Frequently Asked Questions

If your property is inside City of Orlando limits, tree removal is regulated. The city's residential application fee is $25, and a permit is not required when you have a report from an ISA TRAQ-qualified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect confirming the tree is dangerous. Florida law (section 163.045) also limits local permit and replanting requirements for dangerous trees on single-family lots when that documentation exists. Outside city limits, Orange County or your own city sets the rules, so check your address first.

It depends on the tree's height, species, condition and what is underneath it. Angi's 2026 national figures put most removals between about $200 and $2,000, with a typical removal around $750, and HomeGuide lists trimming at about $250 to $700 for trees up to 30 feet. Trees over pool cages or near lines take more rigging and cost more. Your written estimate from the site visit is the price.

The City of Orlando trims or removes right-of-way trees that pose a risk to roads or sidewalks, and you can report one at 407.246.2283 or trees@orlando.gov. The city can also trim city-tree branches that reach over private property if they can be reached from the street, but not branches over houses. If you are not sure who owns a tree, we will point it out at the estimate.

No, and you should not either. OUC asks customers to leave trimming near power lines to its crews, keep ladders and pruners at least 10 feet from lines, and request trimming at (407) 423-9018. OUC also trims along its distribution lines on a three-year cycle. Once lines are cleared, we can handle the rest of the tree.

Well before a storm is named. Hurricane season runs from June through November, and the City of Orlando asks residents to hold off on major yard work once a named storm is approaching, because crews may not collect the debris before the wind arrives. Late winter and spring are good windows for pruning oaks and cleaning dead fronds off palms.

We include haul-off as a line on the quote when you want it. The City of Orlando's weekly yard waste collection takes up to 4 cubic yards of bundled branches no more than 4 inches thick and 4 feet long, and it does not take contractor or landscaper waste, so material from a tree removal needs its own plan. You can also keep logs or chips if you want them.

Not automatically. A healthy laurel oak can be pruned to reduce weight and lower its risk, and UF/IFAS notes that regular pruning that removes only small branches may extend its life. But laurel oaks commonly live 50 to 70 years and hollow with age, so an older one over the house deserves a closer look at the trunk and root flare.

National guides put most removals between about $200 and $2,000. Angi lists $450 to $1,200 for trees 30 to 60 feet, and HomeGuide lists oaks at $300 to $2,500. A big oak over a pool cage costs more than the same tree in an open yard. We give a written price after seeing it.

Inside city limits, the city's page says a residential permit is not required if you have a report from an ISA TRAQ-qualified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect confirming the tree is dangerous. Otherwise, apply through the city; the residential fee is $25. Outside city limits, check with Orange County or your own city.

Because pines can die slowly from storm damage you cannot see. UF/IFAS reports pines declining over six months to two years after a hurricane from bending and root injury. A pine that is browning from the top after a storm is worth checking before it fails.

We do not work near energized lines. OUC or the utility serving your address clears the lines first, and then we remove the rest of the tree. Call OUC at (407) 423-9018 for trees touching its lines.

Only if you want it. The stump is a separate line on the quote, so you can grind it the same day, later, or not at all.

UF/IFAS suggests pruning young live oaks every year for the first three years, then about every five years until age 30. Mature live oaks usually need attention every few years for deadwood and clearance, or after a storm.

HomeGuide's 2026 national figures run about $250 to $700 for trees up to 30 feet and $600 to $1,200 for trees 30 to 60 feet. Large oaks with long limbs over a house or pool cage take more time and rigging. Your written estimate is the price.

No. Topping leaves large wounds that decay and produces sprouts that attach weakly, so the tree often becomes more dangerous over time. Reduction pruning back to a lateral branch shortens limbs without those problems.

In general you can trim branches on your side, but avoid cutting so much that you harm the tree, and talk to your neighbor first. If the tree is a city right-of-way tree, contact the City of Orlando at 407.246.2283 instead.

The City of Orlando's permit process covers tree removal. Ordinary pruning of a tree on your own lot does not appear on the city's removal permit page, but trees in the right-of-way belong to the city and branches near power lines belong to the utility.

HomeGuide's 2026 national figures put the first stump at about $120 to $400, or roughly $2 to $6 per inch of diameter, with additional stumps at $30 to $60 each. A large oak stump or one in a tight spot costs more. We price it after seeing it.

Usually several inches below the surrounding grade, deep enough to lay sod or soil over it. Near slabs, fences and pool decks, the depth may be limited by what the machine can reach safely.

We locate public utilities through 811 and ask you to show us irrigation, lighting and pool lines, which 811 does not mark. Heads near the stump are flagged so we can work around them.

Not quite. Grinding turns the stump into chips in place. Stump removal means digging or pulling the whole root ball out, which is slower and leaves a bigger hole, so it is usually only needed when building over the spot.

Get everyone out of the affected area, stay clear of any downed lines and call the utility if wires are involved. Photograph the damage, then call (407) 641-4203 to describe it. Do not try to cut a tree that is resting on the house.

Often when a tree damages a covered structure such as the house or a fence, depending on your policy and deductible. Trees that fall in an open yard without hitting anything are often not covered. Call your insurer and keep photos and the written quote.

For a City of Orlando road, call the non-emergency line at 321.235.5300. If the tree is tangled in power lines, the utility has to make it safe first. We can remove the portion on your property.

After a storm, the city collects vegetative debris placed at the curb, prioritizing bagged or bundled four-foot sections. Keep it separate from construction debris and away from hydrants, drains and lines. Before a named storm, do not set yard waste out at all.

You can call (407) 641-4203 at any hour to leave details. Cutting work on trees resting on structures is done when it can be done safely, which usually means daylight.

Usually once or twice a year, when dead fronds and seed stalks build up. UF/IFAS says there is no best season from the palm's point of view, but trimming dead fronds before hurricane season cuts down on storm debris.

No. Yellow or orange lower fronds on an otherwise green palm usually mean potassium deficiency, and UF/IFAS advises leaving them on because they supply potassium to new growth. Remove them only once they are completely brown.

HomeGuide lists about $75 to $400 for palms 15 to 30 feet tall and $150 to $900 for palms 30 to 60 feet, per tree. Several palms on one property are usually quoted together. We give a written price after seeing them.

They are common and attractive but rated poorly for hurricane wind in UF/IFAS research, and they drop heavy seed clusters. Many owners keep them trimmed; others replace them over time with cabbage palms, which rank among the most wind-resistant trees in Florida.

Between late winter and May, before the season opens on June 1. Work done then is finished and hauled off before storms threaten. Once a named storm is approaching, the City of Orlando asks residents to hold off on major yard work.

UF/IFAS research puts laurel oak, water oak and sand pine in the lowest wind-resistance group for this region, and queen palms rated poorly in South Florida. Older laurel oaks over the house are the most common concern in Orlando yards.

Removing deadwood and reducing heavy limbs helps. Stripping out the interior branches, called lion-tailing, does not; it pushes weight to the branch tips and can make breakage more likely.

No. Live oaks, magnolias and cabbage palms rank among the most wind-resistant trees in Florida. Removal makes sense for trees with decay, serious defects or a species with a poor storm record over a target.