The short answer
The average tree removal in Lakeland in 2026 runs about $1,100, with most jobs between $400 and $1,800. The spread is almost entirely about size and position: a 20-foot crape myrtle in an open front yard is a couple hundred dollars, a 70-foot slash pine between the house and the pool cage is a crane job at $3,000 or more, and a hundred-year-old live oak over a Dixieland bungalow can run $5,000 because it comes down one small piece at a time over a full day. Stump grinding, haul-off and emergency timing each move the number.
Prices by size
| Tree | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small, under 25 ft | $200 – $600 | Crape myrtle, young oak, small palm, Brazilian pepper |
| Medium, 25–50 ft | $600 – $1,500 | Most laurel oaks and water oaks, mid-size pines |
| Large, 50–75 ft | $1,500 – $3,000 | Mature oaks and slash pines |
| Very large, 75 ft and up | $3,000 – $5,000+ | Tall pines, big live oaks over structures |
| By height: 20 ft / 40 ft / 60 ft / 80 ft | $230–$430 / $450–$870 / $680–$1,300 / $900–$1,730 | Open-yard ranges |
Prices by species
| Species | Typical removal | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Live oak | $1,000 – $5,000 | Dense, heavy wood; wide canopy; usually over something |
| Laurel or water oak | $600 – $2,500 | Lighter wood, but often hollow — rigged carefully |
| Slash or longleaf pine | $600 – $2,000 | Tall and straight; crane if over a cage |
| Palm (sabal, queen, Washingtonia) | $250 – $1,500 | Height; hauled not chipped |
| Camphor | $800 – $2,000 | Brittle, big crown, regrows from roots |
| Brazilian pepper | $200 – $600 | Multi-stem; needs follow-up on regrowth |
Add-ons and multipliers
- Crane. $2,500–$7,500 for a crane-assisted removal, with the crane itself adding $600–$5,400 depending on size and hours. Needed when there's no drop zone — a tall pine over a pool enclosure, an oak between two houses, a storm-racked trunk nobody should climb.
- Stump grinding. $2–$5 per inch of diameter, $100–$175 minimum; a 24–36 inch oak stump is $350–$600. Sunshine 811 locate required first (two business days).
- Emergency. Nights, weekends and the aftermath of a storm add 20–50%, occasionally up to double in the first days after a hurricane when every crew in the county is working around the clock.
- Haul-off. Included in our prices; keeping the wood or the chips takes money off.
- Access. A back yard behind a pool cage with a 36-inch gate means hand-carrying everything out; a lot with a driveway for the chipper truck is faster and cheaper.
- Permit. Most Lakeland single-family lots under an acre need none; where one applies, the fee is passed through.
Other tree work
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Trimming, small tree | $100 – $400 |
| Trimming, large tree | $700 – $1,500 |
| Live oak crown cleaning | $500 – $2,000 |
| Palm trimming | $100 – $500 |
| Storm-prep thinning, per tree | $300 – $1,200 |
| Light land clearing / mulching, per acre | $1,000 – $3,500 |
| Heavy clearing with removals, per acre | $6,000 – $15,000+ |
What a real quote includes
Every written price from us itemizes: the climb or bucket work; rigging over structures; crane time if needed; chipping and haul-off (or wood left); stump grinding if wanted; cleanup; the permit check; and whether an arborist's letter applies. A number on a business card after a glance from the truck is a guess, and the guesses are usually low until the crew is on site.
Common questions
Why is the oak over my house so much more than the one in the yard?
Position. A tree in an open yard can be felled or dropped in big pieces in an hour. The same tree over a roof comes down in small sections on ropes with a ground crew lowering each one — a day's work for three or four people.
Can I get a quote over the phone?
A range, yes, from a photo and a height. A real number takes walking the yard — the drop zone, the access, the lean and the decay all change it.
Is it cheaper to do several trees at once?
Yes. The setup — truck, chipper, crane if needed — is the fixed cost, and three trees in one visit share it.
Do you offer financing?
Through a third-party lender for larger jobs — fixed payments, online application, soft credit check. See insurance and financing.
Will insurance pay for the removal?
Only if the tree fell on a covered structure. Taking down a standing tree, dead or alive, is maintenance. See the insurance page.
Related: Tree removal · Crane tree removal · Stump grinding · Insurance and financing