The cost to remove a palm tree varies depending on the palm species, its size, and its location on your property.
The average cost to remove a palm tree so far this year is $320. Below we have broken down palm tree removal costs into sizes of S, M, L & XL so you can get a better idea for your tree.
We also have 4 different example trees and their price to remove.
It’s no surprise that the height of a palm tree is one of the biggest factors in palm tree removal costs. But as you will see below it only makes up about 60% of the final quote price.
After tree height, you must look at other factors contributing to the price below.
| Size | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Small 10 ft. | $150 | $220 |
| Medium 20 ft. | $220 | $750 |
| Large 30 ft. | $700 | $1,650 |
| Extra-large 45 ft. + | $950 | $2,100 |
Small Palm tree removal
The cost to remove a small palm tree is $100 to $199. This would be for your run-of-the-mill Queen or Phoenix palms. Something like a date palm would cost more due to its much larger trunk diameter.
You can save quite a bit of money disposing of the palm waste yourself, so consider disposing of it over time in your green waste bin.
Just ask your local tree-cutting service for a quote to fully remove your tree and another quote just to cut your palms down to ground level.
Medium Palm tree removal
Medium size palm trees cost from $220 to $345 for removal. Depending on the tree service you get the quote for your job, this may also include the grinding of the palm stump.
When you do get your quote, be sure it is written on paper and it specifies whether they will remove the stump or not.
Large Palm tree removal
The cost to remove a large palm tree does have a greater variance in price, but you could expect to pay between $500 and $745 for a palm tree around 30ft in height.
This does not include a date palm as they have a much larger trunk and fronds, so will cost a lot more to remove.
Extra-large Palm tree removal
Palm trees that reach 40ft high are common and are really too hard to work on. When a palm tree gets bigger, as opposed to a regular tree, the trunk just gets longer.
So you are not really dealing with too much more tree, just some extra fee for the trunk. It is more time-consuming though, and due to safety reasons, most companies like to use an Elevated Work Platform to get the job done.
You can expect to pay $850 or more for a 40-foot palm tree removal. Again this will vary a little depending on a few factors such as species and location on the property, but that is a good base figure to go off.
Palm removal cost by city
Another factor that will affect the cost of palm removal is location. Some of the cities with the most palm trees, like Las Vegas, San Diego, Miami, and Los Angeles, to name a few, all have different pricing, mostly based on the cost of living.
Please see the table below for average prices for those cities.
| City | Average cost (25 ft. high palm) |
|---|---|
| San Deigo CA | $425 |
| Los Angeles CA | $489 |
| Las Vegas NV | $499 |
| Miami FL | $412 |
| Phoenix AZ | $399 |
| Mesa AZ | $395 |
Do I need a permit to remove a palm tree?
Whether you need a permit to remove a palm tree will depend largely on where you live. In cities where there are lots of palm trees, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Diego, palm trees are protected. However, a palm tree on your property in Denver is considered a pest and can be removed without a permit.
In other cities where the climate is a little less tropical, and palm trees are not native, then they should allow you to remove them without prior consent.
To find out whether you need a permit to remove a palm tree in your city, select your state and city here to see your local tree ordinance.
Factors that add to cost of palm tree removal
Just like removing a regular tree, there are many factors that determine the cost of removing a palm tree. Here is a list of the top ones in order.
This is a no-brainer. The bigger the palm tree the more it is going to cost you to remove.
Size has two parts, though, the height and the trunk diameter. Most palm trees have a trunk of around 20”, except for a Date palm which is closer to 60”.
This is a bigger factor than most people think. Look at the below examples. The tree on the left is in a front yard and has easy access to remove it quickly. The one on the right is a bit more difficult as all access to the street is up 4 stairs through a narrow door and down a driveway.
The more difficult it is to access the tree, the more it will cost you to remove it.
Some palm trees are easier to remove than others. Some have nasty spikes all over their fronds, which makes the removal process slow going as you need to be careful.
The two biggest offenders are the Canary Island date palm which has 4 – 9-inch long barbs that come out from the base of each front. The other is the Cotton palm which has shark-like teeth all the way but the leaf stem.
The more tree there is to remove the longer it is going to take and the more it will cost you.
Compare the images below of an Alexander palm on the left and a Date palm on the right.
They are both roughly the same height, but the Date palm trunk is about 10 times thicker. This is going to cost you a lot more to remove.
Can I sell my palm tree or get it removed free?
In short, yes, but in reality no. I say yes because there are landscaping companies that specialize in mature palm tree transplantation, but everyone wants to sell their palm and the market is pretty thin.
If you have a run-of-the-mill palm like a Queen’s palm, then forget it, but if you have something a little more desirable like a Canary Island date palm, then you might be in luck.
Get in contact with someone like these guys.
Removing leaves from palm tree
Palm tree trimming costs a lot less than palm removal. The cost to trim a palm tree starts at $45.
Obviously, price is going to be determined by a number of factors such as how many trees, how tall they are, and their location on your property.
Check out our Palm Trimming Cost Guide for more price information.
5 Tricks to saving money on palm tree removal
Palm tree removal DIY
Removing a palm tree yourself is going to save you money, no doubt about it, but I do need to warn you that working with a chainsaw is very dangerous especially if you have not used one in the past.
If you have a palm tree that is smaller than 15ft, then I do recommend you have a go at removing it yourself. The same goes for removing the deal leaves from your palm.
But anything larger really should be left to the experts.
If you do want to have a go yourself, here is a really helpful guide. If you would prefer to get a palm tree doctor near you, fill in the online form from that link to get matched with the three best-priced local tree services as voted by previous users.
For more DIY guides, visit our homepage here.
Dead palm tree removal cost
The cost to remove a dead palm tree is going to be considerably less than a live one. If it has been dead for a while, and it is all dried out, they are a little like papier-mache. They barely weigh anything and will take no effort to dispose of.
That being said if the palm tree is quite large and has died a while ago, it makes it very dangerous to climb. An Elevated Work Platform would be required which will add to the cost a little.
Palm tree stump removal cost
Palm trees are different from regular trees in many different ways, and the differences do not stop above the ground. Regular trees have a large taproot and some other large stable roots that have smaller roots off them.
Palm trees are different. They have fibrous roots that are the same size from start to finish and are very well seated on the ground. This makes them masters at withstanding tropical storms.
That being said, palm tree stumps are very soft and quite easy to remove with a stump-grinding machine.
The cost to remove palm stumps varies by size and access, I have broken it down into a few different columns.
| 10 inch | 20 inch | 30 inch | 40 inch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good access | $75 | $100 | $140 | $250 |
| Moderate access | $95 | $140 | $210 | $300 |
| Poor access | $119 | $190 | $260 | $425 |
Cost to remove the roots of a palm tree
How is this different from stump removal? Well, the stump is just basically an extension of the trunk below the ground. The root ball is about 4 – 6 times the size of dense roots before it tapers out.
Unless you are in a hurry to replant another tree in the same location, I would just leave the roots in place. They will take a few years to break down and turn back into organic soil, but you are really saving yourself a lot of money by leaving them in place.
If you absolutely must remove the roots, I suggest speaking with your local tree service about using their stump grinding machine to grind a larger area to include the roots. It is going to cost more but will save you a lot of time in the long run.
FAQ's
Most palm trees are worthless in the secondary market. If you are looking to remove your palm tree, there is a slim chance you will be able to sell it. There are some palm trees that are desirable such as Date Palms and Phoenix Palms which landscape companies will pay you for to then come out and remove. They will then sell on for a profit.
You should always get a minimum of 3 quotes from local tree services before deciding on a contractor to remove your palm trees. There is a large difference in the price tree services charge for palm tree removal, so waiting to get all 3 quotes before making a decision could save you hundreds of dollars.
If there is plenty of room to work at the base of a palm, then they are relatively easy to remove. Having just one single trunk and some small leaves at the top make them quiet and easy to handle for any trained arborist.
I do not recommend you attempting to remove a palm tree yourself without the proper training. Chainsaws are extremely dangerous tools and using one from at heights makes it twice as dangerous. Call a local tree service to do the job for you.
In most cases, homeowners’ insurance will not cover the removal of any tree. The only instances where they will come to the party and foot the bill is when the tree has fallen over in a storm or any other act of nature. Considering palm trees are all but hurricane-proof, it is extremely unlikely they would fall over in a stiff wind. This means you will need to pay yourself to have them removed.
You can hand your palm tree transplanted. As they have a shallow root system they are relatively easy to dig out and transplant if you have the right machinery. I do not suggest you try this yourself with hand tools. It is something left to professionals.
Trees are cheaper to remove in winter, but it has nothing to do with the temperature or the fact trees have fewer leaves on them. The reason it’s cheaper is that there is a little work on, but a glut of tree services looking to stay busy. This puts you on the right side of the supply and demand equation.
Because people are not in their yards as much during the winter, home services such as landscaping, tree services, and lawn mowing all take a hit in the colder months which is a great opportunity for you to support local businesses and save some money in the process.
There are desirable species of palm tree that some landscapers and nurseries will pay good money for as they can sell them on or use them in their upcoming landscape project, but a lot of the time you will have the wrong type of palm or it’s too hard to get to and remove for resale.
Do a local search for “we buy palm trees + your city” to get a list of local places that purchase palm trees. Send them a pic and see what they say.
Go Tree Quotes is a free online service that will match you with the top-voted local tree services. In our view, the best tree service is one that has raving reviews from previous customers. So we take all reviews from all platforms on each company and give them a GTQ rating. Based on that we can match you with THE top-voted local tree service.
A lot of the time palm trees can be quoted for removal from an image or description. They differ greatly from regular trees and are fairly easy to remove. Every tree service is different though so some will be able to price over the phone, others will insist on having a look at the job before committing to a price.
If your palm tree is protected or historic you will need to apply for a permit to remove it. To know whether your tree is protected, please refer to your local Tree Removal Ordinance or search Google for “tree removal rules + your city”. In states like Florida, palm trees are more likely to be protected because they are native to the area. They are less likely to be protected in New York. But before you proceed, make sure you get your facts straight as heavy fins can apply.
You can protest a denial of a permit approval with your local council, but I suggest you do so with an independent arborist report to back up your beliefs about the tree. If your reason for removing a tree is it drops too many leaves, or it’s blocking your sewer, then most of the time council will reject your application. The tree needs to be considered a hazard for the idea of removal to be entertained.
As long as the tree service has good access to the tree they will be able to work without you being there. They will not need access to power either. Most tree services will accept you pay via money transfer or they can swing past in the afternoon when you are home for payment. This will depend on the service but in most cases, this will be fine.
Every tree service quotes jobs differently, but in most cases, the price for removal will not include stump removal. You should always ask for a price with and without stump removal so you can weigh up your options. Stump removal can be expensive for much larger stumps like date Palms. Best to have the correct quote so there are no surprises on the day of the removal.
This will depend on the size of the tree and the tools at your disposal. I do not recommend using a chainsaw if you are a novice. They are very dangerous and land many people in the hospital every year. If the tree is small and you don’t mind putting in a bit of elbow grease, then go for it! If not palm tree removal is pretty inexpensive so you can find a local to do the job quite cheaply.
