Tree Service in Leesburg, FL
Have a laurel oak hanging over the roof, a live oak crowding the pool cage, or a tree the last storm left on the ground in Leesburg, FL? Tell us what it is and where it stands. One independent local contractor gets the request, comes out to look, and gives you a written price.
- One contractor per request
- Leesburg, Fruitland Park, Lady Lake, Tavares and county land
What Hurricane Irma did to Lake County homes
Irma crossed Central Florida on September 10 and 11, 2017. When the National Weather Service office in Melbourne wrote up the storm, Lake County's preliminary count came to more than 2,600 homes touched by it, with about $33 million in residential damage. The bars show how those homes were sorted (NWS Melbourne post-storm report, checked Nov 9, 2026).
Source: NWS Melbourne, Post Tropical Cyclone Report, Hurricane Irma, September 29, 2017 (checked Nov 9, 2026). The same report logged a 60-knot gust, about 69 mph, at Leesburg's airport. Falling trees are a real part of that danger at home: a 2009 study in Natural Hazards found that when hurricanes and tornadoes killed people with trees, 40 percent of the victims were at home, against 13 percent in thunderstorms and plain high wind. More on storm and emergency removal.
Storms on the Lake County record
The deadliest morning in this record came before dawn on February 2, 2007. A tornado the Melbourne weather office rated a high-end EF-3, with winds of 155 to 160 mph, started near Wildwood in Sumter County and ran 16.5 miles before lifting east of Lady Lake. The county lost 21 people to that morning's tornadoes, eight of them along this path, and the survey team found big trees stripped of their bark down to the stubs of their largest limbs (NWS Melbourne survey, checked Nov 9, 2026).
Hurricanes bring the wind, and sometimes the water. During Milton in October 2024, the Melbourne office's county write-up put Lake County's gusts at 55 to 75 mph and noted numerous downed trees and power lines. Two years earlier, Ian's rain flooded parts of Lake and its neighbors, and the National Hurricane Center counted 12 deaths from freshwater flooding across central and eastern Florida. The same report describes trees uprooted by gusty wind in soaked ground farther north, which is the combination to watch for after a slow, wet storm (NWS Melbourne and National Hurricane Center reports, checked Nov 9, 2026).
| When | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2007 | Tornado from Wildwood past Lady Lake, high-end EF-3; 21 deaths in Lake County that morning (NWS Melbourne survey, checked Nov 9, 2026) |
| Sept 10–11, 2017 | Hurricane Irma: 60-knot gust at Leesburg's airport; an EF-1 tornado near Umatilla "uprooted numerous trees" (NWS Melbourne, checked Nov 9, 2026) |
| Sept 2022 | Hurricane Ian: 10 to 20 inches of rain across central and eastern Florida; Lake among the flooded counties (National Hurricane Center report, checked Nov 9, 2026) |
| Oct 9–10, 2024 | Hurricane Milton: gusts of 55 to 75 mph, numerous trees and power lines down, 285 structures affected in the county (NWS Melbourne, checked Nov 9, 2026) |
How it works
Start with the details
Phone, or fill in the form. Say where you are, what kind of tree it is if you know, and what sits under or near it: the roof, the lanai, the pool cage, a fence or the wires.
One contractor gets it
Just one independent contractor, working in Leesburg and the towns around it, receives your request. Nobody else sees it.
They look and price it
The contractor reaches out, sees the tree in person, works out where the pieces can come down, and puts the scope and price in writing.
The choice is yours
Hire them or don't. You and the contractor settle the dates, any city permit, payment and what becomes of the wood.
Tree work around Leesburg
Each guide is written for a house in Leesburg or one of the Lake County towns near it. Each rule traces back to the city, county or state office behind it, and each price carries its source and the date it was checked.
Tree removal
Inside Leesburg's city limits, most native trees four inches or more across need a city tree removal permit, though the code exempts up to three trees totaling no more than 30 inches of trunk in three years and spells out a route for hazards (city code, checked Nov 9, 2026). The guide also covers dropping a tree beside a block house or pool cage, the wood and brush, and what removal costs nationally.
Tree trimming
UF/IFAS Extension says a young live oak should be pruned every year for three years and then every five years until it's about 30. The guide explains how UF/IFAS links pruning to wind resistance, and how limbs over a screen enclosure and the service wire get handled.
Stump grinding
Florida law says anyone digging must contact Sunshine 811 at least two full business days first (Sunshine 811, checked Nov 9, 2026), and a grinder digs. The guide covers private lines such as irrigation, which 811's member utilities don't mark, gopher tortoise burrows in sandy yards, what to do with the mound of chips, and what grinding costs by stump size.
Storm and emergency removal
A laurel oak through the lanai roof or a pine across the drive calls for the right order: everyone out, wires left to Leesburg Electric, Duke Energy or SECO Energy, photos for the claim, then the saw. The guide also covers your hurricane deductible, the state price gouging law and generator safety.
Dead or leaning trees
Mushrooms or bracket fungus at the base, a hollow trunk, a lean that showed up after the last storm, or a pine whose needles wilt and brown quickly are the calls that shouldn't wait. The guide lists the signs UF/IFAS describes and the state law on removing a tree that endangers your house.
Oak tree removal
UF/IFAS gives laurel oak a life span of 50 to 70 years and ranks it among the trees least able to stand up to hurricane wind, while live oak sits near the top. The guide covers heart rot, heavy limbs and Spanish moss, roots near slabs and pools, and when an oak should come down rather than be pruned.
Before you call
Tree permits and burning
Leesburg, Fruitland Park, Lady Lake and unincorporated Lake County each handle tree removal their own way, and the state's hazard-tree law sits over all of them. The guide also covers yard waste pickup in the city, Florida Forest Service burning rules and the county's dry-weather burn bans.
What tree work costs
Thumbtack's national range for taking down one tree is $450 to $1,450 (updated March 24, 2026; checked Nov 9, 2026), and trimming runs $402 to $1,158 (updated October 23, 2026; checked Nov 9, 2026). Wide oaks cost well beyond that. The page shows each table with its date and what raises a Lake County price.
Lake County trees
Live oak, laurel oak, cabbage palm, slash and longleaf pine, southern magnolia, crape myrtle, camphor and queen palm all grow in local yards. The page sets out how each one fared in hurricane surveys and what the county's own storm and lightning records show.
Hiring a tree service
Most of what makes a tree job go well is settled before work starts: where each piece lands, who files the city permit, what happens to the brush, and when the bill comes due. The guide lists questions to ask and what the written agreement should cover.
What sets the price
Thumbtack's national guide says cutting down a single tree usually costs $450 to $1,450; add stump removal and the usual range becomes $884 to $1,627 (updated March 24, 2026; checked Nov 9, 2026). It prices by trunk width and canopy spread, and its top tier, a trunk of 24 to 36 inches with a canopy spreading past 30 feet, costs $1,562 to $4,117. A mature live oak can be wider than that table goes. This site didn't collect prices from Lake County contractors; for your tree, the contractor's written figure is what matters.
Inside Leesburg, the city's fee schedule lists a $50 tree removal permit (checked Nov 9, 2026). Leaving a bad tree in place has its own cost: in a July 2010 release, the Insurance Information Institute said removal coverage after a tree hits the house generally runs up to about $500 to $1,000, and that a tree landing only on the lawn generally isn't covered for removal (checked Nov 9, 2026).
| Factor | Effect on the price |
|---|---|
| Size of the tree | Thumbtack's tiers span $226 for a small trunk and narrow crown to $4,117 for a large trunk and wide crown (checked Nov 9, 2026) |
| What's underneath | A tile roof, lanai, screen enclosure, pool or wires below means limbs get lowered on ropes, not dropped |
| Access | A backyard oak behind a fence, a pool or a septic drainfield limits which trucks and lifts can get close |
| Wood and brush | Hauled off, chipped on site or cut to length and left; Leesburg says tree crews must take their own debris away |
| Stump | Grinding alone runs $267 to $494 by stump size in Thumbtack's table (checked Nov 9, 2026) |
| Permit | Leesburg's tree removal permit is $50 (checked Nov 9, 2026); replacement trees, where the city code calls for them, add to the job |
| Urgency | A trunk resting on the roof after a hurricane is slower, riskier work than a planned removal |
Local rules, in short
Leesburg's code makes it unlawful to remove a protected tree, which includes Florida-native trees four inches or more across at chest height, without a city tree removal permit. Its exemptions include up to three trees totaling no more than 30 inches of trunk in any three years, trees under four inches, and hazardous trees documented with photos. State law adds another route for a home's dangerous tree (city code and state statute, checked Nov 9, 2026). The permits guide has the details.
City of Leesburg
Tree removal permits go through Planning and Zoning at 204 N. 5th Street, 352-728-9760. The fee schedule lists the permit at $50 (checked Nov 9, 2026).
Unincorporated Lake County
The county's exemption form says a home lot of two acres or less needs no tree removal permit, as long as the trees the county's landscape code requires stay (checked Nov 9, 2026). County Planning: 352-343-9641.
Burning the brush
The Florida Forest Service allows a yard waste pile up to 8 feet across without an authorization where setbacks are met and local rules allow it, lit after 9 a.m. and out an hour before sunset (checked Nov 9, 2026). County burn bans override that.
Areas served
Requests come from homes in Leesburg and the towns and county roads of north and central Lake County around it. Each city or town writes its own tree rules, and land outside them answers to the county, so the office to call depends on the address.
Leesburg and Fruitland Park
Leesburg Planning and Zoning: 352-728-9760. Fruitland Park handles tree removal through a building permit from its Community Development Department (checked Nov 9, 2026); the city's main line is (352) 360-6727.
Lady Lake and The Villages
Lady Lake asks for a permit or an arborist report before any tree comes down inside town limits (checked Nov 9, 2026); Town Hall is at 352-751-1501. In the Lake County part of The Villages, which office applies depends on whether the address is inside a town.
Tavares, Eustis, Okahumpka and Yalaha
Tavares and Eustis each run their own tree permit applications. Okahumpka, Yalaha and other unincorporated communities fall under Lake County's rules; County Planning is at 352-343-9641.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to take down a tree in my Leesburg yard?
Inside city limits, often yes. The code protects native trees four inches or more across and requires a city tree removal permit for them, with exemptions for small trees, up to three trees totaling 30 inches of trunk in three years, and documented hazards (city code, checked Nov 9, 2026). Call Planning and Zoning at 352-728-9760 before cutting, and see the permits guide.
My laurel oak looks healthy. Should I worry about it?
UF/IFAS says laurel oaks live 50 to 70 years and that their trunks and big limbs often hollow out from decay. Rot inside a trunk can't be seen from the yard, so an old laurel oak over the house deserves a close look. The oak guide covers what to look for.
Will the city pick up the limbs?
Leesburg collects yard waste on the second pickup day each week, with limbs cut no longer than four feet and no thicker than six inches (checked Nov 9, 2026). The city also says contractors doing tree work have to remove all of their own waste, so have hauling written into the price.
Can I burn the brush?
Under Florida Forest Service rules, a yard waste pile up to 8 feet across can be burned without an authorization if it meets the setbacks and no local rule bans it (checked Nov 9, 2026). Lake County has ordered countywide burn bans when the Keetch-Byram drought index passed 500, including April 2023 and March 2025 (checked Nov 9, 2026).
Who actually does the work?
An independent contractor who works in the Leesburg area. This site passes your request along; it has no crews and sends nobody out. You and the contractor settle the price, the permit and the cleanup.
Got a tree that has to come down or be cut back?
Call, or use the short form. One independent contractor who works in Lake County gets your request, comes to look at the tree, and writes up their own price.