In North Florida & South Georgia, call 911 if anyone is hurt or a wire is sparking. Call your power utility if a tree or limb is on or near a line. For a leaning or hanging tree that is not on a wire, call a tree service: Josh at (850) 888-5603. Your insurer is a separate call.
Who to Call for a Leaning or Hanging Tree in North Florida & South Georgia
Questions about a tree? Call Josh at (850) 888-5603.
Start With What Is Touching What
The right call depends on what the tree is touching, so look from a safe distance and decide which of these fits.
Someone is hurt, trapped, or there is fire or a sparking wire. Call 911. Everything else waits.
The tree or limb is on or near a power line. Call the utility. In Tallahassee and Leon County that is City of Tallahassee Utilities or Talquin Electric. In South Georgia, call whoever sends your power bill: Georgia Power, your EMC, or your city utility (Thomasville, for example). UF/IFAS says to call the electric company about limbs that have fallen on or are hanging over a power line, and that only qualified line-clearance arborists should work near electrical utilities (UF/IFAS, Assessing Hurricane-Damaged Trees). Treat every wire as live, and keep people and pets back.
The tree is on the house, but nobody is hurt and no wire is involved. Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house, then call a tree service. Take photos for your insurer before anything is moved.
The tree is leaning, or a limb is hanging, and nothing is on a wire. This is a tree service call. Josh at (850) 888-5603.
Why a Tree Service, Not a Handyman
UF/IFAS says jobs like removing a leaning tree near a house need advanced training and shouldn't be homeowner work. It adds that storm cleanup is dangerous even for professionals, with numerous injuries and deaths.
A tree that is leaning has often lost roots, and UF/IFAS says that broken roots on a mature tree are unlikely to reconnect. A hanging limb can drop with no warning. Neither is a job for a ladder and a chainsaw in the yard.
Ask anyone you call about their insurance before they start. Our guide on how to hire a tree service has the questions to ask.
What to Tell Josh on the Phone
A few facts get the call moving. Josh can't see the tree, so tell him:
- Where the tree is and what it is over or leaning toward: house, shed, car, fence, road, wire
- Roughly how tall it is, and what kind of tree if you know
- Whether the lean is new, and whether the soil is cracked or heaved
- Whether any limb is hanging in the crown
- Whether the tree is yours, the neighbor's, or in a right-of-way
Photos help. Josh will tell you what he sees and whether it is a limb job, a removal, or a crane job. Storm and hazard calls are taken Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 8 PM.
Whose Tree Is It?
If the tree is your neighbor's and it is on your property or about to be, talk to them first and keep photos. Our Florida posts on property line trees and a neighbor's tree that fell on your house cover Florida's rules. Georgia has its own, so check with an attorney or your insurer for a Georgia property.
A tree in the street right-of-way is generally the city's or county's to deal with, and the number to call is theirs. If you're in an HOA, check the rules for removal, since some require approval first.
The Insurance Call
Call your insurer or agent early, and photograph the damage and the tree. We can't tell you what a policy covers; that is between you and the insurer. Josh can quote the cutting, and cleanup, debris removal, and stump grinding are quoted separately from the cutting.
While You Wait
- Stay out from under the tree and the area it would fall into
- Keep kids and pets inside
- Don't park in the fall zone
- Don't try to cut, pull, or brace the tree
- Don't go near any wire
If a lean is getting worse while you wait, or the tree is moving in the wind, call again and say so.
Josh does emergency tree service, tree removal, and storm cleanup across North Florida and South Georgia from his base in Tallahassee, including Thomasville and Valdosta. Our 5 warning signs of a hazard tree can help you decide how urgent yours is, and what to do in a tree emergency goes step by step.
Tree leaning or limb hanging? Call Josh at (850) 888-5603.
FAQ
Who do I call if a tree is leaning toward my house?
A tree service, if nothing is touching a wire. Call 911 if someone is hurt, and the utility first if a line is involved.
Who removes a tree that is hanging on a power line?
The utility handles the line. UF/IFAS says only qualified line-clearance arborists should work near electrical utilities. Once the line is safe, call Josh for the tree.
Does my insurance pay to remove a leaning tree?
That depends on your policy and the damage. Ask your insurer before work starts.
Can I just wait and see if a leaning tree stays up?
Not if it leans toward a house, road, or wire, or the lean has changed. UF/IFAS says a leaning tree likely to fall on a person, building, power line, or roadway should be removed right after a storm.
Need someone to look at a tree? Call Josh at (850) 888-5603.