Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on height, species, access and what is underneath. National guides from HomeGuide put most tree removals between about $400 and $1,200 and most trimming between about $400 and $900 per tree, while HomeAdvisor puts palm trimming at about $125 to $800 per palm. Homeyou's 2026 Fort Myers figures put trimming a medium tree at roughly $392 to $584. We give a written price after seeing the tree.

Sometimes. Under Florida statute 163.045, a city or county cannot require a permit for a tree on a single-family lot if you have a signed assessment from an ISA Certified Arborist or Florida-licensed landscape architect showing it is an unacceptable risk. For healthy trees, commercial property or a tree tied to a development plan, check with the City of Fort Myers or Lee County, depending on where you live. We tell you what we think applies when we visit.

No. UF/IFAS says the so-called hurricane cut, stripping a palm down to a few fronds, is not based on science and leaves palms more likely to lose their crowns in strong winds. Remove dead fronds, coconuts and seed stalks, and leave the green fronds. UF's limit is never to cut above the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock line of the canopy.

Lethal bronzing often starts with fruit falling early, dead flower stalks and the oldest fronds turning reddish-brown, moving upward until the spear leaf collapses. Ganoderma shows up as hard, shelf-like conks on the lower four to five feet of the trunk. Both need lab or visual confirmation, and neither can be cured once a palm is badly affected. If you see either, have the palm looked at soon.

The electric utility. FPL serves much of Fort Myers, and LCEC serves Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Pine Island, Sanibel and parts of Lehigh Acres. Both say only trained line-clearance workers should prune near lines. LCEC notes it does not maintain trees along the service drop to your house, so that part may fall to you once the utility has made it safe.

Within limits. Florida DEP says homeowners may trim mangroves in a riparian fringe without a permit if they are no taller than 10 feet, as long as they are not cut below 6 feet or stripped of leaves. Taller mangroves need a professional mangrove trimmer, and removing mangroves may require a permit. DEP suggests October through March for trimming.

Ask for a written quote listing each tree, the cleanup and whether stumps are included. Ask for a current certificate of liability and workers' compensation insurance sent directly by the insurer. If the job depends on judging a tree's safety or getting a risk assessment for a permit exemption, ask whether an ISA Certified Arborist will do it; you can check that credential on the ISA website.

HomeGuide's 2026 national figures put most removals between about $400 and $1,200, with small trees from about $200 and large trees from $850 to $2,000 or more. Palms run about $200 to $1,200. Trees over a pool cage or roof, or with decayed wood, cost more. We give a written price after seeing it.

Under Florida statute 163.045, the permit exemption for a single-family lot depends on documentation: an onsite tree risk assessment signed by an ISA Certified Arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect showing the tree is an unacceptable risk. Without that, local rules may still apply to some trees, so check with the city or county.

UF/IFAS says replanting another palm in the same spot is risky, because the fungus survives in the soil and replacement palms have become infected. The waiting period is unknown and probably measured in years. Planting a non-palm tree there is the safer choice.

That depends on your policy. Many policies cover removal when a tree falls on an insured structure, often up to a set limit, and usually not when a healthy tree is taken down by choice. Check with your insurer, and keep photos and the written quote for any claim.

Yes. Brazilian pepper is one of Florida's worst invasive trees and spreads into yards, ditches and canal banks. It resprouts readily from the stump, so removal usually needs either stump grinding or a follow-up treatment of the cut stump.

Homeyou's 2026 Fort Myers figures put trimming a medium tree at about $392 to $584. HomeGuide's national figures run from about $250 to $700 for trees up to 30 feet to $1,000 or more for trees over 60 feet. Access and how long since the tree was last pruned matter most.

Topping cuts limbs back to stubs, which decay, and the tree answers with dense sprouts that are weakly attached and break easily in wind. Lee County's landscape rules treat topping and hat-racking of required trees as severe pruning, with fines per tree and replacement planting. Crown reduction and thinning to ANSI A300 reduce size without those problems.

Young live oaks benefit from structural pruning every few years to keep one main trunk and well-spaced limbs. Mature, well-formed oaks often need only deadwood removal and clearance cuts every three to five years. A tree that has had storm damage should be looked at after the storm.

In Florida a property owner can generally trim branches that hang over their side, at their own expense, as long as the work does not kill or seriously damage the tree. It is worth talking with your neighbor first, and we prune to the property line without harming the rest of the tree.

Good structural pruning lowers the odds of failure by removing weak forks, dead wood and overlong limbs. UF/IFAS notes that no tree is windproof, and species, soil, age and health matter too. Over-thinning or topping can make things worse.

HomeAdvisor's 2026 national guide puts most palm trimming between about $125 and $800 per palm, with short palms under 15 feet from about $50 and palms over 60 feet up to about $1,500. Several palms trimmed on one visit usually cost less each. We price each palm in writing.

Many palms need it only once a year, often in late spring before hurricane season. Royal palms shed their own fronds, so they may need attention only when dead fronds are hanging. Coconut and queen palms often need fruit removed more often.

Yellowing older fronds are often a sign of a nutrient deficiency, such as potassium, which is common in Florida palms. UF/IFAS advises leaving yellowing fronds on the palm, since removing them takes away nutrients and hides the symptom. A fertilizer made for palms is the usual fix; lab testing can confirm.

Yes. Dead fronds and seed stalks over screen enclosures are cut and lowered so they do not tear the screen or dent the frame. Palms leaning onto the cage may be better candidates for removal, which we will tell you.

HomeGuide's 2026 national figures put a single stump at about $120 to $400, with each additional stump around $30 to $60. Large hardwood stumps can reach $300 to $800. We price each job in writing after measuring.

Usually several inches below grade, enough to lay sod or topsoil over the spot. If you plan to plant a tree or build in that spot, tell us, and we can go deeper or remove more root.

Palm stumps do not resprout. Some hardwoods and invasive trees such as Brazilian pepper can send up sprouts from remaining roots, which can be cut or treated as they appear.

Grinding is cheaper and disturbs much less of the yard. Full removal with a backhoe or by digging makes sense when you need the root mass gone, for example to build or after Ganoderma butt rot, where UF/IFAS recommends removing as much of the stump and roots as possible.

Storm work usually costs more than planned work. HomeGuide notes same-day or next-day emergency removals often run two to three times standard rates, and Homeyou's 2026 Fort Myers guide lists emergency tree service at about $250 per hour. The written quote is the price.

Often, if it damaged an insured structure such as the house or a fence, usually up to a limit set in your policy. Trees that fell without hitting anything are often not covered. Photograph everything and call your insurer early.

Not until the utility has made the line safe. Call FPL or LCEC, depending on your area, and stay well away. Once the line is clear or de-energized, we can remove the tree and clean up.

Small palms that tipped over can sometimes be replanted and braced if the root ball is mostly intact. Large palms that uprooted or snapped are usually removed. A palm whose bud or crown is broken off will not grow back.

After major storms Lee County and its cities usually run debris collection with sorting rules, such as keeping vegetation separate from construction debris. Watch for your local government's instructions, and we can cut and stack wood to fit them or haul it off.

Spring is ideal, from about March through May, before hurricane season begins on June 1. Work done then has the summer to settle, and demand for tree crews climbs as the season nears. Dead or cracked limbs should come off whenever you see them.

No. Moderate, selective thinning helps, but stripping interior branches leaves weight at the limb ends and can increase breakage. Structural pruning to remove weak forks and reduce overlong limbs does more good than heavy thinning.

Trees that can reach your home and that are decayed, leaning, or in UF/IFAS's lower wind-resistance groups, such as laurel oak, black olive, queen palm and Norfolk Island pine. A healthy live oak or sabal palm is usually among the safest trees on the lot.

It is a good idea for coconut palms near the house, cars, windows or pool cage. Coconuts and loose seed stalks can become projectiles in high wind. Removing them does not harm the palm, unlike cutting green fronds.