Questions Palm Bay homeowners ask about tree work
Insurance, permits, prices, palms, laurel oaks, lethal bronzing, storms, hauling, pepper and financing — the answers we give on the phone every day.
Are you licensed and insured?
Florida doesn't license tree companies — anyone with a truck can call themselves one — so the insurance is the thing to check. Our crews carry general liability and workers' compensation and we send the certificate before you sign. Ask any tree company for both; if a worker is hurt on your property and the company only has liability, the claim can come to you. We also have an ISA Certified Arborist on staff, which is the credential that means something in this trade.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Palm Bay?
On a single- or two-family lot under an acre, generally no — and never for the invasive species on the city's list (Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, melaleuca, camphor, chinaberry, eucalyptus, castor bean). Lots over an acre, commercial parcels and planned developments go through the Planning Division, which reviews in about seven business days. Statewide, F.S. 163.045 removes the local permit requirement when an ISA Certified Arborist documents an unacceptable risk. Melbourne, Satellite Beach, Vero Beach and the other beach towns have stricter ordinances; we check before we cut.
How much does tree removal cost?
Most removals in 2026 run $450 to $3,200 — a small palm or pine on an open lot at the low end, a 60-foot laurel oak over the house at the high end, and a crane adds $1,200 to $2,800 when one is needed. Stump grinding is $120 to $450 by diameter. Written, itemized, good for 30 days. See the cost guide.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. The arborist's visit, the assessment and the written price are free. A formal written tree risk assessment for a sale, an HOA or a 163.045 letter is a small flat fee, credited toward any work we do.
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; crane jobs and large clearings take a deposit for the crane or the equipment.
Why won't you hurricane-cut my palms or top my oak?
Because both make the tree weaker and more dangerous. A palm stripped to five fronds is starving and no safer in wind; a topped oak grows a mop of weak sprouts that break off in the next storm. We trim to the University of Florida and ANSI standards, and we'll explain why every time.
What's killing the queen palms in my neighborhood?
Lethal bronzing — a bacterial disease spread by a planthopper that has been moving through Brevard for years. Bronze lower fronds, early fruit drop, a dead spear leaf, dead palm in months, no cure once it shows. Remove the sick ones promptly to protect the rest; preventive injections can protect high-value palms.
Is my laurel oak dangerous?
If it's over about 50 years old and has any of these — conks at the base, a cavity, bees or ants in the trunk, a lean that's changed, big dead limbs — probably. Laurel oaks hollow from the inside as they age and the crown stays green until the trunk is mostly gone. The arborist can sound it in ten minutes.
Will insurance pay to remove a tree?
If it fell on a covered structure, usually — removal from the structure and repair of the damage, minus the deductible, plus a small hauling allowance. A tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing generally isn't covered, and removing a standing tree never is. See insurance and financing.
How long does a removal take?
A palm or a small pine is an hour. A medium oak rigged down near the house is half a day. A big laurel oak over the house is a day, or a morning with a crane. Stumps are usually the same day or a few days later.
Do you haul everything away?
Yes — brush chipped, wood hauled, lawn raked — unless you want the wood cut to firewood length and left, which takes a little off the price. After a declared storm we can also stack to the county's debris-pickup rules if you'd rather not pay for hauling.
Can you clear the Brazilian pepper on my canal bank?
Yes, and no permit is needed. We cut from the bank top, treat every stump within minutes so it doesn't resprout, haul the brush, and leave the roots and any natives so the bank holds. One free return visit within the year for regrowth.
Do you offer financing?
Yes — 12-month same-as-cash and longer fixed-rate plans through a third-party lender, subject to credit approval, for larger removals, crane jobs and land clearing. Ask when you get your estimate.