Tree Removal in Charlotte, NC

Tree Removal in Charlotte starts with one question: whose tree is it? Charlotte has an estimated 200,000 street trees, and a large share of them are willow oaks. Trees in the public right of way, usually the planting strip between the sidewalk and the street, are protected by the Charlotte Tree Ordinance and maintained by the city. Trees on your side of that line are yours. We work on private trees in the southern and southwestern parts of the city closest to Rock Hill and Fort Mill, and we will help you figure out which category your tree falls in before anyone cuts.

If it is a city tree

Do not hire anyone to remove or heavily prune a street tree. Call 311 (or 704-336-7600 from outside Mecklenburg County) or use the CLT+ app to request an inspection. A city inspector assesses the tree and assigns a crew. If a tree has fallen and is blocking a road, or wires are down, call 911.

If it is your tree

Charlotte's tree ordinance protects certain private trees on commercial sites, multifamily sites and in single-family developments under construction. For a tree on an existing single-family lot, the usual checks are your HOA and whether the tree is close enough to the street that part of it is actually in the right of way. We measure from the curb and look at plat lines during the estimate.

Two storms Charlotte still talks about

Hurricane Hugo reached Charlotte on September 22, 1989, and the control tower at Charlotte Douglas clocked a 99 mph gust. It destroyed about 80,000 trees, and outages hit about 85% of Charlotte homes and businesses, some for weeks. Then in December 2002 an ice storm left more than 1.3 million people in the region without power, and many of the city's Bradford pear trees split apart under the weight of the ice. Ice and wet snow still pull limbs onto lines whenever they come, and the trees that cause the most trouble are the ones with weak forks, decay or too much weight over a roof or service drop.

What the city will and will not haul

Charlotte's yard waste rules are specific. Limbs and brush must be no longer than 5 feet and no thicker than 4 inches, in piles no more than 5 feet long and 3 feet high with 2 feet between piles. Limbs should not be tied. Tree stumps are not collected. Yard waste goes at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day, and setting it out earlier than the day before can bring a citation of at least $150. A full tree removal produces far more wood than those limits allow, which is why our estimates include hauling.

How we work in Charlotte

1. We visit, look at the tree and the space around it, and confirm whether it is a private tree. 2. You get a written estimate with removal, cleanup and stump grinding listed separately. 3. On the day, we protect lawns, drives and fences, take the tree down in sections when space is tight, and haul everything away.

Call (803) 752-2370 or send the form with a photo. Get a free estimate