Tree service in Fairhope, a town that wrote its trees into law
Fairhope has a Tree Committee, a City Horticulturist and an ordinance with a number. Its live oaks and the canopy over the downtown streets are why people move here. We work inside the rules and keep the trees that make the town.
Fairhope is the Eastern Shore town with the pier, the bluff, the flower-lined downtown and, unusually for Alabama, a serious tree ordinance. Tree Ordinance No. 1444 puts tree removal on city property and in the right-of-way under a Tree Removal Permit from the City Horticulturist, allowed only when a tree is in the path of an approved improvement, is diseased, hazardous, interfering with utilities or sight lines, or in violation of the law, and deniable when the tree is vital to the city's natural heritage. Removal tied to a development or building permit needs a Landscape Plan by a landscape architect or designer, approved by the Horticulturist and the Planning or Building Director. The Tree Committee reviews applications, mitigation can mean planting on city property or paying into a tree fund, and appeals go to Municipal Court. The Central Business District is exempt.
In practice, a tree on a developed residential lot in Fairhope is the owner's to prune and remove, and the ordinance bites on street trees, city property and anything tied to construction. We know where the line is and we check with the city when a job is close to it. Fairhope's own trees are the Eastern Shore's best: live oaks along the bluff and Scenic 98 that have stood for centuries, magnolias, pecans in the old orchards east of town, and the pines in the newer neighborhoods toward County Road 13 and 32. Sally put 12.44 inches of rain on Fairhope and gusted to 62 at the municipal airport; Isaias brought a Hurricane Warning with gusts to 65 forecast. Fairhope added over a thousand residents in a single year recently, and the new subdivisions east of town are where the lone-pine problem lives.
What we do in Fairhope
Ordinance 1444 handled
Right-of-way, city-property and development trees permitted through the City Horticulturist; residential-lot trees pruned and removed under the owner's rights.
Live oak pruning
The bluff and Scenic 98 oaks pruned with reduction cuts and deadwood removal by an ISA Certified Arborist, never topped.
Pine removal
Lone pines in the newer neighborhoods east of town taken down before the season.
Storm response and cleanup
Fairhope crews roll as soon as the Bayway is open; hangers and curb piles cleared and hauled to Baldwin County facilities.
Pecan and orchard trees
Deadwood and reduction cuts on the old orchard pecans east of town.
Replacement planting
Live oaks and magnolias planted where pines came out, sited for the long run.
Streets and areas we cover
- Scenic Highway 98
- Section Street
- Fairhope Avenue
- Greeno Road (Highway 98)
- County Road 13
- County Road 32
- Point Clear
- Montrose
- Battles Wharf
- Rock Creek
- Quail Creek
- Sandy Ford
Tree services in Fairhope
- Tree removal, pine removal, crane removal, land clearing
- Live oak pruning, trimming and pruning, palm trimming, tree health
- 24/7 emergency service, hurricane cleanup, hurricane prep, stump grinding, replacement planting
Questions from Fairhope homeowners
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Fairhope?
For a tree on your own developed residential lot, generally not. For a tree on city property or in the right-of-way, yes, a Tree Removal Permit from the City Horticulturist under Ordinance 1444, and for removal tied to a building or development permit, an approved Landscape Plan. We check with the city when a job is near the line.
What happens if a city tree is removed without a permit?
The ordinance provides for restitution: planting on city property where the Horticulturist directs, or payment into a fund spent only on tree planting in the city. Don't find out the hard way; call the city or us first.
Can you prune the live oak on the bluff?
Yes, with a written plan from our ISA Certified Arborist, and with the city's permit if it's on city property or the right-of-way. Reduction cuts and deadwood, never topping.
How soon after a hurricane can you get to Fairhope?
As soon as the Bayway or the Causeway opens and it's safe to work. After Sally, Fairhope and south Baldwin took the worst of it and crews worked the Eastern Shore for weeks.
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