Tree removal in Tampa usually comes down to one of a few situations: an aging laurel oak that has begun to rot from the inside, a tree that Helene or Milton left cracked or leaning, a dead palm or pine standing over the house, or an invasive camphor or Chinese tallow that is better gone. Each one is a job for a company that plans the work before it cuts. This page covers which trees come down most often, the signs worth acting on, how removals are done, the permit question and how to check the company you hire.
Tree Service Tampa FL does not take trees down. It is a free phone line. Call (689) 407-5379, tell the automated assistant what the tree is doing and where it stands, and your call is transferred to an independent, locally owned tree service company that serves your part of Hillsborough, Pasco or Pinellas County. That company comes out, sets its own price and does the job.
Tampa Bay trees that most often need to come down
Laurel oaks. Laurel oak was planted all over Tampa because it grows quickly, and it ages badly. UF/IFAS describes a shortened life from rot that starts inside the tree at about 50 years old, often with no outward symptoms until it is too late to save it, and notes that laurel oaks do not wall off decay well, so old pruning cuts, trunk wounds and root damage can turn into hollows. In UF/IFAS hurricane surveys, laurel oak also fell into the less wind resistant group.
Invasive trees. Camphor tree, introduced to Florida in 1875, is listed as a Category I invasive species in Florida, and UF/IFAS advises removing big seed-heavy trees first. Chinese tallow is on the Florida Noxious Weed List and ranked below the sturdiest species in the same wind surveys. The City of Tampa excludes invasive species from its tree removal permit requirement.
Storm-damaged oaks, pines and palms. Live oaks and cabbage palms are among the toughest trees in a Florida hurricane, according to UF/IFAS, but even tough trees break. Hurricane Helene pushed record storm surge into Tampa Bay in late September 2024, and less than two weeks later Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa Bay on October 9 as a Category 3 storm. Tampa Electric reported nearly 600,000 outages at Milton's peak, about 70 percent of its customers, mainly from uprooted trees and debris that pulled down lines and poles. A tree that stayed up with a split fork, a lifted root plate or a fresh lean deserves a close look before the next season.
Signs a tree may need to come down
No single sign settles it. Each one is a reason to have the tree looked at by someone qualified, from the ground first.
At the base and roots
- Mushrooms or shelf fungi at the root flare or on the trunk
- Hollow, soft or crumbling wood near the ground
- A crack opening in the sandy soil on one side of a leaning tree
- Roots cut by a driveway, pool, sewer or foundation job
- A new lean after a storm, especially toward the house
In the crown
- Big dead limbs over the roof, the pool cage or the street
- A long seam or split where two main stems meet
- Bark falling off large branches
- A pine turning brown from the top down
- A palm whose crown has gone brown or dropped its center spear
Stay on the ground and keep everyone clear of hanging limbs. If a tree might be saved, tree trimming or a professional risk assessment may be the better first step.
How a removal is usually done
A careful company walks the site with you before it names a price. It should point out the roof, the screened pool enclosure, the fence, the septic or irrigation lines and anything else in the drop zone, and tell you where its truck and chipper will park. Then it picks a method:
| Method | Where it fits | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-tree felling | Open ground with nothing in the fall path | Exactly where the trunk will land |
| Piece by piece with ropes | Tight back yards, trees over a roof or pool cage | How each section is lowered clear of the house |
| Bucket truck | Trees the truck can reach from the street or driveway | Whether the truck will sit on your driveway or lawn |
| Crane assisted | Large or rotten trees with no room to lower pieces | Where the crane sets up and whether the street is blocked |
What a removal quote should spell out
- Which trees, by location and size, are being removed
- The method and equipment, including any crane
- Whether brush is chipped and wood is hauled or left on site
- Whether the stump is ground, to what depth, and who rakes out the grindings
- Who applies for any city or county permit and who pays its fee
- Repair of lawn ruts or damage to fences, driveways or the pool enclosure
Hauling matters more than people expect. The City of Tampa says landscaping companies are responsible for disposing of the waste they create at a worksite, including a home, and that curbside yard waste pickup is only for waste the resident makes. Unincorporated Hillsborough County also says tree trimming businesses may not use a resident's account to drop off yard waste. A quote that says nothing about the debris may leave you with a pile you cannot put at the curb. For prices, read the tree removal cost guide, and if insurance, the city or a neighbor might pay, see who pays for tree removal.
The permit question in Tampa
Where the tree stands decides whose rules apply.
Inside Tampa city limits
The city requires a permit to remove any tree of 5 inches DBH or more, invasive species excepted. Every removal is reviewed by a Natural Resources forester and may carry mitigation, either replacement trees or a payment into the tree fund. Grand trees of 32 inches or more face a stricter process.
The state exemption
Under Florida Statute 163.045, a local government may not require a permit or mitigation on a single-family residential lot when the owner has documentation from an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk. The city asks owners to send it that documentation.
Outside the city
Unincorporated Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, and cities such as Zephyrhills, each set their own rules. Questions inside Tampa go to (813) 274-3100 or treequestions@tampagov.net.
The Tampa tree removal permit guide explains fees, the application and the county rules step by step.
Emergency tree removal after a storm
An emergency is a tree or a big limb that has already come down on something that matters: the roof, a car, the lanai, the only way out of the driveway, or a wire. It is also a trunk that has cracked or lifted at the roots and is leaning toward the house. Those calls come in waves during the Atlantic hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, and after the summer thunderstorms in between.
- People firstGet everyone out of the rooms under the tree and keep children and pets away from the yard. If a line is down or someone is hurt, call 911.
- Report the wireTell the utility about any line the tree touched: Tampa Electric at 877-588-1010, Duke Energy Florida at 800-228-8485, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative at 352-567-5133.
- Photograph itTake photos of the tree, the damage and the roof from a safe distance before anything is moved. Your insurer will ask for them.
- Call the lineIt answers at any hour and puts you through to a company that takes storm work in your area. If that company cannot pick up, it gets your details to call back.
Expect storm work to be priced differently. Angi's Tampa cost page notes that storm damage and emergency removals can cost more than a planned removal, pointing to the urgency, the hazards and the extra labor involved. A trunk resting on rafters or wrapped in a screen cage has to be taken apart piece by piece. Ask for the price in writing before the work starts, even at night. The tree removal cost guide and the who pays guide cover insurance and neighbors' trees.
Trees near power lines
Tampa Electric serves Hillsborough County. In Pasco, Duke Energy serves southwest Pasco and the Zephyrhills area, with Tampa Electric and Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative serving other parts of the county. Duke Energy Florida also serves customers in Pinellas County. Your bill shows which one is yours.
Tampa Electric trims trees near its pole-to-pole lines but not near the service drop, the wire from the pole to your house, which is the owner's responsibility. It asks customers to call 813-635-1500 two weeks ahead to have the service drop disconnected so a tree near it can be trimmed or removed safely. If a tree has already brought a line down, assume the line is live, never touch it or anything touching it, call 911 and then Tampa Electric at 877-588-1010.
Checking the company before it starts
Florida has no statewide license for tree removal, so the paperwork tells you more than the lettering on a truck. Before you agree to a price, ask the company you are connected with for:
- Proof of liability insuranceA certificate of insurance sent to you by the company's agent, with you listed as the certificate holder.
- Workers' compensationA certificate of coverage, or the state exemption the company relies on, so an injury on your lot is not your problem.
- An arborist's nameIf someone is judging whether a tree is dangerous, ask for that person's ISA certification number and look it up.
- Everything in writingScope, method, cleanup, stump, permit and payment terms, with payment after the work is done.
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 tree removal 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.
The free line takes calls for tree removal from across Tampa Bay. Some towns have their own tree removal pages with the local permit rules, power company and debris pickup: St. Petersburg, Brandon, Plant City, Wesley Chapel, New Port Richey, Palm Harbor and Dunedin. Every other town is in the list below. After the tree is down, the stump grinding page covers what is left.
- Tampa Bay service areas
- Tampa
- South Tampa
- Zephyrhills
- St. Petersburg
- Clearwater
- Brandon
- Wesley Chapel
- Plant City
- Largo
- New Port Richey
- Palm Harbor
- Riverview
- Lutz
- Dunedin
- Land O' Lakes
- Carrollwood
- Temple Terrace
- Valrico