Tree Service in Orlando, FL

Tree Service in Orlando is mostly about live oaks, laurel oaks and tall pines growing far closer to houses than anyone planned. Neighborhoods like College Park, Lake Eola Heights and Thornton Park were built when a shade tree in the front yard was the whole point, and many of those trees are now wider than the lot. Elite Tree Service Orlando prunes, removes and cleans up after them, and we explain what the city requires before any saw comes out.

What the city asks for on private lots

The City of Orlando handles residential tree removal through a permit that costs $25 for a home lot. There is one shortcut written into the city's own guidance: a permit is not required when the owner gets a report from an ISA arborist holding the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) or from a Florida-licensed landscape architect stating that the tree is dangerous. If the permit you do get calls for replanting, the replacement tree has to go in within 60 days and you notify the city once it is planted. We tell you which route your tree is likely to fall under when we walk the property, so you are not guessing.

Street trees are the city's job, mostly

Orlando inspects, trims and removes trees in the public right-of-way that threaten a road or sidewalk. Two limits trip people up. The city will not trim a branch hanging over your house, even when the trunk is city-owned, unless it can reach it from the street, and it trims crape myrtles only to remove hazards. Report a problem street tree to the city at 407.246.2283 or trees@orlando.gov. For branches on the house side of the property line, or trees on your own lot, that work falls to you and the tree company you hire.

Power lines go to OUC

Orlando Utilities Commission clears trees from its easements and lines on a maintenance cycle and leaves a doorknob notice two to three weeks before crews arrive. OUC also says it will trim trees encroaching on the service entrance cable to your home at no cost, so call (407) 423-9018 before paying anyone to work near that wire. We do the rest of the canopy once the line is clear.

Rain, wind and soft ground

Orlando averages about 51 inches of rain a year, most of it in June through September afternoon storms. In September 2022, Hurricane Ian dropped roughly 14 inches on the city and made it the wettest month on record; lakes overflowed into streets. Eighteen years earlier, Hurricane Charley's eye crossed Orlando on the night of August 13, 2004, with a gust of 106 mph logged at the airport. Saturated sand and limestone bedrock prone to sinkholes mean root plates can let go after long rain, even without a named storm. We look at soil heave, root decay and lean, not just the crown.

What we usually do in the city

• Crown cleaning and weight reduction on live oaks over roofs and pools
• Removal of declining laurel oaks, which tend to rot from old pruning wounds
• Clearance pruning away from screen enclosures, gutters and garage roofs
• Stump grinding after a removal so the lawn or a replacement tree can go back in
• Storm calls for split limbs and uprooted trees resting on fences or roofs

Starting an estimate

Call (407) 641-4203 or send the form with your address and a few photos. We come out, look at the tree from every side, and leave a written quote that spells out the cutting, hauling and cleanup. Get a free estimate