Tree Trimming & Pruning in Largo, FL

Largo is a one-story town. Block ranch houses, low-pitch roofs, flat lots, carports and single-width drives, and oaks that were planted at eight feet tall and are now sixty. The result is a specific and very common complaint: the canopy is sitting on the house. Gutters fill in a week. Moss and algae streak the north roof slope. Branches scrape shingles every time the wind gets up, and the pool cage screen tears at the same corner every year.

Almost none of that requires removing the tree. It requires crown raising, taking the lowest order of limbs back to the trunk or to a suitable lateral, so the canopy starts above the roofline instead of on it. Done properly it is a permanent fix, because once a limb is removed at the collar it does not come back. Done improperly, heading cuts, stubs, "just cut it back to there", you get a flush of weak sprouts at every cut and you are paying somebody again in three years.

Topping is not a service. In Pinellas it may be a violation.

Pinellas County’s tree code defines "effectively remove" as pruning that severely impacts a tree’s natural function and form, and names topping, defoliation and excessive root pruning specifically. An effectively removed tree is regulated as a removed tree, permit required, $150 per DBH inch penalty without one, and liability shared between the property owner and the contractor who made the cuts. That code applies inside Largo city limits.

We have an ISA Certified Arborist on staff and we are an ISA member company, which is the whole reason we can price a job as "reduce this limb by eight feet to a lateral" instead of "cut it back."

Frequently asked questions

How much clearance can I get over my roof? Generally as much as the tree’s structure will support without removing so much live crown that you damage it. We specify it in feet at the estimate. A standard target is enough that branches cannot contact the roof in wind, which on a Largo ranch house is usually achievable in one visit.

Is trimming regulated in Largo? Maintenance pruning to standard, no. Severe pruning is another matter, the county’s Article XIX treats topping and heavy defoliation as "effectively removing" the tree, which carries the permit requirement and the $150-per-inch penalty. Largo’s own code applies on top of that.

How often should I have my oaks done? Mature, healthy oaks want a cleaning and clearance cycle measured in several years. Trees that were badly cut in the past need more attention for a while, because the sprout growth that follows bad cuts has to be managed back into structure.

Will you haul the brush or leave it at the curb? It leaves with us. Chippers and grapple trucks come with the crew, so brush and wood go on the same visit.