Who does tree work
Several kinds of outfits cut trees, and they aren't interchangeable:
- Tree service companies. Crews with climbers, chippers and often a bucket truck or a loader. They handle removals, trimming, storm work and usually stump grinding.
- Stump grinding operators. Smaller outfits with a grinder, called in after the tree is down.
- Crane services. Brought in by a tree company when a big oak over a house can't be lowered by rope.
- Landscapers and lawn crews. Fine for shrubs and small ornamental trees. Large oaks, pines and anything over a roof are a different kind of job.
- Utility line crews. They work for Leesburg Electric, Duke Energy or SECO Energy, clearing the utility's own lines.
A request sent through this site goes to one independent tree contractor who works in the Leesburg area.
What the job involves
A proper tree job has a short planning phase before any cutting:
- A visit to see the tree, what's under it, and how equipment will get to it.
- A plan: felled whole, taken down in sections, or lifted out by crane, and where each piece goes.
- Paperwork: a city permit or exemption where needed, and a Sunshine 811 request before any grinding.
- The work itself, with ropes for anything over a roof, lanai or pool cage.
- Cleanup: logs, brush and chips hauled off or left as agreed, and the stump ground if that's in the price.
Local rules worth raising
| Topic | What to know |
|---|---|
| Leesburg permit | Needed for most native trees 4 inches and up, unless an exemption fits; $50 on the fee schedule (checked Nov 9, 2026) |
| Other towns | Fruitland Park requires a building permit; Lady Lake requires a permit or arborist report; county home lots of 2 acres or less are exempt |
| Dangerous tree | Florida Statute 163.045 removes local permits with documentation from an arborist or a landscape architect, as the statute describes |
| Debris in Leesburg | The city says tree contractors must remove all of their own waste |
| Burning | Forest Service yard waste rules apply, and Lake County burn bans override them in dry spells |
| Digging | Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before grinding |
| Gopher tortoises | FWC says no permit is needed if every burrow is avoided by 25 feet |
| Wires | Duke Energy and SECO Energy will disconnect the service line on request before tree work |
Each of these is covered with its source on the permits guide.
Questions to ask the contractor
- How will the tree come down, and where will each section land?
- What will protect the roof, the screen enclosure, the pool, the pavers and the lawn?
- What equipment will come onto the property, and what path will it take? Will it cross the drainfield or the irrigation?
- Does this tree need a Leesburg permit, or does an exemption fit? Who will handle it?
- If replacement trees are required, who plants them, and what kind?
- Who will submit the Sunshine 811 request before grinding?
- Is the stump included? How deep will it be ground, and will surface roots be ground too?
- Where will the logs, brush and chips go?
- Do the wires need to be disconnected first, and who calls the electric provider?
- When can the work be done, and what happens if weather pushes it back?
What the written agreement should say
A tree job is short, but the agreement still matters. It should spell out:
- The scope. Each tree by location and kind, and whether it's removed, trimmed, or both. For trimming, which limbs and roughly how much of the crown.
- The method. Felled, sectioned or lifted by crane.
- The permit. Who applies, who pays the fee, and who plants any required replacements.
- The stump. Ground or left, how deep, and what's done with the chips.
- Cleanup. What leaves the property and what stays.
- The price. The total, any deposit, and when the rest is due.
- The schedule. A start date, and how weather delays are handled.
- Cancellation. Any right to cancel and any penalty for doing so.
Cautions from the state after a storm
After Hurricane Milton, the Florida Attorney General's office issued a consumer alert on October 11, 2024. For tree and debris work, it told Floridians to be wary of anyone who shows up unasked offering tree removal, to confirm whether debris removal is included, never to pay the full amount up front, to hold final payment until satisfied, and to read the whole contract, including the right-to-cancel language (checked Nov 9, 2026).
Florida Statute 501.160 also bars unconscionable prices for goods and services needed because of a declared state of emergency. The Attorney General's office listed civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to $25,000 for multiple violations in one 24-hour period, and takes reports at 1-866-9NO-SCAM (checked Nov 9, 2026).
Where hiring goes wrong
- Agreeing to a price with no scope. "Take care of the oak" can mean anything.
- Not asking about the permit. Inside Leesburg, cutting a protected tree without one is a violation for each tree.
- Leaving the chips and brush unsettled. Leesburg expects tree contractors to remove their own waste.
- Paying everything up front. The Attorney General's office advises against it.
- Skipping the 811 request. It's the law before grinding.
When this guide isn't the right fit
If a tree is already on the house, go to storm and emergency removal first. For what a job might cost, see what tree work costs. For an oak you're unsure about keeping, read the oak guide.
Hiring questions
Who gets my request?
This site is a referral service. Each request goes to one independent contractor who works in the Leesburg area; it isn't sent to a list. The contractor sets their own price and answers for their own work.
Should the contractor see the tree before giving a price?
For anything beyond a simple job, yes. What's under the tree, access and the tree's condition all change the work.
Who applies for the Leesburg permit?
The city form is signed by the property owner. Agree in writing who fills it out and who pays the $50 fee (checked Nov 9, 2026).
Can I stay home during the work?
Usually, but stay well clear of the drop zone and keep children and pets inside. Ask the crew where it's safe to be.
This site is a referral service. It sends each request to one independent contractor and does no tree work.
- City of Leesburg Code of Ordinances Sec. 25-337.1; Planning and Zoning fee schedule; Tree Removal Permit form; Garbage page. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
- City of Fruitland Park, Trees page. Town of Lady Lake, Tree Removal Permits. Lake County Tree Removal Permit Exemption form (revised 2019/12). Florida Statutes section 163.045, 2026 edition. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
- Florida Forest Service, "Know the Law." Sunshine 811, Homeowner page. FWC, Gopher Tortoise FAQs. Duke Energy, Trees and Rights-of-Way FAQ. SECO Energy, Vegetation Management. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
- Florida Attorney General consumer alert, October 11, 2024. Florida Statutes section 501.160, 2026 edition. Checked Nov 9, 2026.