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Tree care guides for Tampa homeowners
Thirteen guides to the questions we hear most: what things cost, which permits apply, how to get ready for hurricane season, and how to tell a tree in trouble from one that is just having a bad year.
- 13 guides
- Updated October 2026
At a glance
- Guides
- 13 in 3 topics
- Written by
- Jolene Inman
- Updated
- October 2026
These guides are written for homeowners, not arborists. Each one answers a real question we get on the phone, with the Tampa and Hillsborough County details that generic advice leaves out: the city's 5-inch permit rule, what the 2024 storms taught us about laurel oaks, why palm root balls grind slower than hardwood stumps. Where a guide quotes a price, it is a published market range, not a sales pitch. Each guide links to the others that follow on naturally, and to the service pages that explain how we handle the work, so you can read as little or as much as the decision in front of you needs.
Costs, permits, stumps and hiring
Start here if you are planning a removal or comparing quotes. These guides cover what the work costs, which permit rules apply to your address, what to do about the stump, and the questions worth asking any company before they climb.
What Tree Removal Costs in Tampa, FLWhat tree removal really costs in Tampa: published price ranges, why two quotes differ, what a crane adds, and the permit and stump lines people forget.Read the guide
Tampa Tree Removal Permits: What Needs OneWhich trees need a removal permit in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Temple Terrace, Pasco and Pinellas, the exempt species, and the state-law exception.Read the guideTree Removal Permits in Pasco, Pinellas and HernandoTree permit rules outside Tampa: unincorporated Pinellas since January 2026, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Pasco County's 5-inch rule and Hernando County.Read the guideStump Grinding vs Full Stump Removal in TampaStump grinding or full stump removal in Tampa? What each one does, published price ranges, when the root ball has to come out, and why palm stumps differ.Read the guide
Choosing a Tree Service in Tampa, FL: What to AskWhat to ask before hiring a tree service in Tampa: insurance, who assesses the tree, written scope, permits, pruning red flags, and storm-season scams.Read the guideStorms and emergencies
Hurricane season runs June through November. One guide covers getting your trees ready in spring; the other covers the first hour after a tree lands on the house, when the right order of calls matters most.
Hurricane Season Tree Prep for Tampa YardsA month-by-month plan for getting Tampa trees ready for hurricane season: what to check, what to prune, what to leave alone, and what to do the day before.Read the guideA Tree Fell on Your House in Tampa: What to Do FirstA tree just fell on your Tampa house. What to do first for safety, what to photograph for insurance, who to call in which order, and what removal involves.Read the guideKnowing your trees
Most tree decisions start with knowing what you have and how healthy it is. These guides cover telling a laurel oak from a live oak, the warning signs of a dying or dangerous tree, and how often palms really need trimming.
Laurel Oak or Live Oak? How to Tell in TampaHow to tell a laurel oak from a live oak in a Tampa yard, why lifespan and storm behavior differ so much, and what each tree needs from pruning.Read the guideSigns a Tampa Tree Is Dying or DangerousThe warning signs that a Tampa tree is dying or dangerous: dead crowns, fungus at the base, cavities, new leans, bronzing palms and wilting bay trees.Read the guideHow Often Palms Need Trimming in Tampa, FLHow often palms need trimming in Tampa, which fronds to remove and which to leave, why over-pruning hurts, and when yellowing means more than a trim.Read the guideCrape Myrtle Pruning in Tampa: Why Topping HurtsWhy topping crape myrtles in Tampa causes knuckles and weak blooms, when to prune them, how to prune them properly and how to fix a tree that was topped.Read the guideMangrove Trimming Rules for Tampa Bay HomeownersWhat Florida's mangrove law lets Tampa Bay waterfront owners trim: the 6, 10, 16 and 24 foot lines, and when a professional trimmer or permit is needed.Read the guideBest Trees to Plant in Tampa After a RemovalWhat to plant in a Tampa yard after a removal: wind-resistant shade trees, smaller trees for tight lots, palms that hold up in storms, and trees to avoid.Read the guideWho writes these guides
Every guide is written by Jolene Inman, our Tree Care Guides Author, and kept current with the Tampa, Hillsborough County, Pasco and Pinellas rules they describe. When a rule or a published price range changes, the guide changes with it.
Questions about these guides
Yes. They cover City of Tampa and Hillsborough County rules, plus Temple Terrace, Pasco and Pinellas where they differ.
From published cost guides for Tampa and Florida; they are market ranges, not our quotes.
If a tree is on the house, the emergency guide. Otherwise, the cost or permit guide.
Yes. Each shows the month it was last updated.
Yes. Call any hour and ask.
No. They help you ask better questions; a tree still needs to be seen in person.
Have a question the guides do not answer?
Call any hour and ask it.