Questions Lakeland homeowners ask us
Insurance, permits, prices, oaks, palms, pines, lightning, hurricanes and storms — the short answers. Anything we missed, call and ask.
Are you licensed and insured?
Florida doesn't license tree services statewide, so there's no state tree license to hold. What matters is insurance: the crews that work through us carry general liability and workers' compensation, and the certificate is available before anyone climbs. A crew without workers' comp that gets hurt on your property is your problem. We also have an ISA Certified Arborist on staff.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Lakeland?
On a single- or two-family lot under an acre that isn't part of a development plan, no — Lakeland's tree-preservation code applies to development activity. Over an acre, commercial, right-of-way or inside a subdivision plan, it can. And F.S. 163.045 says no local permit can be required for an arborist-documented danger tree on residential property. Other Polk cities have their own rules (Lake Wales fines $250–$2,500 for select trees); we check per property.
How much does tree removal cost?
Average Lakeland removal is about $1,100; most jobs run $400–$1,800. By height: 20 ft $230–$430, 40 ft $450–$870, 60 ft $680–$1,300, 80 ft $900–$1,730. Big live oaks over houses $1,000–$5,000, palms $250–$1,500, crane jobs $2,500–$7,500, stump grinding $2–$5 per inch with a $100–$175 minimum. Emergency work adds 20–50%.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. An estimator walks the property and leaves a written price. A formal written tree risk assessment or an F.S. 163.045 hazard letter from our arborist is a small flat fee, credited toward any work.
Do you require a deposit?
Not until you've approved the written price and we've scheduled the work. Most residential jobs are paid on completion.
Does my tree really need to come down?
About half the oaks we're called about can stay with pruning. Species is the first question — a laurel oak at 60 is near its end, a live oak at 60 is young — then the trunk, the roots and what's under it. We'll tell you which, with the reasons.
Do you top trees?
No. Topping rots the stubs, pushes weak water sprouts and makes the tree more dangerous in a few years. We prune to ANSI A300 — at the collar, under a quarter of the crown — and we'll explain what your tree actually needs.
What's wrong with the 'hurricane cut' on palms?
It weakens the palm. A palm needs its green fronds; pruning above the horizontal narrows the trunk, invites disease and makes it more likely to snap, not less. We take dead fronds and seed pods only.
My pine's needles are turning red. What now?
It's dead or dying — usually Ips bark beetles after drought, lightning or root damage. Red needles mean remove now, before the beetles emerge and spread; gray needles mean the beetles are gone and it's just a hazard.
What is lethal bronzing?
A planthopper-borne disease killing sabal and queen palms across Polk County. Lower fronds bronze, the spear leaf dies, the crown collapses. No cure — remove the palm quickly and consider preventive injections for the healthy palms nearby.
A lightning strike hit my oak. Is it dead?
Not necessarily. A strike that spirals bark off the whole trunk usually kills; a single scar often doesn't. Give it a season, watch for dieback and beetles (on pines), and have us look. Polk County had more lightning than any county in the country in 2025.
Do you work with insurance?
Yes — we photograph everything with the date, invoice emergency removal separately as mitigation, and provide what your adjuster needs. We don't negotiate your claim.
Do you grind stumps?
Yes, $2–$5 per inch, below grade, after Sunshine 811 has marked the yard (two business days). Chips hauled or left as mulch.
Do you serve Winter Haven and Plant City?
Yes — Winter Haven, Bartow, Auburndale, Lake Alfred, Plant City, Mulberry, Fort Meade, Kathleen, Polk City, Haines City, Davenport and Lake Wales, plus all of Lakeland.
Do you really answer at night?
24 hours a day, every day. A tree on the house at 2 AM gets a person on the phone and a crew dispatched by priority.
Can I keep the wood?
Yes — oak rounds for firewood or a mill, or chips for mulch, and it takes money off the haul-off.