Questions Mobile homeowners ask us
Licensing, prices, permits, Heritage Trees, City pickup, hurricanes, live oaks, pines, redbays, stumps and insurance: the short answers. Anything we missed, call and ask.
Are you licensed and insured?
Alabama doesn't license tree services at the state level, so the things to ask for are an ISA Certified Arborist and a certificate of insurance. We have both: an ISA Certified Arborist plans the work and the crews carry general liability and workers' comp. For permitted trees, the City of Mobile requires a certified, licensed and bonded arborist (Code § 65-9), and we meet it.
How much does tree removal cost?
Most residential removals run $700 to $1,800 for a medium tree. Big pines and live oaks over the house run $2,500 to $5,500, usually with a crane. Dead and beetle-killed pines cost 20 to 40 percent more. Stump grinding is a separate $100 to $700.
Do I need a permit to cut a tree in Mobile?
Not on a developed residential lot outside a historic district, as long as the tree isn't in the right-of-way. Right-of-way trees, Heritage Trees of 8 inches or more in a historic district and live oaks of 18 inches or more on undeveloped lots need a $75 Tree Commission permit.
What's a Heritage Tree?
Hickory, longleaf pine, magnolia, any oak except water oak, river birch, sweetgum, sycamore and yellow poplar at 18 inches or more across, or 8 inches inside a historic district.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. An estimator walks the property and leaves a written price good for 30 days.
Do you require a deposit?
Not until you've approved the written price and we've scheduled the work. Most jobs are paid on completion.
Who is responsible for the tree between the sidewalk and the street?
The City. It's a City tree. Report problems to Mobile 311 at 251-208-5311; after hours, a tree blocking a road goes to Mobile Police at 251-208-7211. You can hire the work done under a Tree Commission permit if you don't want to wait.
Will the City pick up my limbs?
Only within its limits: nothing over 12 inches across or 6 feet long, piles under 2 cubic yards, set out no more than 48 hours before pickup, and never contractor debris. We haul everything we cut.
Which trees fall in hurricanes?
Tall pines that grew in a stand and now stand alone, water and laurel oaks with hollow forks, trees with roots cut for construction, and trees in wet ground. Live oaks, sabal palms, magnolias and bald cypress are the survivors.
Should I top my trees before hurricane season?
No. Topping makes trees more dangerous and uglier. Hurricane prep is deadwood out, reduction cuts on the limbs over the roof, thinning at the edge of the canopy, and removing the pines that won't stand.
What's wrong with my redbay?
If it browned all at once, laurel wilt. It's fatal in 4 to 12 weeks, the wood has to be chipped fine and kept on site, and nearby redbays and sassafras can be protected with injections.
Do you grind stumps?
Yes, below grade, with Alabama 811 called first as the law requires.
Will insurance pay for a fallen tree?
Usually, if it damaged a covered structure. A tree that fell in the yard without hitting anything often isn't covered. We provide dated photos and an itemized invoice.
Do you serve the Eastern Shore?
Yes: Daphne, Fairhope and Spanish Fort, plus Mobile, Tillmans Corner, Theodore, Semmes, Saraland, Satsuma, Creola, Prichard, Chickasaw, Grand Bay and Bayou La Batre.
Do you really answer at night?
Yes, 24 hours a day, every day, hurricane nights included. Trees on structures are dispatched first; an estimator calls back the next business morning for non-emergencies.