Temple Terrace is a city of about 26,700 people in northeast Hillsborough County, built on the rolling ground along the Hillsborough River. It has its own tree code, its own City Arborist and a long list of big oaks, so tree service in Temple Terrace works a little differently from the rest of the county.
Tree Service Tampa FL is a free phone line, not a tree company. Call (689) 407-5379, tell the automated assistant you are in Temple Terrace and describe the tree, and the call is transferred to an independent, locally owned tree service company that works in that part of Hillsborough. The company inspects the tree, gives its own price and is paid by you directly.
Where Temple Terrace is, and why it matters for a tree
Temple Terrace was planned in the 1920s as a Mediterranean Revival golf course community on land that hugs the river, and it was incorporated in May 1925. The town took its name from the temple orange. Its original golf course is still played and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the city is known for its river views and its sand live oaks.
It borders the City of Tampa and sits east of the University of South Florida area, yet it is not part of Tampa. It is one of only three cities in Hillsborough County, with Tampa and Plant City, and the county's own tree permit page sends Temple Terrace owners to the city. A Tampa or county permit is the wrong paper for a Temple Terrace tree.
Temple Terrace tree permits and the City Arborist
The city's own pages do not all use the same size, so start with a free inspection.
| Rule | What the city source says |
|---|---|
| Arborist and tree programs page | Permits are required for all trees 12 inches DBH or greater, to prune large limbs and to remove protected and grand trees |
| Special pickup page | Trimming or removing trees 10 inches in diameter or larger needs a city permit; invasive species are exempt from the diameter rule |
| City code | A grand tree is a listed tree 24 inches DBH or more; branches 10 inches or more across on a grand or protected tree cannot be cut without a permit |
| Permit application | Trees must be inspected and approved by the City Arborist or a licensed arborist; ask the city for the current fee |
| No permit | Work without the right permit can bring action from the city's Code Enforcement Department |
The simplest step is the one the city offers: its full-time City Arborist does no-fee inspections for owners who want to prune or remove a tree, and can tell you whether a permit is needed. Call 813-506-6482. On a single-family lot, Florida Statute 163.045 also bars a permit, fee or replanting requirement for a tree that an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect documents as an unacceptable risk. The permit guide compares the city's rules with Tampa's and the county's.
A city that plants as well as protects
Temple Terrace is a Tree City USA community, a recognition that needs a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a forestry program and an Arbor Day observance. Through its Adopt-A-Tree program the city gives residents free 15 gallon trees at times during the year, paid for by a tree and landscape fund that developers pay into when they remove trees for commercial projects.
For a homeowner, that means two things. A tree that comes down for a good reason can be replaced cheaply. And the city takes its canopy seriously enough that cutting first and asking later is a poor plan.
River, rain and Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa Bay on October 9, 2024, and its rain fell hard across Hillsborough County. Afterward the Hillsborough River rose to a record crest of 38.16 feet at Morris Bridge, upstream of the city, on October 12. To keep the river out of Tampa and Temple Terrace, the Southwest Florida Water Management District moved more than 4 million gallons of water a minute through the Tampa Bypass Canal into McKay Bay.
Even so, Mayor Andy Ross told a local paper that trees, not the river, were the city's biggest threat, with flooding second. Homes were damaged and some possibly destroyed by falling trees, though he said the city as a whole came through relatively well.
Before the next storm season
- Ask the City Arborist or a company's arborist to look at big oaks within reach of the house.
- Pay attention to trees on soggy ground near the river or a low spot; wet soil and wind together topple trees.
- Get any needed permit in the calm months, not during a storm watch.
After a storm
- Do not walk under hanging limbs or near a tree on a wire.
- Do not drive or wade through floodwater near the river.
- Do not cut a tree resting on the house yourself; call a company.
Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. UF/IFAS hurricane surveys found live oaks and sand live oaks stayed standing far more often than laurel oaks, which is a useful guide to which trees on a Temple Terrace lot need attention first.
Tampa Electric lines
Temple Terrace is in Tampa Electric territory; the utility serves Hillsborough County. If a tree or limb takes down a line, call 911, then Tampa Electric at 877-588-1010, or text OUT to 27079 to report an outage. TECO asks people to assume a downed line is live and stay at least 30 feet from it and from anything it touches.
TECO clears trees from its main lines between poles, but the wire from the pole to the house is the owner's job to keep clear. It can temporarily disconnect that service line so a tree company can trim safely if you call 813-635-1500 about two weeks ahead.
Getting rid of the wood
Temple Terrace collects yard waste once a week, on Wednesdays. The city's collection page asks for limbs under 4 feet long and 6 inches thick, bundled, stacked, bagged or in a yard waste container within 6 feet of the curb, with containers no heavier than 50 pounds. The city code text lists shorter limits, so cutting pieces a little smaller avoids a missed pickup.
Wood from permitted tree work is a different matter. The permit form says the free annual special pickup does not cover it and that the city charges for tree debris pickup in 15 minute increments, and the arborist page asks for permitted tree debris to be cleared within 3 business days. In practice, ask the company to haul everything, and get that in the quote. The tree removal cost guide explains how hauling and stump grinding affect the price.
Hiring in Temple Terrace
- Start with the inspectionBook the City Arborist's free visit, or ask the company's arborist to document the tree.
- Settle the permitAgree in writing who applies and who pays the city's fee if a permit is needed.
- Plan the debrisMake hauling part of the job so you are not paying the city to clear it.
- Check credentialsAsk for insurance papers and the arborist's ISA number before anyone climbs.
For what a removal or pruning job involves, see tree removal and tree trimming.
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 Temple Terrace 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.