Tree Removal in Hollywood, FL

Tree Removal in Hollywood starts with a question most homeowners don't expect: does the city's tree chapter even apply to your lot? Hollywood's code (Chapter 106, section 106.26) requires a city permit before anyone cuts down, removes, relocates or destructively damages a tree. But owner-occupied single-family properties are exempt from most of that chapter, with some exceptions: trees with a trunk at least 2 inches thick at 4.5 feet above grade remain covered, and if a tree is removed rather than relocated, the city has to be notified and may choose to relocate it at no cost to the owner.

In plain terms, the rules for a rental, a condo association or a commercial lot are different from the rules for the house you live in. Before we schedule a removal, we go over which category your property falls into and what the city expects to hear from you. Code language changes, so we always suggest a quick confirmation with the city's building and planning staff for anything unusual.

Species the city doesn't protect

Section 106.26 lists ten species that are exempt from the tree subchapter altogether: Brazilian pepper, poisonwood, Australian pine, melaleuca, Norfolk Island pine, schefflera, bischofia, earleaf acacia, lead tree and carrotwood. Several of these are aggressive invaders in South Florida. Australian pines in particular are shallow-rooted and brittle, and they are among the first trees to fail in a strong wind. If one is leaning toward your house, removing it is usually the easiest call you will make.

Built fast, hit hard

Joseph W. Young founded Hollywood in 1921 as a planned community of the land boom, and it was incorporated in 1925. Less than a year later, the 1926 Miami hurricane demolished much of the young city on September 18, 1926. By 1960 Hollywood had more than 12,000 single-family homes, so much of the housing stock today dates from the postwar decades, with yard trees that have had 60 or 70 years to grow into rooflines and power service drops.

Heavy rain at the south end of the county

During the April 12-13, 2023 storm that flooded Fort Lauderdale, a gauge in Hollywood measured 18.16 inches of rain, and a flash flood emergency was issued for Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood that evening. Six years earlier, Hurricane Irma knocked out power across the city; twelve residents of a Hollywood Hills rehabilitation center died of heat afterward. Long outages are one reason we push hard on removing trees that overhang service lines before hurricane season rather than after.

Common jobs in Hollywood

• Black olive, ficus and mahogany removals on postwar lots where the tree has outgrown the yard
• Coconut and royal palm removals near pools and patios
• Taking out exempt invasives such as Australian pine and Brazilian pepper
• Storm-damaged trees and split trunks after summer squalls
• Stump grinding so the area can be resodded

Hollywood also has about 5 to 6 miles of beach and two yacht basins tied to the Intracoastal, and salt spray near the water stunts many species. Wind-tolerant natives like sea grape and gumbo limbo usually hold up better there than ornamental figs. Call (954) 314-3415 or send photos through the form for a free written estimate. Get a free estimate