Frequently Asked Questions

Inside Ocala city limits, the city's tree removal permit covers trees 4 inches or more in diameter measured 4.5 feet off the ground, costs $100 and takes at least 10 business days, with replacement trees planted within 30 days. Single-family homes on R-1, R-1A or R-1AA lots under 3 acres are exempt; you can look up your zoning on the city's OneMap. In unincorporated Marion County, removing trees on a single-family parcel is exempt under the county Land Development Code. Separately, section 163.045 of Florida Statutes lets a single-family homeowner remove a tree that an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect has documented as an unacceptable risk without a local permit. HOA rules can still apply on top of all of this.

Not automatically, but look hard at it. Laurel oaks are among the least wind-resistant trees in Florida according to UF/IFAS, and older ones often hollow out inside. Cracks, cavities, mushrooms or conks at the base, dead limbs in the top and a lean toward the house are the signs that tip it toward removal.

National cost guides put most single-tree removals between about $200 and $2,000, with an average around $750, and trimming a tree under 30 feet at roughly $250 to $700. Size, access, how close the tree is to a house or wires, and whether the wood is hauled away all move the price. The free written estimate is the number you pay.

Most pruning can be done any time of year here. Many homeowners prefer late winter and spring, before the June-through-November hurricane season and the heavy summer rains, so long or heavy limbs over the roof are dealt with before storms arrive. Palm dead fronds are worth removing before storm season because they become debris in high wind.

The utility that owns the line. Marion County's emergency management page lists four electric providers: Ocala's city-owned utility, SECO Energy, Duke Energy and Clay Electric; the name on your bill tells you which one is yours. Ocala's electric utility takes hazardous tree removal requests for dead, defective or uprooting trees that have a reasonable chance of striking a primary distribution line, and staff inspect within 10 days. SECO keeps 10 feet of clearance around its primary lines and expects members to keep the service line from the pole to the house clear, offering a free temporary disconnect for that work. A branch touching a line is a call to the utility first.

Usually, if it is on the quote and the stump grinder can reach it. Stumps in a fenced backyard need a gate wide enough for the machine; we measure that at the estimate. Before grinding, utilities are located by calling Sunshine 811, and we ask about septic tanks, drain fields and irrigation lines.

No. City of Ocala sanitation rules say tree, limb, stump and shrub debris generated by anyone other than the property owner must be hauled by that contractor to an approved disposal site, and the contractor's price should include it. Limbs you cut yourself go out by 7 a.m. on collection day, cut to 4-foot lengths and piled apart from grass and leaves; piles over about 5 cubic yards are billed. That is why haul-away is spelled out on every quote.

Yes. Around Ocala many calls come from pasture and horse properties: dead pines along fence lines, oak limbs over barns and paddocks, and overgrown lots that need clearing. Tell us how many acres and what you want left standing, and we will walk it with you.

A small or medium tree with open access is often finished in a few hours, cleanup included. A large oak over a house, taken down in sections, can take most of a day or longer. Your quote gives a realistic estimate.

Yes. That is what sectional removal is for: the tree is dismantled from the top down and pieces are lowered on ropes instead of falling. In some cases a crane lifts sections over the house.

Florida generally lets you trim branches that overhang your property back to the line, at your own cost, as long as the work does not kill or seriously damage the tree. Removing the whole tree requires the owner's permission. Talking with the neighbor first usually saves trouble.

Only if you want it. Stump grinding is quoted as its own line so you can decide. Leaving the stump is cheaper; grinding lets you replant, sod or build over the spot.

Often, yes. Dead wood is brittle and can break unpredictably, so it may not be safe to climb and may need a lift or more rigging. HomeGuide notes that dead trees often cost more to remove because of the added safety risk, which is one reason to deal with a dying pine sooner rather than later.

Industry guidance is to remove as little live canopy as the goal requires, and generally no more than about a quarter of the leaves on a mature tree in one season. Removing too much stresses the tree and triggers weak sprouts. Dead wood does not count toward that limit. Inside Ocala city limits this matters legally too: the city's tree permit rules treat topping, or removing more than a quarter of a tree's foliage in a year, as unauthorized removal.

Yes, oaks here can be pruned year-round. Many people schedule larger pruning in late winter or spring so heavy limbs are reduced before hurricane season, but a branch that is cracked or rubbing the roof should not wait.

Proper pruning helps. UF/IFAS research after Hurricane Andrew found that pruned trees survived at a higher rate than unpruned ones, and well-structured trees with one dominant trunk hold up better. No pruning makes a tree windproof, though.

Spanish moss is not a parasite and does not kill the tree, but heavy clumps add weight and can shade interior branches. Some gets removed naturally during pruning; stripping all of it is rarely worth the cost.

Yes, but not by cutting every branch back to a knuckle. Removing crossing branches, suckers and seed heads keeps a crape myrtle healthy and keeps its natural shape.

Not exactly. Grinding cuts the stump and top roots into chips below ground, which is what most homeowners need. Full removal pulls out the root ball with an excavator and leaves a large hole; it is usually reserved for construction sites.

Most oaks and pines will not regrow once the stump is ground below grade. Some species send up a few sprouts from remaining roots for a season; those can simply be mowed or clipped.

Yes, after the stump is ground deep and most of the chips are replaced with soil. Planting a little to one side of the old stump is often easier. After a palm with Ganoderma butt rot, plant something other than a palm in that spot.

They make good mulch for beds and around trees once they have aged a few weeks. If you want them gone, hauling is listed on the quote. Chips from a palm with butt rot should not be reused.

Yes. Call (352) 320-5752 any time to leave the details and photos. Calls are returned and scheduled in order of danger, and a tree on an occupied house goes to the top of the list.

Usually your own homeowners insurance handles damage to your house, regardless of whose tree it was, unless the tree was obviously dead or neglected beforehand. Ask your insurer, and take photos before any cutting.

Small branches on the ground, maybe. A trunk lying across another object, a tree on a roof, or anything near a wire is dangerous: wood under tension can snap back or roll. Leave those to a tree crew and the utility.

Have big trees near the house looked at in spring. Reducing heavy limbs, removing dead wood, taking down hollow laurel oaks and cleaning dead fronds out of palms all lower the risk. UF/IFAS research found pruned trees and trees growing in groups held up better in hurricanes than unpruned, isolated ones.

Most palms need it once or twice a year, depending on the species and how much the seed stalks bother you. Queen palms drop fronds and fruit more often than cabbage palms. There is no single best season, though many people trim before hurricane season starts in June.

Not necessarily. Wait until warm weather returns and watch the spear leaf in the center. If new green growth emerges, the bud survived and the brown fronds can be removed. If the spear pulls out easily and smells rotten, the palm is likely lost.

Yellowing older fronds, often with spotting, are usually a sign of potassium or magnesium deficiency, which is common in sandy Florida soils. Cutting those fronds off makes the deficiency worse; a palm fertilizer applied correctly is the fix.

Those may be conks of Ganoderma butt rot, a fungal disease that rots the lower trunk. UF/IFAS says there is no cure and the palm will eventually fall, so it should be removed along with the stump, and a non-palm planted in its place.

Possibly. In unincorporated Marion County, clearing or grading tied to construction that needs a building permit requires a Growth Services permit first, and native trees 10 inches DBH and larger are shown on the site plan and may need replacement. Removing trees on a parcel used for a single-family home, trees under 10 inches and dead trees are exempt. Inside Ocala, the city's permit applies to trees 4 inches and up unless the lot is single-family R-1, R-1A or R-1AA zoning under 3 acres. Wetlands are regulated separately.

Yes. Selective clearing removes brush, dead trees and unwanted species while keeping marked trees. It takes more care than scraping a lot bare, but it keeps shade and value.

It can be chipped and spread, cut into firewood and stacked, or hauled away. Hauling everything is the most expensive option, so many rural owners keep the chips for trails and paddock edges.

Healthy live oaks and longleaf pines are usually the best keepers in Marion County because they hold up well in wind and live a long time. Laurel and water oaks, sand pines and dead or leaning trees are usually the first to go near future buildings.