.94",
          "label": "South metro (Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa) — 0.94×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.02",
          "label": "Midwest metro (Columbus, KC, Minneapolis) — 1.02×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.14",
          "label": "Mountain West (Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake) — 1.14×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.28",
          "label": "Northeast metro (Boston, Philly, DC) — 1.28×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.38",
          "label": "West Coast metro (Seattle, LA, Portland) — 1.38×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.55",
          "label": "Highest-cost metro (SF Bay, Manhattan) — 1.55×"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "access",
      "label": "Access and what is underneath",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "1.35",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "1",
          "label": "Open yard, clear drop zone"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.35",
          "label": "Structure, fence or driveway nearby — rigging needed"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.8",
          "label": "Over the roof or between buildings — full rigging"
        },
        {
          "value": "2.4",
          "label": "Power lines involved or dead/hazard tree"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stump",
      "label": "Stump",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "1",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "0",
          "label": "Leave the stump"
        },
        {
          "value": "1",
          "label": "Grind the stump"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grindRate",
      "label": "Stump grinding rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4.5,
      "unit": "$/in of diameter",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 20
    },
    {
      "id": "haul",
      "label": "Debris hauling and disposal",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 250,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 4000
    },
    {
      "id": "crane",
      "label": "Crane or bucket truck day rate share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 6000
    },
    {
      "id": "count",
      "label": "Number of trees like this",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": "trees",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 50
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Estimated total",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "per",
      "label": "Cost per tree",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "removal",
      "label": "Removal labor and rigging",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "stump",
      "label": "Stump grinding",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "extras",
      "label": "Hauling and equipment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "low",
      "label": "Low quote you might see",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "high",
      "label": "High quote you might see",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Tree height: 45–65 ft — $900 base",
      "Trunk diameter at chest height: 24 in",
      "Region: US national average — 1.00×",
      "Access and what is underneath: Structure, fence or driveway nearby — rigging needed",
      "Stump: Grind the stump",
      "Stump grinding rate: 4.5 $/in of diameter",
      "Debris hauling and disposal: 250 $",
      "Crane or bucket truck day rate share: 0 $",
      "Number of trees like this: 1 trees"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Estimated total: $1,695",
      "Cost per tree: $1,695",
      "Removal labor and rigging: $1,337",
      "Stump grinding: $108",
      "Hauling and equipment: $250",
      "Low quote you might see: $1,356",
      "High quote you might see: $2,203"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter tree height.",
      "Enter trunk diameter at chest height (in).",
      "Enter region — Applies a regional labor-and-bid multiplier to the whole job..",
      "Enter access and what is underneath.",
      "Enter stump.",
      "Enter stump grinding rate ($/in of diameter).",
      "Enter debris hauling and disposal ($).",
      "Enter crane or bucket truck day rate share ($).",
      "Enter number of trees like this (trees).",
      "Read your estimated total on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "heightBase": "900",
        "diameter": 14,
        "region": "1",
        "access": "1.35",
        "stump": "1",
        "grindRate": 2.6999999999999997,
        "haul": 150,
        "crane": 0,
        "count": 1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "heightBase": "900",
        "diameter": 24,
        "region": "1",
        "access": "1.35",
        "stump": "1",
        "grindRate": 4.5,
        "haul": 250,
        "crane": 0,
        "count": 1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "heightBase": "900",
        "diameter": 38,
        "region": "1",
        "access": "1.35",
        "stump": "1",
        "grindRate": 7.2,
        "haul": 400,
        "crane": 0,
        "count": 2
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why do quotes for the same tree vary so much?",
      "a": "Because crews price their own risk. A company with a crane prices a roof-side removal calmly; a two-person climbing crew prices the same tree as a full day of rigging. Get three quotes and ask each how they plan to bring it down."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is grinding the stump worth it?",
      "a": "If you want to replant, pave, or mow over the spot, yes. Grinding is cheap relative to the removal and left stumps attract carpenter ants and fungus for years."
    },
    {
      "q": "Will insurance pay for a fallen tree?",
      "a": "Homeowners policies typically cover removal when a tree damages a covered structure, often with a sublimit, and typically not when a healthy tree simply falls in the yard. Storm-damaged hazard trees are the common grey area — call before you hire."
    },
    {
      "q": "Where does the regional multiplier come from?",
      "a": "It is a job-level index against a US national average of 1.00, built from the spread contractors quote between low-cost rural markets and the highest-cost coastal metros. Materials vary less than labor, but bids move together, so one index tracks real quotes better than splitting them. Swap in your own multiplier by picking the tier closest to two bids you already have."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-install-an-inground-pool-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-replace-a-driveway-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Cost to Remove a Tree and Stump Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-remove-a-tree-and-stump-calculator)"
}