Tree removal in Mobile, with the permit question answered first
Most trees on a developed Mobile lot can come down without a permit. Some can't, and the ones that can't are the ones people love most. We check the address before we quote, so the price you get is the price you pay.
The City of Mobile's rule is clearer than most people expect. On a developed residential lot outside a historic district, a tree that is not in the public right-of-way needs no permit at all. The exceptions are specific: any tree on the street side of the sidewalk is a City tree and needs a Mobile Tree Commission permit; inside a locally designated historic district, a Heritage Tree of 8 inches or more across needs one; and on an undeveloped residential lot, a live oak of 18 inches or more needs one. Heritage Trees are hickory, longleaf pine, magnolia, any oak except water oak, river birch, sweetgum, sycamore and yellow poplar. The permit is $75 per tree, capped at three trees for a residence, applied for through the City's Build Mobile portal, and Urban Forestry inspects before it's issued. We look up the lot on the City's My Place map during the estimate and pull the permit when the tree needs one.
The trees we take down most are the ones that fail here. Water oaks and laurel oaks grow fast, go hollow by middle age and shed limbs in summer thunderstorms; the City's own Heritage list leaves water oak off. Loblolly and slash pines that grew up in a stand go over in saturated sand once the lot around them is cleared, and the 2024 southern pine beetle epidemic, the worst Alabama has seen in 23 years, left dead pines standing in yards from Semmes to Theodore. Pecans drop whole limbs with no warning. Sweetgums lift driveways. And sometimes a live oak has simply outgrown a lot that was platted for a cottage.
How we do it depends on what the tree would hit. In an open yard a tree can be felled whole. Over a roof, a fence, a pool or a neighbor's live oak, it comes down in sections: a climber or a bucket truck sets rigging in the crown, each piece is roped and lowered by a groundsman, and the trunk comes down in rounds. On a tight Midtown lot with a big pine over the house, a crane lifts the sections out instead. Everything is chipped on site or hauled, the stump is ground if you want it, and the lawn is raked before the truck leaves. The City's trash rules make the haul-off our job, not yours: a contractor is responsible for the debris, and limbs over 12 inches across or 6 feet long aren't collected at the curb anyway.
What's included
Permit check, free
We check the City's My Place map for historic-district status and the right-of-way line, and tell you before we quote whether a $75 permit applies.
Certified, licensed and bonded crews
City Code § 65-9 requires it for any permitted tree. We meet it on every job, permit or not, and show the insurance before anyone climbs.
Rigged in sections over anything that matters
Roof, fence, pool, screened porch, the neighbor's oak: pieces are roped and lowered, not dropped.
Chipped and hauled
Limbs chipped on site, logs hauled to the landfill. The City won't collect limbs over 12 inches across or 6 feet long, so nothing is left at the curb.
Stump ground below grade
Ground out, chips hauled or left, and the hole ready for grass or a replacement tree.
Photos the same evening
Before, during and after, so you have a record for your files or your insurer.
Tree removal cost in Mobile, AL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree, under 30 ft | $250 – $600 | Crape myrtle, ornamental, small pine |
| Medium tree, 30–60 ft | $700 – $1,800 | Typical yard pine, water oak, pecan |
| Large tree, 60–80 ft | $1,500 – $3,500 | Big pine or oak, rigged down in sections |
| Very large tree, over 80 ft or over the house | $2,500 – $5,500 | Often with a crane; see crane removal |
| Dead or beetle-killed pine | + 20% – 40% | Brittle wood: bucket or crane instead of climbing |
| City Tree Commission permit | $75 per tree | Only when the tree needs one; capped at $225 for a residence |
| Stump grinding | $150 – $450 | Below grade, chips hauled or left |
| Haul-off and chipping | Included | Nothing left at the curb |
These are 2026 Mobile-area ranges to help you budget. Your written price is itemized (climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, the City permit when one applies) and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about tree removal
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in my yard?
On a developed residential lot outside a historic district, no, as long as the tree isn't in the public right-of-way. Trees on the street side of the sidewalk, Heritage Trees of 8 inches or more in a historic district, and live oaks of 18 inches or more on an undeveloped lot need a Mobile Tree Commission permit at $75 per tree. We check your address on the City's My Place map during the estimate.
How long does a removal take?
Most residential removals are done in a day, including chipping and haul-off. A big tree over a house with a crane is usually a long morning. After a hurricane, the schedule runs on priority: trees on structures and blocking driveways first.
Can you leave the wood for firewood?
Yes. We'll buck the trunk into rounds and stack them where you want, which takes a little off the haul-off line. Pine is poor firewood but fine for a fire pit. If the tree is a redbay or sassafras killed by laurel wilt, the wood should be chipped fine and stay on site rather than moved.
Will you take down a tree that's leaning toward my neighbor's house?
Yes, and sooner is better. A leaning pine with mounded soil on the back side of the lean is a tree that has already started to fail, and Auburn Extension's advice after Sally was blunt: most trees cannot be straightened. We prioritize trees that are over a target.
What about the tree in front of my house by the street?
If it's on the street side of the sidewalk, it's a City tree. You can report a problem to Mobile 311 at 251-208-5311 and Urban Forestry will handle it by priority, or you can hire us with a Tree Commission permit, which the City requires to be done by a certified, licensed and bonded arborist.
Is a live oak ever a removal?
Rarely, and we'll say so when it isn't. A hollow trunk, a split co-dominant fork, or roots cut on two sides for a driveway can make even a live oak a hazard. Most of the time the answer is pruning, and we'll give you that price instead.