Start with the city permit
In the City of Palm Coast, a tree whose trunk is 6 inches or wider at chest height, which the city sets at four and a half feet, can't be cut down or removed without a permit. If it was surveyed for credit, the line drops to 4 inches. That is the city help center's own answer, and it covers most yard trees that anyone would hire out.
The code then sorts protected trees by size. A trunk of 24 inches or more is a specimen tree, with lower thresholds for some species, including 18 inches for oaks. A trunk of 36 inches or more is a historic tree. Those labels matter mostly for what the lot owes afterward.
- Above the lot's minimum. Every single-family lot needs one tree for each 2,500 square feet. A protected tree beyond that count, other than a specimen or historic tree, can come out with a permit and no replacement.
- At or below the minimum. The tree has to be replaced.
- Specimen tree. One shade tree goes back in.
- Historic tree. Two trees go back in, at least one a shade tree.
Replacement shade trees are planted at 2-inch caliper. Building Services at (386) 986-3780 takes the application, and the permit guide covers the exemptions, the hazard-tree grounds and the state law on risk documentation.
Skipping the permit is expensive. Chapter 11 of the city's code counts each tree removed without approval as a separate violation and requires replacement, and unresolved cases can be referred to the Code Enforcement Board.
How a tree comes down on a Palm Coast lot
On a residential lot with houses on both sides, few trees can simply be dropped in one piece. The method depends on what is under the tree and how much open ground there is.
- Felled whole. Where there's open lawn longer than the tree is tall and nothing in the way, a tree can be notched and dropped in one direction, then cut up on the ground. This is the quickest method and needs the most room.
- Taken down in sections. Over a roof, a pool cage, a fence or a neighbor's yard, a climber or a bucket truck removes limbs first and then the trunk in short pieces, lowering each one on a rope instead of letting it fall.
- Lifted out. For a large tree leaning over a house with no safe place to lower pieces, some jobs call for a crane. Whether one fits depends on the street, the swale and overhead lines.
Ask the contractor which method they plan and where the pieces will land. That answer drives most of the price and most of the risk to your property.
What happens to the wood
A single large oak can leave far more brush and log than the curb can take. The city's yard-waste notice from September 2024 limits ordinary curbside collection to about 2 cubic yards per home, roughly a pile 3 feet deep, 3 feet high and 6 feet long, with pieces no longer than 5 feet or thicker than 6 inches, and cans or bags under 50 pounds each. The same notice says lawn services and tree trimmers must haul away the waste they create.
So the quote should say what leaves the property. Common options:
- Everything chipped and hauled, with the lawn raked.
- Brush chipped and hauled, logs cut to length and left for you.
- Chips left on site for mulch, if you want them.
After a hurricane the city runs separate storm debris pickups with their own rules. See storm and emergency removal.
Trees near power lines
FPL's safety page is direct: never try to trim vegetation or vines growing near power lines or on poles, and keep yourself and anything you're holding at least 10 feet away from any power line. It says only specially trained line-clearing professionals should work around the lines, and FPL customers can report a tree or vine problem through the vegetation request form in their FPL account. If a tree you want removed has limbs in or near the wires, mention it when you call, because it changes who can do which part of the job.
The stump
Removing the tree leaves a stump unless the quote says otherwise. Many owners have it ground below the grass at the same visit. Sunshine 811 asks for notice before a stump grinder is used on fallen trees, so the buried lines can be marked first. Read more on stump grinding.
What commonly goes wrong
- No permit, or the wrong assumption about one. Each unpermitted tree is its own violation under the city code.
- Measuring the trunk in the wrong place. The city measures at four and a half feet, not at the base, where trunks flare wider.
- Forgetting the lot minimum. Taking out the last trees in a yard can trigger a replacement planting.
- Underground surprises. Irrigation lines, landscape lighting and pool plumbing don't show on 811 marks. Point them out before work starts.
- No agreement on cleanup. Without it in writing, a log pile at the curb may stay yours.
What removal costs
Thumbtack's national guide, updated March 24, 2026, puts the usual range for cutting down one tree at $450 to $1,450, and $884 to $1,627 when the stump is removed as well. It prices by trunk diameter and canopy width. A tree with a trunk under 12 inches and a canopy under 30 feet across runs $226 to $596, while one with a 24- to 36-inch trunk and a canopy over 30 feet runs $1,562 to $4,117. These are national averages, not Palm Coast prices. See what tree work costs for every figure.
Who this guide isn't for
If the tree is healthy and only crowding the roof or driveway, trimming may solve it without a removal permit; see tree trimming. If a storm has already put the tree on the house, start with storm and emergency removal. If you're clearing a vacant lot for a new home, the city handles trees through the building permit instead, so start with Building Services. If your home is outside Palm Coast city limits, these city rules don't apply; Flagler County Growth Management is at (386) 313-4003.
Questions homeowners ask
How long does the city take to approve a removal?
The city's pages read for this site don't give a time frame. Call Building Services at (386) 986-3780 when you apply, and ask the contractor to schedule the work after approval.
Can I remove a pine that's close to my house?
The code lists any pine within 30 feet of a structure, or closer to it than the tree is tall, as a case the city may permit for removal as a safety precaution, with the owner's agreement and an application. It is still a permit, not an exemption.
Do I have to replace the tree?
Only if the removal drops the lot below one tree per 2,500 square feet, or the tree is a specimen or historic tree.
Who applies for the permit, me or the contractor?
Either can, and in 2026 most of the city's tree removal permits listed the owner as applicant, by our November 6 count of the city's permit search. Settle it in writing before work starts.
This site passes your request to one independent local contractor. It does no tree work itself.
- City of Palm Coast help center, "Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?" and single-family landscape requirements summary; Unified Land Development Code Chapter 11 (Ordinance 2016-6). Read November 2026.
- City of Palm Coast, yard debris notice, September 27, 2024.
- FPL, Power line safety. Sunshine 811 post-storm safety tips, June 1, 2025.
- Thumbtack, cost to remove a tree, updated March 24, 2026.