Key takeaways
- 811 is free.
- Call a few business days before the work.
- There is no minimum depth that is safe to skip.
- Wait for the utilities to respond and confirm all of them have.
- Marks show where lines are, so dig carefully around them or move the project.
It is easy to think of a stump as a surface job. It is not, because the grinder works into the ground around the roots. Calling first gets the lines marked so the work can go around them.
What is 811?
811 is the free national before-you-dig service. You call or go online, give the location of the work, and the utilities that have buried lines there come out and mark them.
It applies to small jobs, too. 811 lists planting trees and shrubs and installing fences and mailboxes among the projects that need a call. Stump grinding belongs on that list.
When should you call?
Contact 811 a few business days before the work begins. 811 says to allow a few days for utilities to respond and to confirm they have all responded before you break ground.
That is why stump grinding is something to plan and not to rush on the spot. If you are hiring a company, ask who will call 811 and when.
- Decide which stump or stumps you want ground.
- Call 811 or submit the request online, or ask the tree service how it handles locates.
- Wait for the utilities to respond.
- Confirm that every utility has marked or cleared the area.
- Then schedule the grinding.
Does depth matter?
No, according to 811. It says there is no minimum depth, and that some utilities can be buried just inches below the surface. A shallow grind can still reach a shallow line.
Irrigation lines and low-voltage lines for lighting are often shallow, and they are not always on a utility's map. Tell the crew where yours run.
What do the marks mean?
The marks show where the utilities' lines are. 811 says to dig carefully around the marks, and to consider relocating a project that is close to buried utilities.
A stump near marked lines may need a different approach, or may be better left. The arborist can tell you what is practical.
What does this mean for your estimate?
Locating is part of planning, so ask whether the estimate covers it and who is responsible for the call. Our stump grinding cost guide lists the other things that change a quote.
Battle Born offers stump grinding and stump removal with free estimates. See the service page.
What if there is a pipe or wire you know about?
Tell the crew and 811. Irrigation lines, low-voltage lighting, dog fences and old buried cables are not always on utility maps, because private lines belong to the property owner.
Mark them on a sketch or with flags, and tell the estimator at the visit. 811 recommends digging carefully around marks, and a crew can work around a line it knows about.
What does this mean for removals that include the stump?
It means the stump portion of the job has a lead time. If the tree can come down first and the stump be ground later, that is a common way to keep the schedule moving, and the crew can explain the options.
The tree itself is above ground and is not what 811 is about, but the roots under the stump are.
Sources
- 811 Before You Dig: the free national before-you-dig service (read October 17, 2026)
- NV Energy: A Tree on Your Property (Tree Pruning Explained brochure, rev. 2017-05) (read October 17, 2026)