Tree removal in Florida: permits, costs and when it’s necessary

A tree in Central Florida usually needs to come down when it is dead, storm-damaged beyond repair, or too close to the house. Before it does, three sets of rules may apply: Florida law, your city or county, and your HOA. The price depends on the tree’s size, what is around it and what you want done with the stump. Here is how to work through each one.

When is tree removal actually necessary?

Most trees are worth keeping, and correct tree trimming solves many problems people call about. Removal is the right call when a tree is:

• dead or dying, with no green growth, or with bark falling away,
• badly damaged by a storm: a split trunk, large broken limbs, or a new lean,
• too close to the house, the pool cage or the slab, where roots or limbs will keep causing damage,
• or in the way of a project such as a new driveway, an addition or a landscape redesign.

If you are not sure, ask for a look before deciding. A tree that seems hopeless from the ground sometimes only needs dead wood removed.

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Florida?

It depends on why it is coming down and where you live.

• If the tree is a documented risk. Florida law (s. 163.045, F.S.) says that on residential property, a local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation to prune or remove a tree when an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect documents that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. The documentation is the key; keep a copy.
• If it is not a documented risk. Then your city’s or county’s tree rules apply, and they differ across Osceola, Polk, Lake and Orange and between cities. Some protect large or specific trees and may ask for replanting. We have not published those rules here because they change by address: call your city or county planning or code office before the job, and we can help you work out who to ask.
• Your HOA, always. The state law limits local governments, not associations. Many HOAs require architectural approval before a tree is removed or replaced. Check your community’s rules and get approval in writing first.

What changes the cost of tree removal?

We quote every tree after seeing it, in writing, before work starts. These are the factors that move the price:

• Height and trunk size. A bigger tree means more cuts, more wood and more time.
• What is around it. A tree over the roof, the fence or the pool cage has to come down in sections, lowered piece by piece, which takes longer than felling a tree in open space.
• Access. Narrow side yards and backyards with no gate wide enough for equipment mean more carrying by hand.
• Condition. A dead, split or hung-up tree takes more care to bring down safely.
• The stump. Leaving it flush costs less than grinding it below grade so the spot can be sodded or planted.
• Cleanup. Hauling all wood and debris away is part of the quote; if you want to keep firewood, tell us.

Clearing several trees and palms? One visit saves separate trips; see complete tree and palm removal.

What happens on removal day?

Where space is tight, we take the tree down in sections, from the top, lowering pieces so they land where we planned. Then the trunk comes down, the wood and debris are hauled off, and the lawn and beds are raked clean. Grinding the stump is digging, so Florida law requires a Sunshine 811 notice at least two full business days before, to mark buried utilities. We plan for that in the schedule.

What about emergencies?

A tree on the house or across the driveway after a storm is urgent. Call (407) 577-6400. If the tree is touching a power line, stay back and call the utility first. Our hurricane season checklist covers the rest of the storm plan.

Get a removal quote

We remove trees in Clermont, Four Corners, Davenport and the rest of our area. Start with tree removal or request a free quote; a photo of the tree and what is around it helps.