Maple tree root in yard

My neighbor's maple tree has put out a large surface root that is in an area that I want to plant a lawn. The root is about 6" in diameter and about 15' long. Will it damage the maple tree if I remove it. If not, what is the best way to remove it? If it will damage the tree, can I plant the lawn around it? The tree is quite large and I enjoy having it near my back property line. Thanks.

Yes, removing or even covering the root will damage the tree. The surface roots supply oxygen to the tree. It could potentially kill the tree. They can be pesky things in your yard, especially if it isn't your tree. If it were mine, I would plant around the root but not disturb it in any way.

You may have trouble getting grass to grow in that area--shade from the tree plus surface roots that take a lot of the water don't make an ideal environment for growing grass. So I'd consider planting things that enjoy dry shade instead if you want something growing in that area.

Thanks for the feedback! There is no way I want to damage the maple - it's a beautiful, large, old tree. I'll use suggestions from both comments to make some adjustments. Add a small patch of lawn on the outer edge of the shade, away from the surface root, and plant the rest in things that enjoy dry shade.

Sounds like the perfect plan.

Our last surviving Maple - we've got some kind of disease around here apparently - at any rate, our last surviving maple has red fescue growing around the trailing roots and runs right up to the tree. The red fescue is for lower light areas and grows relatively short not requiring much mowing. Maybe twice a year depending on conditions. Several feet out from the trunk, and beyond surface roots, we over-seeded with a regular fescue "estate" type blend. the very slight difference in the colour of the grasses is nullified when the stripes are mowed in.
On a side note: I think my last maple is starting to succumb to whatever is going on since I've recently noticed an incredible explosion of mole/vole runs around the roots. It's starting to look like it might be going into the woodstove sometime in the next couple of years. I have a mental image of a hundred voles wearing little red flannel shirts and wool stocking hats gnawing on the roots of my tree! And I'm sure Babe The Blue Mole is somewhere nearby!

Are you certain it is a real Maple and not the horrible invasive Norway type?
If it is a Norway, you can cut the roots till the next lifetime and the tree will ignore you.

I dug out roots the size of anacondas from the devil tree in the back yard, every one I could get to.
That was last year.
This year the tree is laughing at me and growing like topsy.

Norway maple is a real maple.