Looking for a tree removal service in Tampa, FL is usually not the whole story. A dead laurel oak needs to come down, the palms by the pool need cleaning up, and someone has to deal with the stump and the brush. This page lays out every kind of tree job the free line takes calls for, so you can describe yours in a sentence when you call.
Tree Service Tampa FL is a phone line, not a tree company. When you call (689) 407-5379, an automated assistant takes your details and transfers you to an independent, locally owned tree service company that works in your part of Hillsborough, Pasco or Pinellas County. That company is the one that decides how to handle the tree, quotes the price, does the work and gets paid by you.
Five services with their own pages
Removal and trimming account for most calls. Stump grinding, palm tree trimming and land clearing each have a page too, covering Tampa Bay permits, species and what a sound quote includes.
Tree Removal
Taking down a dead, leaning, storm-damaged or unwanted tree near a Tampa Bay home, from laurel oaks and pines to big live oaks, and what a complete quote covers.
Tree Trimming
Getting limbs off the roof and away from lines, raising canopies, thinning oaks the right way before hurricane season and keeping palms tidy without over-cutting.
Stump Grinding
Grinding old stumps below the lawn after a removal or a storm, what happens to the chips and roots, and what a stump quote should cover.
Land Clearing
Clearing brush, palmetto and trees from a Tampa Bay lot before building or fencing, and the permits and wildlife rules to check first.
Palm Tree Trimming
Removing dead fronds, seed stalks and loose boots from sabal, queen, date and Washingtonia palms without over-cutting the green crown.
Which job do I need?
Describe what you see, not the job name you think it should have. The table below matches common situations to the kind of work involved. The company you are connected with makes the final call after looking at the tree.
| What you are seeing | Kind of work | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| A dead, hollow or badly leaning tree near the house | Removal, sometimes after an arborist assessment | Inside Tampa city limits most removals need a city permit. |
| Limbs over the roof, rubbing the gutters or blocking the driveway | Trimming or pruning | Ask how much of the canopy will come off. |
| A limb or trunk down after a storm | Storm and emergency cleanup | If it touches a power line, call 911 and the utility first. |
| A stump left from an old removal | Stump grinding | Ask how deep and how wide the grind goes. |
| Brown fronds and seed stalks hanging on a palm | Palm trimming | Green fronds should stay on. |
| Branches on the line from your pole to the house | Trimming, with the utility's help | That service line is the owner's to keep clear. |
| Brush, palmetto and small trees covering a lot you want to build on or fence | Land clearing | Ask about permits and gopher tortoise burrows before any machine goes in. |
| A big tree with no room to drop it | Removal with a crane | Ask how the company will protect the roof, the drive and any pool cage. |
Storm and emergency tree work
Between June 1 and November 30, the Atlantic hurricane season, and through every summer thunderstorm, the most urgent calls are about trees that have already come down. A limb through a lanai roof, a trunk across the only driveway, a pine leaning on a neighbor's fence. The line answers at any hour and transfers you to a company that takes storm work in your area. If that company cannot pick up right away, it gets your details to call back.
Safety comes before any tree company. If a wire is down or a tree is touching a line, assume it is live, keep everyone and every pet well back, and call 911. Then report it to your electric company: Tampa Electric at 877-588-1010, Duke Energy Florida at 800-228-8485, or Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative at 352-567-5133. Take photos of the damage before anything is moved; your insurer will want them.
Stumps, palms and hauling
Stump grinding
A grinder chews the stump and the top of the root flare into chips below the grass line. Ask how deep the company grinds, whether surface roots are included, and whether the chips are hauled off or left to fill the hole. Grinding near buried lines or irrigation needs those located first, so ask how the company handles that. More on the stump grinding page.
Palm trimming and removal
Cabbage palms, queen palms and other palms mostly need dead fronds, flower stalks and fruit clusters taken off. UF/IFAS recommends removing only fully brown fronds and leaving any that sit above the 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock line. A dying palm or one too close to the house may need removal instead. More on the palm tree trimming page.
Debris and wood hauling
The City of Tampa collects resident yard waste weekly, cut to 4-foot lengths and no more than 50 pounds per piece, but it expects landscaping companies to dispose of the waste they produce at a home. Unincorporated Hillsborough County does not let tree trimming providers use residential accounts to dispose of yard waste. Make sure your quote covers hauling.
Assessments and crane work
Arborist assessments
Sometimes the right first step is a trained opinion rather than a saw. Under section 163.045 of the Florida Statutes, the owner of a single-family home does not need a local permit to remove a tree when an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect documents, through an onsite risk assessment, that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. The City of Tampa asks owners who rely on that exemption to give it the documentation. Ask any company that offers an assessment who will sign it and check that person's ISA number.
Crane removals
Big trees over roofs, pool enclosures or tight back yards sometimes cannot be dropped or lowered in pieces safely. A crane lets the crew lift sections up and away. These jobs take more planning: where the crane sets up, what it weighs on a driveway or lawn, and whether any line nearby needs attention from the utility. Ask for that plan in writing.
What the line does not handle
The line is only for tree work. It cannot connect you for landscaping or lawn care, irrigation, pest control, fencing, roofing, pool service or firewood sales. If a fallen tree damaged the roof or fence, the tree company deals with the tree, and you will need a roofer or fence company separately.
Before you hire anyone
Whatever the job, the checks are the same. Get the price and scope in writing, ask who handles any permit, and see proof of insurance before work starts.
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).
Not sure what the tree needs? Call and describe it. The company you are put through to looks at the tree and tells you the price before any work starts.
How a call 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.
Guides
- Tree Removal Cost in Tampa
- Tree Trimming Cost in Tampa
- Tampa Tree Removal Permit Guide
- Can You Get a Tree Removed for Free in Tampa?
- How Often to Trim Trees in Tampa