Tree Service in Alpharetta, GA

Mature subdivisions, maturing trees

In Alpharetta's older subdivisions, trees that were small when the houses went up can now tower over rooflines. Water oaks, willow oaks, and pines that were easy to live with at build time can need thinning, deadwooding, or in some cases removal as they age.

Storms test those trees. During Irma in 2017, the National Weather Service recorded gusts of 50 to 65 mph across the Atlanta area, and many trees fell onto homes. The International Society of Arboriculture lists removing dead branches, improving form, and reducing risk as common reasons to prune. On cost, HomeAdvisor puts the average trim near $460, while an emergency removal after a storm can run as high as $5,000.

Alpharetta's tree permit rule

In Alpharetta, the city says a Tree Removal Permit Application must be submitted and approved before the removal of any tree that is alive from a single-family residential property inside city limits. That is a big difference from Marietta, where a finished single-home lot is exempt from the city's tree standards. Apply, and wait for approval before anyone cuts a living tree, unless an authorized contractor handles a qualifying job (below).

• What the application asks for: the address, the owner's name, the tree company (optional but preferred), each tree's type and size, where it stands and why it is coming out, a diagram and photos, and an arborist assessment for any specimen-size tree. Replanting can be required.
• Dead trees: before one comes down, the city recommends emailing the City Arborist the address, the owner's name, the tree company, the reason, the planned date, and a photo showing the tree is actually dead. The City Arborist's phone number is 678-297-6229.
• Outside city limits: an Alpharetta mailing address is not always inside the City of Alpharetta, so check which government your parcel falls under.
• Your HOA: your covenants may add rules on top of the city's. Read them before you schedule anything.

Ask about the city's contractor program

The City of Alpharetta's tree removal page says a tree removal permit is required for most types of tree removals in the city. It also runs an Authorized Tree Removal Contractor Program: tree removal contractors who have attended a training class offered by the City Arborist can expedite certain tree removal projects. On a qualifying job, an authorized contractor can remove the trees before the permit is approved: a complete application has to be in through the city's online portal, the home has to be a single-family detached house, and no specimen-size trees or trees in a stream, lake, or zoning buffer or tree save area can be on the list. The program does not override HOA rules. When a tree service contacts you, ask whether it is in the program and who will file the application. The city also recommends checking that any contractor has the proper licenses and insurance, including general liability and workers' compensation coverage.

Tree work in Alpharetta

Brown pines and peeling oaks

The Georgia Forestry Commission has guides on two problems in urban yards. The first is pine bark beetles: the Commission says southern pine beetles and Ips beetles can kill pines within weeks in summer, cannot be stopped with insecticide once inside, and that infested pines should come down as soon as the needles start to fade. The second is hypoxylon canker on stressed oaks, where bark sloughs off to show a tan, gray, or black crust; the Commission says a tree showing those fruiting structures will not survive, whatever the treatment.

Either one near the house is a removal to schedule, not to watch. In Alpharetta, that still means the city application first for a tree that is alive. Burning the wood is out: Alpharetta is in Fulton County, where Georgia EPD bans burning land-clearing and storm debris all year.

Common Alpharetta questions