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Tree Removal in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay Area

O’Neil’s Tree Service provides safe, Professional Tree removal in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area.  Our ISA Certified Arborists

use cranes, advanced rigging, and turf-friendly equipment to remove hazardous, declining, or storm-damaged

trees with as little impact to your property as possible.

Why Homeowners Call Us for Tree Removal

Our founder, Apollo O’Neil, removed his first tree right here in Clearwater, and ever since then we’ve been safely removing declining, hazardous, and problem trees across Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area. 

At O’Neil’s Tree Service we always try to preserve trees and if your tree can be saved instead of removed, we often recommend proper reduction pruning to make it safer without taking it down. However, when it’s the right thing to do such as when a tree is dead, failing, creating a hazard, or needs to be removed for construction, we make sure the job is done safely, cleanly and with as little impact on your property as possible.  Tree removals are some of the most dangerous jobs in arboriculture, which is why our arborists and crew are highly trained and follow the most current climbing, rigging and safety standards.  Whether a tree is near a home, over a pool, above a roof, or too dangerous to climb, we use cranes, grapple trucks and turf friendly equipment to remove it safely and efficiently.

  • ISA Certified Arborists on staff
  • Specialists in hazardous and hard-to-reach tree removals
  • Crane-assisted removals for maximum safety
  • Clean, careful work that protects lawns, roofs, pools, and structures
  • Service Pinellas and Tampa Bay since 2008
Hazardous tree removal near home in Palm Harbor
Tree removal with Crane in Clearwater Florida
Hazardous pine tree removal with crane Belleair Florida

How We Remove Trees Safely

O’Neil’s uses the most advanced equipment, the most recent techniques and methods utilized in the tree care industry to remove trees. 

This includes: certified tree climbers, cranes, tight access back yard self-propelled lifts, bucket trucks, grapple trucks, turf friendly wheel loaders and large diesel stump grinders. 

Our foreman, tree climbers, bucket truck operators, crane operators are constantly working to improve their skills and education through weekly safety and educational meetings which take place at our shop in Palm Harbor every Friday.  No one in the Tampa area spends the time and effort to educate and train their tree care crews to the degree we do.  Just take a look at all of the certified arborist we have on staff.  No private company in the state Florida has as many ISA a Certified arborist as we do.

What Makes Our Tree Removals Different

  • We Specialize in high-risk removals near homes and structures.
  • We use cranes whenever it increases safety
  • We protect lawns, shrubs and driveways during the job
  • We handle difficult access and tight spaces
  • We plan the job ahead of time so our crew works as safely and efficiently as possible
Each removal is approached differently.  Before we start your job, o . ur team meets to go over hazards, the safest approach, and how to keep the impact to your property as light as possible.  That’s one of the biggest reasons people trust us with their removals

What to Expect When You Hire Us

When one of our estimators visits your property we look for certain factors which dictate the price of your tree removal and strategize the plan for how to complete the job.  Often these plans are included on your proposals and could include annotated photos to really give a good visual of how the job will go.  Here are some of the factors we consider that you should expect when one of our tree care experts shows up: 

  1. The safest way for personnel to perform their work.  (This is probably the first and most important factor)
  2. In Pinellas county, occasionally the most most efficient way to remove a tree can include cranes, as the yards are tight, however, this is not always the case and many jobs may only include tree climbers, lifts, bucket trucks and small tractors.  (The most efficient way can save labor hours and reduce the cost of tree removal greatly). 

Almost every municipality within Pinellas and Hillsborough county require a permit before a tree can be removed.   We often help homeowners through this process or do it for them to save time and reduce stress.  

Once the permit is approved, we schedule your job and most removals are completed in one day.  When we are done, we do our best to clean the property thoroughly.  Our goal is to try and make it look like we were never there.. minus the stump

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Areas We Service for Tree Removal

We provide safe, professional tree removal services across many cities in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and we’ve helped more than 15,000 homeowners remove hazardous or unwanted trees since 2008.

Belleair

Clearwater

Dunedin

Largo

Safety Harbor

Palm Harbor

Tampa

Oldsmar

Tarpon Springs

St. Pete

Pinellas Park

Get a Free Tree Removal Consultation

We service Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties including the cities of Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Largo, St. Petes (St. Petersburg), Tampa & more.

Tree Removal Permits in Pinellas
County & Nearby Cities

Tree Removal Permit Requirements

Here are the permit requirements and links for cities across Pinellas and Hillsborough County

Related services:

Tree removal FAQ - Honest Answers from a Board Certified Master Arborist

How do I know if my tree actually needs to be removed?

Many homeowners call us because they are not sure if a tree really needs to be removed. We look for a few key things such as:

  • branch attachments
  • branch aspect ratio (fancy word for size of the branch relative to the trunk or stem section it is attached to)
  • branch spacing
  • structural defects
  • cavities
  • decay
  • wound closure
  • growth by year
  • cracks
  • seams
  • dead branches
  • branch tip-dieback
  • leaf size
  • leaf color and more. 

If a tree can be saved with plant health care, proper pruning, supplemental support such as cabling or bracing we may recommend that instead. At O’Neil’s our goal is always to preserve trees when possible, but when it’s unsafe or past recovery, removal can be the most responsible choice.

A dead tree usually has no green leaves or needles left in the canopy.  Often “tree guys” or self-proclaimed “arborists” tell you a tree is dead when it is only just declining. 

If a self-proclaimed “doctor” or even an actual doctor told you that you were dead or dying and you were still standing most of us would get a second opinion. 

If the canopy isn’t completely brown, it is likely not a dead tree.  Most trees don’t just suddenly die.  99% of the time they have been declining for years before they just die.  Decline happens over many years and eventually the tree gives up.

$993.22.  We took all the tree removals we did and the total price of them over the last six years and $993.22 is the average for cost of a tree removal.  This obviously includes small trees that could have been 3-5″ diameter up to monster trees more than 84″ diameter.  Here are factors to consider:

  • Size of the tree
  • Access
  • Whether we are already on site or nearby
  • Drive time to the site
  • Skill level of arborists needed to remove the tree,
  • Whats under it and around it
  • Whether cranes, bucket trucks, lifts, skid steers or rigging is needed
  • And maybe more importantly, how long the job will take. 

The biggest thing to consider is how much collateral damage you’re willing to  allow on your property.  Many “tree guys” can come up and put in a notch and drop a tree, but we have all seen those videos online, it seems to rarely end well.

The best thing to do is have a professional arborist come out so you can ask questions, understand the risks, and set clear expectations. A truthful person will tell you things you don’t want to hear even if it risks their “sale.” If you’re not comfortable or you feel they weren’t fully honest, trust your gut.

Tree removal is is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, not “landscaping,” but actual arboriculture. Tree removal is just one facet of tree care and tree care or arboriculture falls under landscaping as a profession.  This doesn’t capture the true risk when researching, “what is the most dangerous job or profession?”  When arboriculture is separated from landscaping and weighed on the metric of deaths per 100,000 like other occupations we are somewhere around 110-150 deaths per 100,000.  This number would land us at the top of the most dangers job in the united states; just under logging at 78 per 100,000.
You’re paying for:

  • Highly trained arborists
  • Thousands of hours of training and education done off job sites
  • Very Expensive equipment that wears out quickly due to the nature of the work
  • Crazy expensive Insurance when your not cheating the system (ours was over 400k in 2025)
  • The risk of driving heavy equipment (one slow-speed accident cost us $150k in premium increases)
  • Rigging, cranes, bucket trucks, and heavy mats
  • Drive times, prep times labor and expertise
  • Protecting your home while removing thousands of pounds of wood

Anyone can cut a notch and yell “timber,” but making sure a tree doesn’t hit your house, fence, pool cage, shed, dog, or your neighbor’s house takes real skill.

And maybe more importantly; when something does go wrong, does the company do what’s right?  Or do they run, hide or try to push the mess onto your insurance?

The cost isn’t about “cutting a tree.”
It’s about making sure the job is done safely, responsibly, and professionally.

Yes! There is only one city in Pinellas county and none in Hillsborough county, that doesn’t require a permit.  However, certain species may not require a permit.  It is best to check with YOUR city arborist or a reputable arborist who can correctly identify the species and confirm whether a tree removal permit is required.   

O’Neil’s Tree Service can handle this for you when it’s required so everything is done legally and stress-free.

The bigger the tree the more likely there is risk of damage to your property.  We work extremely hard to protect lawns, driveways, and landscaping. We use mats, cranes rigging systems, turf-friendly equipment, and controlled lowering techniques to keep things as clean as and neat as possible.

The larger the tree and the more precautions we take to protect and ensure your property comes out unscathed the more the removal costs. 

Most of the time, when we are done, the homeowners tell us it looks like we were never there… minus the stump.

Most removals don’t take more than a day to get to the ground.  Smaller trees can be removed very quickly.  Larger trees in tight spots with lots of obstacles take more time. We plan everything ahead so the job runs as  smoothly, safely, and efficiently as possible.  When meeting with an arborist to discuss the tree removal they should be able to provide more specific answers.

Yes! This is something we specialize in. Many of our guys love the challenge of removing a tree in a tight spot with limited or no access.  Often these types of removals require much more skilled and trained arborists which we are known for. 

We handle trees like this almost daily. We use cranes, rigging, and controlled lowering to remove the tree safely without damaging the surrounding area.

Yes!  In fact, in most municipalities in Pinellas county, it is illegal to leave debris behind for the city or municipality to pick up.   All logs, branches, and debris are hauled away unless you want to keep anything for firewood or woodworking. Cleanup is one of the most important, if not the most important, part of the job, and we make sure your yard looks clean before we leave.

In Florida, the truth is simple, any time of year works. 

But, if your trying to get the best price, usually tree companies are a bit slow in the winter so your more likely to get a discount.  And honestly, winter is nice for us too; the Tampa Bay heat is brutal in the summer.
Florida doesn’t deal with frozen ground or snow like northern states so yard and turf damage are more controllable for us, The only real issue is the rainy season, which can make things sloppy and increase the chances of ruts and yard damage. 

What matters more than the month:

  • How hazardous or dangerous the tree is…98% of trees can safely wait until the winter months to be removed
  • What fits your schedule and budget.
  • Current weather conditions (wet summers = more likelihood of yard damage)

If the tree is TRULY hazardous or dangerous (get an assessment by an honest arborist), the “best time” is simply as soon as possible, regardless of the season.  

If you have a tree that’s already declining, leaning (if it is from root zone damage), cracked, or showing root plate problems, yes, hurricane season can increase the chances of these trees failing.

We often see perfectly green trees with huge canopies fall because they have structural defects (think a short leg or Scoliosis).  Thin canopied trees just don’t grab the same amount of wind.  Imagine a large sail on a boat with a skinny mast or a damaged mast VERSUS the same mast with a small sail and a lot of holes in it.

If a tree is healthy, well-structured, and well-maintained, there’s usually no reason to remove it “just because hurricane season is coming.”

We assess each tree based on things like:

  • Structure
  • Overall health
  • Wound closure 
  • Root stability
  • Previous storm behavior (historical evidence or client feedback)
  • Species characteristics or traits
  • Clearance around your home

We never recommend removal unless the tree is at least a high risk tree, and actually reduces your risk, not just because a date on the calendar says “June 1st.”

No!  Once a tree is removed, the roots eventually stop growing.  Without a canopy they can’t produce energy or sustain themselves, so they slowly die off.

Sometimes young trees or certain species may sprout form the stump for a bit.  These sprouts can be cut periodically until the stump runs out or depletes itself of stored energy.  

Another solution or option is to treat the stump or roots with an herbicide; but always consider the long term impacts and side-effects of such products before use. 

 

Look for a company that tells you the truth, even when it’s not what you want to hear.  Many people have great gut instincts and they ignore them.  Don’t do that! 

Ask tougher questions:

  • What mistakes have you made, and how did you fix them?  
  • Can I talk to those clients? 
  • Can you walk me through the risks of my job and tell me what you and your company will do to ensure my property isn’t destroyed when your done?
  • Can all of your employees provide me with government ID when onsite that I could verify against your Workers comp policy?

If they handled things correctly, although they made a mistake or mistakes, the client should still be happy at the end and have only praises to give.  

A reputable company will:

  • Show you their process and all the pitfalls or things to consider, not just their price

  • Have ISA Certified Arborists (not self-proclaimed “tree doctors”)

  • Explain the risks honestly

  • Provide copies of a REAL workers comp policy were every single employee is listed, GL and auto insurance which you can verify directly with the insurance company.  (Keep in mind policies are issued for the year so the document can be obtained with a down payment and then they don’t pay again.)

  • Use proper equipment such as cranes, rigging, mats, and PPE

  • Be fully licensed (the licensing for tree companies in Florida is a joke)  and insured

  • Give you a detailed plan of action

  • Own their mistakes; if they say they’ve never made one, they’re lying or inexperienced (would you want to get in a marriage or a relationship with a person who hid their past from you?)

Learn enough from these FAQs so your not hoodwinked, and trust your gut!

If someone is telling you only what you want to hear rather than the truth, that’s a red flag.  Don’t let yourself get “salesman-shipped.”  Ask the hard questions “salesman” don’t want to answer.

No 98% (this is my estimate) of the time.  However, if you have a tree that is truly a high risk tree, yes, it could increase value.
Most trees (~98% of the ones O’Neil’s sees) are low risk trees if the arborist were to conduct a Risk Assessment as outlined in the best management practices for Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ).  Removing a healthy tree can reduce property value by 15% or more.  This is based on researched conducted which indicates that properties with mature trees as compared to properties of the same kind with no trees are 15% less at closing. 

Removing a perfectly healthy, beautiful, well-structured tree is a bad move. People love trees.  Trees make people feel comfortable, peaceful and happy. Trees provide shade and people love shade, especially in Florida.  Shade lowers your power bill and makes a property feel more “established.”

However, Removing a dangerous, heavily declining, or ugly tree that’s dropping limbs, blocking views, or threatening the home can absolutely increase value, because you’re removing risk.

When you are trying to decide if. the tree adds value to your property or not, it is best to call a reputable company that has Certified Arborists on staff, but if your trying to figure this out on your own, Ask yourself, “Am I certain this tree is dangerous?”  If you are certain, then the tree is likely a candidate to be considered for removal.  Before you make your final decision make sure you consider how much value it adds to your property as well.  

There are a few easy signs:

  • They won’t talk about risks.  This is a huge red flag
  • You can’t get them to tell you about times they have made mistakes and how they made them right.
  • Their price is suspiciously low
  • They don’t perform a jobsite saftey assessement (JSA)
  • Workers aren’t wearing safety gear such as hard hats, ear protection and chainsaw pants
  • No cones are set out around the equipment
  • No ropes are set in the tree
  • They only use ladders and have no climbing gear
  • No offer or no ability to use ground protection mats (this does add cost)
  • They have no plan to perform the work
  • They say “don’t worry about insurance”
  • They can’t explain HOW they will keep your property safe during the removal
  • Their equipment looks like it barely survived a zombie apocalypse however, sometimes when your just starting out they could be good but they just don’t have the money for newer stuff yet.

A professional should walk you through every step and willingly answer any question you may have.  If they seem ruffled by your questions this is a bad sign.   I had a client tell me one time that he asked a tree service to make sure that all the guys on site had their government IDs so he could check them against the insurance and the representative said, “who are you, the Gestapo?”  If a company you are considering is making you feel bad for asking questions, I would be on full alert!
If someone brushes questions off, or tells you “trust me,” Don’t!

Here’s the truth:
If the company is legitimate, fully insured, and honest, they will handle it quickly, with integrity, and without dodging responsibility.  The contractors that O’Neil’s provides for repairs are  professional company with licensing and insurance.  We will also let the client choose the company they want to make the repairs if they choose to as well.

If you choose the wrong company… you’re about to enter a nightmare of finger-pointing.

Tree guys who are hiding something almost always:

  • Blame the wind
  • Blame your tree
  • Blame your property
  • Try to file on your homeowners insurance
  • Or disappear faster than a squirrel in July

This is why hiring based on price alone is dangerous.  Cheap companies in this industry are not able to fix these problems when they do happen.
Hire people who take responsibility seriously and have proof of it.

You can leave the stump, after all, it is your yard.  there really aren’t many negative consequences with leaving a stump besides being an eye sore.

Here are some possible negative consequences you might not think of:

  • Some species can sprouts and try to grow back (you can cut these back every so often to keep them at bay)
  • insects move in (could be termites)
  • It becomes a tripping hazard
  • Grass doesn’t grow well around it
  • You bang your mower into it.
  • On palms they can attract fungus such as Ganoderma which can then get it your soil making replanting new palms nearly impossible without risking them getting disease.

Grinding it is usually worth it if these reasons are enough for you to want to do it.
However,  if the stump is in a natural area or woods, leaving it is fine (termites need a home too and better for it to be a stump than your home).

If the crew knows what they’re doing, there is much less chance of this occurring.  However, dragging big trees across turf areas to get debris to the road where it can be picked up and hauled away, will create a lot of damage.  Your tree company should discuss this and even offer ground mat protection or plywood to provide the greatest reduction in potential yard damage.

When removals are done correctly, with mats, rigging, cranes, turf-friendly loaders, and planning, the yard should look 90%+ normal afterward.

Stump grinding will always leave behind an eye sore and potentially a big pile of mulch.  Many companies don’t haul this mulch away as part of the job so be sure to clarify if this is an extra cost.

If a crew is using skid steers with tracks or heavy trucks to remove and haul material from a big tree removal you should expect:

  • Ruts
  • Gouges
  • Torn grass
  • Broken sprinklers
  • A mess

Most homeowners don’t realize that cleanup is an important and time consuming part of the job.
If the company doesn’t emphasize cleanup, they probably don’t do it well.  We understand the cost to have a nice yard and we treat it as so.

Yes! If the tree is large, dangerous, leaning, over a house, near a pool, or in a tight spot cranes cut down on risk of damage, increase efficiency and make the job site way more predictable for tree removal personnel.  That said, cranes will typically increase the cost of removal because a new 40 ton crane can cost $800k or more to buy.  This cost is captured in the tree removal price.  Manual removals in tight spaces create more labor hours onsite and sometimes this can end up costing more than renting the crane as you could have the tree removed in 1/4 of the time.

Cranes:

  • Reduce time dramatically
  • Reduce risk
  • Reduce property damage
  • Keep climbers safer

Not every tree removal needs a crane, but when it does, nothing else comes close to the safety and efficiency you gain from having one on site.

No, however, we don’t mind if you are.  In the case we have a crane over your home we prefer your not in the house in the event something ever happened.  There are some other reasons you may need to be there but if you think ahead and communicate with your tree care provider it should be no problem if you are there.

Ensure:

  • The crew can access the backyard
  • You reviewed the work with the estimator
  • You trust the company
  • There are no gates, pets, or vehicles blocking access and. if there, are sort it out ahead before you leave

Many tree removals happen with homeowners at work or away.  Some homeowners think it will be exciting to watch but when you have a professional company it is boring and looks like another day at the office.

If you feel uncomfortable not being home… that might say something about your trust in the company. Listen to that feeling.

Here’s what helps:

  • Move cars out of the driveway and hopefully down the street
  • Let you neighbors know what you are having done.  Especially if any part of the tree being worked on is over their property or we will be blocking traffic etc.
  • Lock pets inside
  • Clean up any dog poop where tree removal personnel may walk or work.
  • Clear kids’ toys, grills, knick-knacks, garden tools, and anything fragile
  • Unlock gates
  • Move patio furniture or potted plants away from the work area

Professionals will handle the rest.

Yes.

Let your arborist know that you would like to keep some firewood or even a slab for woodworking.  Be sure to be clear about the size and how much you would like.  A big tree may be way too much and too big for you to handle.  

Just keep in mind:

  • Palm logs and some other species rot fast
  • Some species attract more pests than others
  • Big logs are heavy to move later

If you don’t want it, we haul it off.

This is the question most homeowners ask quietly but never say out loud.  they will spend a bunch of time later searching the internet for this answer.

Prices vary because companies vary:

  • Some are licensed and insured and some aren’t
  • Some use cranes and proper rigging and some free-fall everything
  • Some pay trained arborists and some hire anyone with a chainsaw
  • Some carry $400K+ insurance and some carry none
  • Some do things the safe way and some do things the fast way
  • Some fix their mistakes and some run
  • Some train and educate their employees and some don’t
  • Some have staff that can assist with permits and any questions you may have and some don’t
  • Some provide employee benefits and real careers so you don’t wind up paying for them to be on disability and social security later  (You may pay less now but we all pay in the end) and some don’t

Cheap work isn’t cheap if it results in inconvenience for you, arguments, anxiety, stress, property damage, lawsuits, or injuries.

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