Dunedin tree removal is rarely just a saw and a truck. The city protects almost every tree with a trunk 4 inches across or more, so the work usually starts with an application, and the bill for skipping it is steep. This page is about getting a tree down in Dunedin the right way, from a slow decision about a declining oak to a trunk lying on the roof.
Tree Service Tampa FL does not remove trees. Call (689) 407-5379, say you are in Dunedin and what the tree is doing, and the automated assistant transfers you to an independent, locally owned tree service company that works in north Pinellas. That company quotes the removal, does it, and is paid by you. For the city's wider tree picture, see the Dunedin tree service page.
The permit path for a Dunedin removal
Four routes, depending on the tree and the reason it has to go.
Exempt species
Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, Chinese tallow, carrotwood, silk oak, eucalyptus (other than Eucalyptus cinerea) and the rest of the city's list can come down without a permit, along with most palms. Cabbage and sabal palms are the exception: the city protects them.
Small trees
A tree under 4 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above grade is below the protection line. Measure first; a lot of young oaks pass that size sooner than people expect.
Protected trees
Submit the online Tree Permit Application with the $25 processing fee. The City Arborist reviews it and sends approval or denial through the CSS Portal. Questions go to cityarborist@dunedin.gov or 727-298-3279.
Trees that pose an unacceptable risk
On a single-family lot, an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect can document the risk under Florida Statute 163.045. With that signed assessment, the city cannot require a permit, fee or replacement tree.
The hazard route needs a real onsite risk assessment, done to the ISA tree risk assessment best practices the statute names, not a quick note from a crew. If the company you hire says a tree qualifies, ask who will sign the assessment and ask to see the arborist's ISA number. The Tampa Bay permit guide explains the statute in more depth.
Which Dunedin trees end up coming down
Laurel oaks deserve the closest look in a Dunedin yard, and UF/IFAS explains why: the species tends to rot from the inside starting around 50 years of age, and trunks and big limbs are often hollow by the time anyone notices. In UF/IFAS hurricane surveys, laurel oaks also stayed standing less often than live oaks.
That does not mean every big oak should go. A live oak with a sound trunk can usually be pruned and kept, which is cheaper and keeps the shade. The decision should rest on what an inspection finds: decay at the base, cracks, mushrooms or shelf fungus on the trunk, a new lean, or a root plate that lifted in the last storm.
When the tree is already on the house
A tree on a roof is the call nobody plans. These are the steps a homeowner can take safely; everything involving the tree itself is work for the company.
- Get people clearMove everyone out of rooms under the tree and keep children and pets away from the yard around it.
- Check for wiresIf a line is down or touching the tree, call 911 and then Duke Energy at 800.228.8485. Stay well back from anything the wire touches.
- Photograph itTake pictures of the tree, the roof, the inside damage and the stump or root plate, from a safe spot.
- Call your insurerReport the claim and ask what the policy pays for removing the tree from the structure.
- Call for a removalDescribe the tree, what it is resting on and whether water is getting in. A company that works in Dunedin can tell you if it can tarp or stabilize the roof as part of the job.
On cost, the Florida Department of Financial Services says most homeowners policies cover removing a downed tree that damaged insured property, regardless of whose tree it was, though limits apply, and usually not a tree that fell without hitting anything covered. The Insurance Information Institute adds that if the owner of the tree was negligent, your insurer may go after the neighbor's insurer. If the tree fell on its own across open lawn, the cost is usually yours; the who pays guide covers the details.
Storm removals and the 2024 cleanup
After Helene and Milton in 2024, Dunedin ran a separate storm debris program, apart from normal yard waste. Residents were told to keep everyday yard waste apart from storm debris, cut large limbs to 4 foot lengths, and leave debris unbagged in the right of way; bagged or mixed piles were not taken, and state and county roads inside the city were cleared by those governments. By October 31 crews had collected more than 64,000 cubic yards, and the final pass ended with 115,765 cubic yards, ahead of the 90 day FEMA deadline.
That program ended, and the city went back to its normal weekly yard waste limits. A future storm may bring a new program, but on an ordinary week the wood from a removal is your company's to haul unless you arrange a special pickup. Ask for that line on the quote.
Questions to ask before a Dunedin removal
Ask the company
- Is this tree protected, exempt, or a hazard case, and who files the paperwork?
- How will it come down near the house, the pool cage or the neighbor's fence?
- Is hauling every piece included, or only the brush?
- Is the stump ground, and how deep?
- Can I see a certificate of insurance from your agent and your arborist's ISA number?
Be wary of
- "No permit needed" for a big protected oak, with no hazard assessment in hand.
- A price with no written scope.
- Pressure to pay in full before the work.
- Anyone offering to work near a downed line before Duke Energy makes it safe.
Published price ranges for removals and stumps are in the tree removal cost guide; real quotes vary with the size of the tree, how close it is to the house and how much has to be hauled. For how a removal is done step by step, read the main tree removal page.
Check the company yourself. Florida has no statewide license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a truck and a business card prove very little. Ask the company for a certificate of general liability insurance sent by its insurance agent, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and the ISA certification number of its arborist. A company that sprays or treats trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. You can confirm an ISA certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).
Describe the tree and where it stands. The company you are put through to looks at it and gives you its own price before any work starts.
How the free line handles a Dunedin removal
- Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (689) 407-5379 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
- Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
- Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
- Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.
How this line works: Tree Service Tampa FL is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Tampa Bay area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Tampa FL a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.