Tree removal in Plant City, FL is mostly a paperwork question before it is a sawing question. The city regulates protected trees, can treat a dead tree as a nuisance, and expects whoever does the work to take the wood away. Getting those three things straight up front keeps a job from stalling halfway.
This page is for homeowners inside and just outside the city. For the town itself, its neighborhoods and its storm history, see the Plant City tree service page; for what removal involves anywhere in the region, see tree removal. Tree Service Tampa FL does not cut trees: it is a free line that transfers your call to an independent, locally owned company, which quotes and does the work itself.
The permit path for a city lot
Plant City does not publish a simple size chart online, so the safest route runs through Planning and Zoning before anyone starts cutting.
- Confirm the jurisdictionThe city tells applicants to check first whether a property is inside city limits; some Plant City addresses are unincorporated Hillsborough County.
- Call Planning and ZoningThe city's FAQ says a permit may be required and that (813) 659-4200, extension 4258 is the number to find out for your tree.
- Give a reason for a protected treeAs the Plant City Observer has described the rule, a protected tree can be removed with a permit when it is diseased, injured, in danger of falling, a public hazard, interfering with existing utility service, or blocking sight lines on a road.
- Get the arborist's write-upThe same report says an arborist provides written documentation of why the tree must come out, and some removed protected trees have to be replaced.
There is a shortcut for one kind of property. On a single-family home, Florida Statute 163.045 says a local government cannot require a permit, fee or replacement tree when an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect documents, through an onsite tree risk assessment, that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. Ask the company whether its arborist does that kind of assessment and keep a copy of it.
When the dead tree is next door
Plant City's code goes further than many places on dead trees. The ordinance prohibits dead or diseased trees on any lot, built on or vacant, and treats them as a public nuisance, so in some cases the city can remove one without the owner's consent.
There is a catch. Code Enforcement will not open a complaint about a tree on private property unless the person complaining hands over a certified arborist's report saying the tree is dead or diseased and that, left standing, it is a danger to the homes around it. The city also suggests a conversation with the neighbor first, and points out that many disputes like this end up being civil matters.
Trees on public land are handled differently. If a tree on a city right of way or in a city park looks ready to fail, the city asks residents to email codeenforcement@plantcitygov.com with the exact location and why it should come down. Do not hire anyone to cut a city tree yourself.
Outside the city: Dover, Turkey Creek and the farm roads
Hillsborough County only regulates unincorporated land, and it says so. On those lots the county generally asks for a permit before a tree with a trunk 12 inches or more across comes off a developed home lot, and 5 inches on non-residential land. The application fee is $81.65, and the homeowner, the tree company or a certified arborist may apply. The county issues permits for trees that are diseased, structurally damaged or causing damage that cannot be fixed another way.
Big oaks get more attention. Hillsborough County defines a grand oak as an oak with a trunk at least 34 inches across in good condition that meets its point system, and grand oaks must be preserved unless removal is authorized, with replacement trees required when they come out. On rural acreage around Plant City, where old oaks are common along fence lines and drives, that rule comes up more often than people expect.
Good reasons to call soon
- A trunk crack, a fresh lean or roots lifting out of soggy ground.
- Mushrooms or a hollow at the base of a laurel oak near the house.
- A dead pine that could reach a roof, a shed or the driveway.
- Limbs resting on a service wire to the house.
Leave these alone
- Any tree touching a power line: call 911 if it is down, then the utility.
- Trees on a city right of way or in a park.
- Cutting a tree that might be protected before Planning and Zoning answers.
- Any work on a leaning or hung-up tree: that belongs to the company.
Storm-damaged trees after a flood
Milton showed what heavy rain does in this part of the county. The city manager reported more than a foot of rain and streets underwater, and city officials later said fallen trees and debris had blocked drainage culverts and made the backups worse. After a storm like that, have a company look at any tree that has started to lean or whose roots have lifted, even if it came through the night standing.
If a tree has fallen on the house or across a line, keep everyone back, call 911 if a line is down or anyone is hurt, report the line to Tampa Electric at 877-588-1010, and photograph the damage from a safe distance before anything is moved. Your homeowners policy may help with removal when a tree damages an insured structure; the guide to who pays for tree removal explains how that usually works.
The wood, the brush and the stump
A full removal leaves far more than a curbside pile. Plant City's yard waste rules are written for homeowners: limbs and bundles up to 5 inches thick, 5 feet long and 40 pounds, out by 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Anything bigger needs the city's grabber truck, and each residential account gets one free grabber load in a 12-month period, with extra loads billed on the utility bill (call Utility Billing at 813-659-4222 for an estimate). The city also says debris created by tree cutting companies should not be placed at the curb, so plan on the company taking its own wood.
Stumps are usually priced separately. If you want the stump gone, ask for grinding on the same quote and ask how deep the grinder goes; the stump grinding page covers what that involves. Ask, too, whether the grindings stay to fill the hole or get hauled off.
Questions to put to the company
- Is my lot inside Plant City or in unincorporated Hillsborough, and who will check the permit?
- If the tree is protected, will your arborist write the documentation the city or the statute needs?
- How will you get equipment in without damaging the lawn, septic area or driveway?
- Does the price include cutting up the trunk, chipping, hauling and the stump?
- Can you send a certificate of insurance from your agent with me listed as the holder?
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).
Have a tree that needs to come down? Call, say you are in Plant City and describe it. The company you are put through to inspects it and gives you its price before any work begins.
How the free line works
- 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.