Max Trees publishes its prices. Most residential tree removals in Ottawa cost between $500 and $2,500. Stump grinding is priced by diameter, from $250 for a stump 30 cm across or less to $1,190 at 100 cm. The minimum charge for any job is $160. Every quote is free, and HST (13%) is added to every figure on this page. Very few tree companies in Ottawa publish their numbers. We do, because a price you can check before you call is the fairest way to start.
How the quote works
You get a reply within 24 hours of your enquiry. For tree removal, pruning and hedge work, Max comes out, looks at the tree in person and sends a written quote within 48 hours of that visit. Stumps are different: send a photo with something in the frame for scale — a shovel, a tape, a boot — and you get a firm price back, usually the same day, with no site visit. The number on the written quote is the number you pay. Cleanup is included in every job, never billed as an extra. Payment by cash, cheque or e-Transfer.
Residential price schedule (2026)
| Service | Price | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum charge, any job | $160 + HST | One minimum on everything. Small jobs are welcome. |
| Tree removal | $500 – $2,500 typical | Trunk diameter, access for truck and chipper, and what the tree is standing over. Large trees rigged down over a house, pool or hydro line run higher. |
| Tree pruning | Quoted on site | By the time the work takes and how hard the tree is to move around in, not by branch count. A small ornamental is a short visit; a mature maple over a roof is most of a day. |
| Hedge trimming | Quoted on site | Length and height of the run, how far out of shape it is, and how much material is hauled. Clippings hauled away, included. |
| Stump grinding | $250 – $1,190 by diameter | Full table below. Priced from a photo, no visit needed. |
| Storm damage and hazardous trees | Quoted on site | Moved to the front of the schedule. Decayed or split wood that cannot hold a rigging load may need a bucket or crane, which is quoted at cost. |
Stump grinding price table
Stumps are priced by diameter, never by the hour, because grinding volume rises with the square of the diameter. Measure across the root flare at ground level — not the cut face on top, which is always smaller. Standard grind depth is 20–30 cm below grade, deep enough to seed, sod or plant over.
| Stump diameter at the root flare | Price (+ HST) |
|---|---|
| 30 cm or less | $250 |
| 40 cm | $310 |
| 50 cm | $390 |
| 60 cm | $490 |
| 70 cm | $610 |
| 80 cm | $760 |
| 90 cm | $950 |
| 100 cm | $1,190 |
| Over 100 cm | Quoted on site |
Adjustments to the stump table, so there are no surprises:
- Hardwood (oak, maple, elm, ash): add about 20%. Denser wood takes longer to cut than pine or poplar.
- Additional stumps on the same visit: half price. Three stumps at 40 cm are $310 + $155 + $155 = $620, not $930. If you have several, do them together.
- Restricted access: add $100 to $200. A narrow gate, a slope, or a stump the machine has to be hand-walked to.
- Grindings hauled away: add $150. Otherwise they stay on site as backfill for the hole.
Worked example: a 60 cm maple stump with grindings left on site is $490 plus about 20% for hardwood, so roughly $590 + HST. Add a second 40 cm stump on the same visit for $155 more.
What moves a tree removal price
Four things, in order. Trunk diameter, not height: wood volume rises with the square of the diameter, so an 80 cm trunk is roughly four times the wood of a 40 cm trunk. What the tree is standing over: a clear fell into an open yard is the cheapest job there is; the same tree over a roof, pool, fence or hydro line has to come down in rigged pieces. Access: whether a truck and chipper can get close, or every piece has to be carried out by hand. Condition of the wood: a dead or decayed tree cannot always be climbed or trusted to hold a rigging load, which pushes the job to a bucket or crane. That last point is why a dead ash removed this year costs less than the same tree removed in three years.
Commercial and municipal day rates
For subcontract, municipal, storm and lot-clearing work that cannot be scoped tree by tree, we work by the day. A standard day is 8 productive hours on site, including mobilization within 30 minutes of our Ottawa yard and one disposal run; tipping fees pass through at cost. Minimum booking is one full day. Emergency, after-hours and storm callout is 1.5 times the schedule. A one-page commercial rate schedule with terms is available on request.
| Crew | 1 day | 3+ consecutive days | 5+ consecutive days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-person crew (climber + ground) | $2,000 | $1,900 / day | $1,850 / day |
| 3-person crew (climber + 2 ground) | $2,750 | $2,625 / day | $2,550 / day |
| Stump crew, standard access | $2,000 | By quotation | By quotation |
| Stump crew, restricted access or utility proximity | $2,600 | By quotation | By quotation |
Day-rate work carries a complexity factor from 1.0 (open drop zone, sound wood, no targets) to 2.0 (crane, bucket or engineered dismantle required), stated on the quote so the number is agreed before the day, not argued after it. Heavy equipment is always billed at cost, never buried in a multiplier.
Permits
Inside Ottawa’s urban area, a tree on private property with a trunk 30 cm or more in diameter at breast height is a distinctive tree under Tree Protection By-law 2020-340 and needs a permit before removal on lots of one hectare or less. Dead trees and genuine emergency hazards are exempt. Fines run from $500 to $100,000. We check the permit question with you before the job is booked. Our permit guide has the full rule; the by-law does not apply in Kemptville, Arnprior or Rockland, which have their own rules.
Pricing questions
Is the $160 minimum charge the price of a small job, or a call-out fee?
It is the least any job costs, not a fee on top. If you have a single stub to cut or a small shrub to take out, the job is $160 + HST and that is the whole bill. Quotes are always free.
Why is stump grinding priced by diameter and not by the hour?
Because the amount of wood to grind rises with the square of the diameter. Hourly billing punishes a good machine and a fast operator; a diameter table gives you a firm number from a photo before anyone arrives.
Is it cheaper to grind the stump on the same visit as the removal?
Yes. Booking the stump at quote time means one mobilization instead of two, and additional stumps on the same visit are half the schedule price.
Are cleanup and hauling included?
Yes. Brush is chipped, debris hauled and the lawn raked before we leave, and that is inside the quoted price. The only hauling extra on this page is stump grindings, which most people keep as backfill.
Do the prices include HST?
No. Every figure on this page is before HST, which is 13% in Ontario and shown as a separate line on the quote and the invoice.
Do you charge for a quote or a site visit?
No. Quotes are free, in writing, and yours whether or not you book.
Want a number for your tree or stump? Call or text Max at 613-715-0103, or use the contact form. For a stump, attach a photo with something for scale and you will usually have a price the same day.
Related: What tree removal costs in Ottawa · Stump grinding · Tree removal · Pruning · Hedge trimming · How to hire a tree service in Ottawa