Short answer: It depends mostly on the tree's size, what it could hit, power lines and access. National guides put typical professional removal at roughly $200–$2,000 per tree (Angi, 2026), but only a contractor who sees your tree can give you a real price.
"How much will it cost to take this tree down?" is the first question almost everyone in Florence asks, and the honest answer is: it depends a lot on the tree and what's around it. This guide explains the ranges that national cost guides publish, what pushes a Florence job toward the low or high end, and how to get a quote you can trust. We don't publish made-up local averages. The numbers below are national reference figures, and the contractor who sees your tree sets the real price.
What national cost guides say
Two widely used consumer cost guides put typical professional tree removal in these ranges for 2026:
- Angi: roughly $200 to $2,000 per tree, with an average around $750. Very large trees, or removals close to houses and power lines, can run well above that.
- Thumbtack: a typical national range of about $450 to $1,450.
Stump grinding is usually priced separately. Angi's figures put it around $150 to $500 per stump. See our stump grinding page for what affects that price.
Those ranges are wide for a reason. A 25-foot ornamental pear in an open front yard and an 80-foot loblolly pine leaning over a roof are both "one tree," but they are completely different jobs.
What moves the price up or down
1. Size
Height and trunk diameter drive how much wood has to come down and be hauled away. The Pee Dee grows tall pines and big oaks, so plenty of Florence yards have trees in the 60 to 90 foot range. That's why many local jobs sit in the middle or upper part of the national range rather than at the bottom.
2. What it could hit
This is often the biggest factor. If a tree can be dropped in one piece into an open yard, the job is quick. If it's over the house, a fence, a pool, a shed or the driveway, the crew has to climb or use a bucket truck and lower it in sections with ropes. That takes more time, more people and more skill.
3. Power lines
Trees tangled in service drops or utility lines need special handling. Lines touching a tree should be dealt with by your electric utility or a line-clearance crew first. Expect that to add time and possibly cost.
4. Access
Can a truck, a chipper or a crane get close? Backyards behind fences, soft ground after rain and tight lots between houses all slow things down.
5. Condition of the tree
Dead and decaying trees can be more dangerous to climb, because limbs break unpredictably. Some crews price that risk in. A tree that's already down after a storm is usually cheaper than a standing one, unless it landed on something. If it's on your house, see what to do when a tree falls on your house.
6. Cleanup
Hauling everything away costs more than leaving logs cut to firewood length. Chipping brush on site and leaving the chips is another way some homeowners save.
7. Timing
After hurricanes and big thunderstorms, demand spikes across the region. Planned, non-urgent work is often easier to schedule, and sometimes easier on the budget, outside storm season.
How to get a quote you can trust
- Get it in writing. The quote should name the exact trees and say whether the stump, haul-off and cleanup are included.
- Ask for proof of insurance. Liability insurance, plus workers' compensation if they have employees. Ask for the certificate rather than taking someone's word for it.
- Get more than one price on big jobs. Prices for the same tree can vary a lot.
- Be careful with large deposits, especially from crews who show up uninvited after storms.
- Ask how they'll protect the yard. Heavy equipment can rut wet lawns.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Bundle several trees, or the tree plus stump grinding, into one visit.
- Keep the firewood and let the crew skip the haul-off.
- Deal with a declining tree before it fails. Taking down a standing tree on your schedule is usually simpler than removing one from your roof.
- Ask whether trimming would solve the problem instead. Our remove-or-trim guide walks through that decision.
Does insurance pay for it?
Homeowner's policies often help when a tree damages a covered structure, sometimes with limits. A tree that falls in the yard without hitting anything is often not covered, and planned removal of a healthy tree usually isn't either. Every policy is different, so call your insurer. Our storm damage page has more on what to do after a storm.
Next step
If you have a tree in mind, the fastest way to a real number is a quote from someone who can see it. Tell us about the tree below and we'll pass it to an independent local contractor. You can also read up on planned tree removal.
Sources: Angi and Thumbtack 2026 tree removal and stump grinding cost guides (national figures). These are reference ranges, not quotes.