Emergencies in Polk County come in two sizes. The small ones are every week in summer: an afternoon thunderstorm's downburst drops a laurel oak limb on a roof in Beacon Hill, a lightning strike splits a pine in Lakeland Highlands and leaves half of it hanging over the lanai, a water oak that was leaning for years finally goes over onto a fence and a car. The big ones come with names. Milton in October 2024 put 76 mph gusts on Lakeland Linder and 87 on Winter Haven, dropped 12 inches of rain on the city in a day, and left 200,000 to 250,000 cubic yards of tree debris in the city and half a million in the county; Ian in 2022 took the big oaks down along Lake Hollingsworth and Lake Morton; Irma in 2017 took fifteen days to restore power.
Whatever size, the first job is the same: get the tree off whatever it's on, safely. We answer 24 hours a day, dispatch by priority — a tree into living space first, a tree blocking a driveway or a road second, a hanger over a yard last — and we're honest about where you are in the line after a hurricane, when everyone in the county is calling at once. We cut the tree off the structure, tarp the hole if the roofer hasn't arrived, clear the driveway, and photograph everything with the date for your insurance. The full cleanup and the stump happen in daylight, usually that week.
What's included
A person answers, any hour
No voicemail, no callback queue. Call at 2 AM and you talk to someone who dispatches a crew.
Triage after a storm
Trees into living space first, blocked access second, hangers third — and we tell you honestly where you are in line.
Off the house safely
Limbs cut back in sections with the weight controlled so the roof isn't damaged twice.
Power lines
We don't touch a tree on an energized line; Lakeland Electric's downed-line number is 863-834-4248. Once it's cleared, we take the tree.
Photos for the claim
Dated photos before and after, so the removal is documented as mitigation on your homeowners claim.
Full cleanup in daylight
Chipping, haul-off, stump grinding and the curbside pile handled that week.
Emergency tree service cost in Lakeland, FL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency call-out, tree off structure | $500 – $1,500 | Night, weekend or storm; credited toward full removal |
| Hanging limb removal | $250 – $800 | Per limb |
| Tree blocking driveway or road, cleared | $400 – $1,200 | Cut and moved; haul-off separate |
| Full removal after emergency | Quoted in writing | See tree removal |
| Post-hurricane whole-lot cleanup | Quoted | See storm cleanup |
These are 2026 Polk County ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — the climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, permit check — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about emergency tree service
How fast can you get here?
In Lakeland, usually within a couple of hours; the rest of Polk a little longer. After a hurricane, triage applies and it can be a day or more for a hanger that isn't threatening anything. We'll tell you the truth about the line.
Will insurance cover emergency tree removal?
If the tree damaged a covered structure, removing it from the structure is covered as part of the loss and the mitigation; most Florida policies also pay a small amount ($500–$1,000) for removing a tree that fell without hitting anything. We document it either way.
The tree is on the power line to my house.
Call Lakeland Electric (863-834-4248) or your utility first and don't go near it. Once they've de-energized or cleared the line, we take the tree. If a limb is merely touching a service drop without pulling it down, the utility will often clear it themselves.
Should I cut it myself?
Not a tree on a house, not at night, and not a pine under tension — storm-damaged wood springs. Put a bucket under the leak, keep people out of that room, and call.
What about the debris pile at the curb?
After a declared storm the city and county run curbside pickup with size limits (Lakeland's is 6×4×4 feet per pile). We cut to size and stage it, or haul it ourselves if you'd rather not wait.