Zephyrhills is a small city in east Pasco County, about 17,000 people at the 2020 census on just under 10 square miles, with US 301 and State Road 54 running through it. For tree removal in Zephyrhills, FL, the first thing to know is that the rules change at the city limits.
Tree Service Tampa FL does not cut trees. It runs a free phone line. Call (689) 407-5379, tell the automated assistant you are in Zephyrhills and what the tree is doing, and the call is transferred to an independent, locally owned tree service company that works in east Pasco. That company inspects the tree, prices the work itself and is paid directly by you.
A town that began as a colony
Zephyrhills started out as Abbott, a railroad stop. In 1909 Captain Howard B. Jeffries, a Union veteran of the Civil War, bought about 35,000 acres there and set up a colony company to sell land to fellow veterans from the North. The town took the name Zephyrhills in 1910 and incorporated in 1914. It still calls itself the City of Pure Water.
The city itself is only part of the picture. Three unincorporated communities sit right next to it, Zephyrhills West, Zephyrhills South and Zephyrhills North, with about 13,000 residents between them in 2020. People in all of them say they live in Zephyrhills, and many use a Zephyrhills address, but for tree permits they are in unincorporated Pasco County. That one detail decides which rule applies to your tree.
City or county: which tree rule applies
Find your lot in the left column before anyone starts the saw.
| Where the lot is | What the rule says | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Zephyrhills city limits, non-residential property | A city permit is required to remove trees; $100 application fee, and further removal fees may apply | City Planning Department, 813-780-0006 |
| Inside city limits, a home | Confirm the current rule before cutting; city tree rules can be updated | City Planning Department, 813-780-0006 |
| Unincorporated Pasco, including the Zephyrhills West, South and North areas | Permit for trees 5 inches DBH or more; on single-family lots, palms, pines other than longleaf, and non-native trees are exempt | Pasco County Building Construction Services |
| Any single-family home, city or county | No permit, fee or replanting can be required if an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect documents that the tree poses an unacceptable risk (Florida Statute 163.045) | The arborist's signed assessment |
DBH means the trunk diameter measured at about 4.5 feet off the ground. A company you hire should be able to tell you which line your tree falls on and who files any paperwork. The permit guide covers Pasco County and Florida law in more detail.
The trees on an east Pasco lot
Pines, oaks and palms are the trees most east Pasco homeowners end up calling about, and they do not behave the same way in a storm. In UF/IFAS surveys after Florida hurricanes, sand live oak, live oak and cabbage palm were among the trees most likely to stay standing, while laurel oak and turkey oak did worse. Sabal palms held up better than queen palms and Washingtonia palms.
- Cabbage palmFlorida's state tree, and among the most wind-firm in UF/IFAS hurricane surveys
- Live oakKept standing far more often than laurel oak after hurricanes
- Longleaf pineThe one pine Pasco County still regulates on single-family lots
That gives a homeowner a sensible way to set priorities. A laurel oak leaning toward the roof deserves attention before a healthy live oak at the back of the lot. A pine with a dead top over the driveway matters more than one out by the fence. And a palm that only needs its brown fronds cleared does not need its green ones cut. The tree removal and tree trimming pages explain what each job involves.
Milton in east Pasco
Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa Bay on October 9, 2024, and its wind reached well inland. Florida Public Service Commission outage reports during the storm showed tens of thousands of Pasco County customers without power on both Duke Energy and Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative lines. Zephyrhills Public Works Director Shane LeBlanc said flooding and wind damage were the main problems, and city crews and contractors kept collecting storm debris until the last pickup on December 15, 2024. Pasco residents who missed it could take debris to the East Pasco Transfer Station in Dade City.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The calm months before it are when to have a doubtful pine or oak near the house looked at, and when a tree company has time to do the work without a storm bearing down.
Power lines: Duke Energy, WREC or Tampa Electric
Pasco County has three electric providers. The Pasco Economic Development Council lists Duke Energy as serving mainly southwest Pasco and the Zephyrhills area, with Tampa Electric and Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative serving other parts of the county. Which one runs the wire over your yard is printed on your bill.
Safe steps if a tree hits a line
- Treat every downed wire as live and keep people and pets far back.
- Call 911 if a line is down or anyone is hurt.
- Report it: Duke Energy at 800.228.8485 or text OUT to 57801; WREC at (352) 567-5133.
- Photograph the damage from a safe distance for your insurer.
Leave these to the utility
- Touching the tree, a fence or a car a wire is lying on.
- Pulling limbs off a line, even with a pole or rope.
- Cutting anything still tangled in wires.
- Asking a tree company to work near a line before the utility has made it safe.
Duke Energy says it prunes or removes trees along its lines and asks people to contact it right away if a tree is in contact with a power line. It also says that after storm damage, clearing the debris is the homeowner's job, while its own crews clean up after their routine maintenance. Budget for that wood when a storm brings a tree down.
Getting rid of the wood
Inside city limits, yard waste does not just appear at the curb and vanish. Residents call Public Works at 813-780-0022 to arrange a pickup. Branches go in bundles less than 6 inches thick and 3 to 4 feet long, leaves go in bags with a limit of 10 at a time, and the pile sits 3 feet from the Z-Cart and clear of traffic.
A removal of a big pine or oak can leave far more than a few bundles. When you get a quote, ask whether cutting the wood up, chipping the brush and hauling it all away are included, and whether stump grinding is extra. The tree removal cost guide lists published price ranges and what moves them.
Before you say yes to a quote
- Confirm city or countyAsk the company which permit rule applies to your address and who will handle it.
- Name the treeA longleaf pine is treated differently by Pasco County than a slash pine, and a laurel oak is a different risk from a live oak.
- Ask about the linesAny work near a Duke Energy or WREC wire should be planned with the utility, not around it.
- Get cleanup in writingHauling, chipping and the stump should each be on the quote.
Florida does not issue a state license for tree trimming or removal, so ask for proof of insurance and credentials yourself.
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 Zephyrhills 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.