Many Durham homeowners assume the City will haul away a stump once a tree comes down. In most cases it won't. According to the City's guidance on bulky items, tree stumps are not collected curbside; stumps, along with dirt, lumber and construction debris, are meant to go to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center on East Club Boulevard. We could not open the City's pages directly while researching this article (they were blocked to automated requests), so treat the details below as "according to the City's guidance" and confirm with Durham One Call at 919-560-1200.
Stump Grinding Durham is a free quote service, not a tree company. We connect Durham-area homeowners with independent local stump grinding and tree companies for free, no-obligation quotes; the company you choose quotes, schedules and does the work directly with you.
What Durham's curbside service takes, and what it doesn't
Yard waste collection in Durham is an opt-in subscription. According to the City's yard waste pages, the fee is about $90 a year, billed at $7.50 a month on the water bill, with extra carts at $1.50 a month and a service year that runs through June 30. Bundles of limbs are expected to be under 4 inches in diameter and less than 4 feet long. Subscribers also get two free bulky brush pickups a year, each up to about 4 cubic yards (roughly one pickup-truck load).
None of that covers a stump. A stump, a root ball or a mound of grindings is heavy, mixed with soil and far bigger than a 4-inch limb. A 2018 City release also reminded residents that people who are not yard waste customers "must make private arrangements for debris disposal." In practice, a stump in Durham ends up in one of three places:
- Ground in place by a stump grinder, leaving chips and soil in the hole.
- Hauled away by the company that grinds or removes it (ask whether haul-away is in the quote).
- Taken to the East Club Boulevard center by you or a hauler, if you dig it out yourself.
Other towns in the area say the same. Chapel Hill's flyer says "large logs, stumps and lot clearing debris cannot be collected," and Carrboro, Apex, Creedmoor and Mebane expect contractor-cut debris to leave with the contractor. If you live outside Durham, see our Chapel Hill stump grinding page for that town's rules.
Street trees: when the stump may be the City's job
The one big exception is a tree that stood on City property. Durham's Urban Forestry Division provides tree care on City property and in City rights-of-way. The City's FAQ says that for city-planted street trees, "it is entirely the City's responsibility to plant, prune, stake, and maintain the trees," and its Urban Forest Management Plan brochure describes maintaining those trees through their whole life cycle, removal included. Those statements come from search extracts of City pages, so check with the City.
This matters in Durham because so many of the big street trees are old. The EPA has described how Durham planted about 13,000 trees in the 1930s, mostly willow oaks, and how those trees' long lives are coming to an end. As of 2014, Urban Forestry's manager put the number of mature street willow oaks at about 8,000. When one of those trees comes down in front of a house in Trinity Park, Watts-Hillandale or Forest Hills, the stump may not be yours to grind.
Before you hire anyone: if the stump is in the strip between the sidewalk and the street, or anywhere you think might be City right-of-way, call Durham One Call (919-560-1200) and ask Urban Forestry. It may be the City's tree and the City's job.
What the homeowner handles
For a tree that grew on your own lot, the stump is your responsibility. That usually means deciding between:
- Grinding the stump below grade (typically 6–12 inches) so you can mow, seed or plant over it. See stump grinding vs. removal for the trade-offs.
- Full extraction, digging out the stump and main roots, which costs more and leaves a bigger hole. Our stump removal page explains when it makes sense.
- Leaving it to rot, which can take years. See how long a stump takes to rot.
Whoever grinds it, you also decide what happens to the grindings. Aged chips can be used as mulch (kept away from the house), the chips can be used as fill, or the company can haul them off and backfill the hole with topsoil. Our cleanup, backfill and chip removal page covers the options. Expect the fill to settle as the chips decompose; top it up after a few months.
Burning is not an option inside the city
The Durham Fire Department's FAQ says "it is unlawful to conduct any open burning of trash or debris inside the city limits of Durham." The state air rule (15A NCAC 02D .1903) only allows burning yard debris at home where no public pickup service is available, and Durham offers curbside yard waste collection. Outside city limits, an NC Forest Service permit may be required, and county burn bans apply when in effect. That also rules out the "soak it in stump remover and burn it" method inside Durham; see our post on chemical stump removers.
Do I need a permit to grind my own stump?
Durham's development code ties tree rules to development; for a tree or stump on an existing home lot, no permit requirement was found. Check with the City if you're in a historic district or near the street. Our tree permit rules post goes through the details.
Grinding is a different story under the state's 811 law. Mechanized grinding appears to fit the statute's definition of excavation (G.S. 87-117), so ask the company to confirm it will request an NC 811 locate at least three full working days before the job. 811 marks public lines only; point out private irrigation, invisible dog fence and landscape lighting wires yourself.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the City or Town before work starts.
What it typically costs to handle it privately
These are typical ranges from published cost guides (2025–2026) — estimates, not quotes:
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| One average stump, Durham area | about $150–$450 (Durham average about $327) |
| Minimum charge | about $100 |
| Each additional stump | about $40–$70 |
| Chip haul-away | $2–$3 per inch, or about $80–$125 |
| Topsoil backfill per hole | about $50–$100; seed or sod $75–$200 |
The Durham stump grinding cost guide has the full table and a calculator.
Quick checklist before you book
- Confirm the stump is on your property, not in the right-of-way (Durham One Call, 919-560-1200).
- Ask for a certificate of liability insurance, and check workers' comp coverage with the NC Industrial Commission's coverage search if the company has three or more employees.
- Get a written quote listing grinding depth, surface roots, chip cleanup or haul-away, and backfill.
- Ask who requests the NC 811 locate, and mark your private lines.
Frequently asked questions
Will the City of Durham pick up a tree stump at the curb?
According to the City's bulky-item guidance, tree stumps are not collected curbside. Stumps, dirt, lumber and construction debris are expected to go to the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center on East Club Boulevard instead. The City's pages could not be checked directly for this article, so confirm with Durham One Call at 919-560-1200 before you set anything out.
Who removes the stump of a street tree in Durham?
If the tree stood in the City right-of-way, often the strip between the sidewalk and the street, it may be a City tree. Durham's Urban Forestry Division cares for trees on City property and in rights-of-way. Call Durham One Call at 919-560-1200 and ask Urban Forestry before hiring anyone to grind it.
Can I burn a stump or grindings inside Durham?
No. The City's fire FAQ says open burning of trash or debris is unlawful inside Durham city limits, and the state air rule only allows burning yard debris at home where no public pickup exists. Outside the city you would still need an NC Forest Service permit where required and no burn ban in effect.
Get free quotes for a stump the City won't take
If the stump is on your lot, a free quote request takes about a minute. Independent local companies can quote grinding, haul-away and backfill, and you decide whether to go ahead.