Tree Service in Midtown Mobile, AL

Arborist in a bucket truck pruning a sprawling live oak draped with Spanish moss over a Midtown Mobile street

Midtown is where Mobile's live oaks are oldest and the rules about them are tightest. The Duffie Oak stands here, about 300 years old and 126 feet across, recognized by the Alabama Forestry Commission as a famous and historic tree, and the oaks that tunnel over Government Street are the city's signature. Much of Midtown sits inside locally designated historic districts, the Oakleigh Garden District, Old Dauphin Way, Leinkauf and their neighbors, and inside those districts the City's Heritage Tree rule drops from 18 inches to 8: any oak (except water oak), magnolia, hickory, longleaf pine, sweetgum, sycamore, river birch or yellow poplar of 8 inches or more needs a Mobile Tree Commission permit to prune or remove, $75 per tree, and the work has to be done by a certified, licensed and bonded arborist. Trees on the street side of the sidewalk are City trees and need a permit anywhere in Mobile.

That shapes the work. Our ISA Certified Arborist writes the pruning plan, we check the lot on the City's My Place map and pull the permit, and the oaks get reduction cuts and deadwood removal, never topping. Lots here are narrow and houses sit close, so big removals come down in short roped sections or by crane set up in the street. Water oaks and pecans planted in the 1920s are hitting the end of their lives and shedding limbs onto porches and cars; those are the removals we do most in Midtown. And when a hurricane comes through, Midtown's canopy is where the hangers and the broken limbs are thickest; after Sally the storm crews worked these streets for weeks.

What we do in Midtown Mobile

Heritage Tree permits

Inside the historic districts a Heritage Tree is protected from 8 inches across. We pull the $75 permit and meet the certified-arborist requirement.

Live oak pruning

Reduction cuts, deadwood and clearance over 1900s roofs, written by an ISA Certified Arborist.

Section-by-section removals

Water oaks and pecans taken down in short roped pieces between close-set houses.

Crane in the street

Setup in the right-of-way coordinated with the City for trees with no room to lower anything.

Brick walks and iron fences protected

Mats and plywood under the drop zone; nothing dropped on the hardscape.

Hurricane response

Hangers, split limbs and trees on roofs cleared by priority after the storm.

Streets and areas we cover

Government Street
Dauphin Street
Old Shell Road
Oakleigh Garden District
Old Dauphin Way
Leinkauf
Ashland Place
De Tonti Square
Church Street East
Spring Hill Avenue
Florida Street
Catherine Street
Broad Street
Monroe Park and the Loop

Tree services in Midtown Mobile

Questions from Midtown Mobile homeowners

Do I need a permit to trim my live oak in Midtown?

If you're inside a historic district and the oak is 8 inches or more across, yes, from the Mobile Tree Commission at $75. If the oak is on the street side of the sidewalk, yes, anywhere in the city. We check your address on the City's My Place map and apply for you.

Who does the work on a permitted tree?

The City requires a properly certified, licensed and bonded arborist. Our ISA Certified Arborist plans the work and our insured crew does it.

The oak in front of my house is lifting the sidewalk. Whose problem is it?

If it's on the street side of the sidewalk it's a City tree, and sidewalk and tree issues go to Mobile 311 at 251-208-5311. Urban Forestry prioritizes by public safety.

How much does a big removal cost in Midtown?

Tight lots and big trees push prices up. Most large removals here run $2,000 to $5,000, crane jobs $3,000 to $7,000, plus the $75 permit when one applies. We give a written price after we see the tree.

Nearby: Spring Hill · West Mobile · Prichard & Chickasaw · Tillmans Corner · full service area

Tree service in Midtown Mobile, where the oaks are older than the houses