The visit
Prices are not given over the phone for good reason: what a removal costs depends on things only visible on site, such as how the tree leans, what is under it and how a truck gets to it. The person who comes out walks the tree, notes what it could hit, and writes up what the job includes. Get that in writing: the tree, the stump, the cleanup and who gets the permit, if one is needed.
The permit check
Metro Atlanta is a patchwork. Inside the City of Atlanta, removing a hardwood 6 inches across or a pine 12 inches across needs a permit, and a dead or hazardous tree is inspected by the city arborist first. Outside its cities, DeKalb County lets a homeowner remove up to five healthy trees a year without a notice. Gwinnett County requires no permit for a live tree on a developed lot unless it stands in a buffer, open space or tree save area. Other cities have their own rules. See Permits and your city’s page on this site.
Ask who handles the permit. Some crews file it; some expect the homeowner to.
Taking it down
| Situation | How it usually comes down |
|---|---|
| Open space on the side it leans | Felled whole, then cut up on the ground |
| Near the house, fences or a garden | Climbed or reached by bucket truck, cut in sections from the top, pieces lowered on ropes |
| Over the house, no access for a truck in back | Crane lift from the street or driveway |
| Near power lines | The utility first; only trained line-clearance workers within ten feet, under OSHA rules |
Cleanup and the stump
The brush goes through a chipper; the trunk is cut into rounds, and either hauled away or left stacked if you want firewood. The stump is cut close to the ground. Grinding it out below grade is usually a separate price; HomeGuide, a cost guide, lists stump grinding at $100 to $500 or more per stump.
Choosing who does it
See Choosing a tree service for what to check: insurance above all, because Georgia has no state license for tree work.
Checked against the sources below on 2026-10-11.