Tree Service in Alpharetta, GA

Tree Service in Alpharetta starts with a question most homeowners in other towns never have to ask: does the city need to sign off first? Here the answer is often yes. Alpharetta routes tree removal requests through its Community Development Department and city arborists, and the code sets a minimum tree density for every property. We plan each job with that in mind, so the oak you want gone, the pine leaning toward the deck and the replanting the city may ask for all show up in one written estimate.

How the permit side usually plays out

Appen Media reported that Alpharetta charges no fee for a removal permit and that applications are filed online. The same reporting noted two common cases that skip the permit: a dead tree on a single-family detached lot, and a tree that poses imminent danger. Everything else goes through review. In 2022 the city received 1,176 removal applications from residential and existing commercial properties and issued 908 permits. Outright denials, according to the city, mostly happen when an owner will not agree to the replanting the code requires.

That replanting piece matters on smaller lots. The code calls for 130 inches of tree density per acre, which can be met by keeping trees, planting new ones, or both. When we quote a removal, we can note which trees on the lot are worth keeping toward that number and which ones are better candidates to take down.

Specimen trees and front setbacks

Some trees get extra protection based on size, species, condition or history. In 2023 the planning commission backed changes that would take pines off the specimen list while still giving owners density credit for saving them, and that would let qualified HOAs issue permits for trees in members' front setbacks. Roughly 30 of the city's 100 or so monthly removal requests involve front setbacks, so if you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, ask the board whether it has that arrangement before you file anything.

Separate protections apply to specimen and quality trees sitting in building setbacks along Mayfield Road, Milton Avenue and several other streets near downtown. If your house is on one of those older corridors, expect a closer look before any large tree comes down.

Storms, wet clay and big hardwoods

Alpharetta averages about 51 inches of precipitation a year, and the red Piedmont clay holds water after long rains. That is when shallow-rooted water oaks and tall loblolly pines tend to tip. When Helene's remnants passed through in late September 2024, the city reported scattered tree falls and set up an online page for emergency tree removal and outage reports, and most streets were back to normal within a few days. Storms like that are a good reminder to have a look at trees over the roof before hurricane season, not after.

What we handle here

• Removal of dead, leaning or storm-split trees, including tight backyard removals between houses
• Pruning to lift limbs off roofs, driveways and the Big Creek Greenway side of a lot
• Help preparing the photos, species and trunk sizes the city asks for on a permit
• Stump grinding after removals so the spot can be replanted to meet density rules
• Storm cleanup when a limb or trunk is already down

Call (770) 758-8959 or send the form with a few photos and your address. We will walk the property, mark the trees, and give you a written estimate.