
Most stump grinding jobs around Indianapolis land between $100 and $700, with the average near $250. The spread is that wide because height and access move the number more than anything else — a site that a truck can back up to and one where everything is carried by hand are the same tree and not the same job.
Diameter at the widest point, which is what most crews price on. Grinding depth — enough to seed over, or enough to build on. Access for the grinder, gate width in particular. Surface roots, which are extra beyond the stump itself. Whether the grindings are hauled off or left to backfill. Age — an old, softened stump grinds faster than a fresh one.
Book off-season — winter is quieter and cheaper than the week after a storm. Keep the wood and the chips instead of paying for haul-off. Clear the access so the truck gets close. Bundle the stump into the same visit rather than booking it twice.
Hiring the crew without insurance, or the one that won't put the scope in writing. Both cost more later, and the second is how a $400 removal becomes $1,200 once the stump and the debris turn out not to have been included.