Tree Service in Royal Oak, MI
Written by Robert Burgund, ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A · Updated September 2026
- 5.0 Stars · 16 Google reviews
- ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A
- Oakland County Since 2013
- Licensed & Insured
What tree work looks like in Royal Oak
There is no room. That is the short version.
A typical Royal Oak back yard has a garage on one line, a neighbor’s fence on the other, and power lines crossing somewhere overhead. Nothing can simply be felled. The tree gets climbed, taken apart in small pieces, and every piece gets roped down to a spot the size of a parking space. On the older streets like Vinsetta Boulevard the trees are big enough that this takes most of a day, and the skill is entirely in the rigging.
Royal Oak regulates trees in the public right of way. That strip between the sidewalk and the street holds city trees, and they are not the homeowner’s to remove. Trees inside your own property line are your call to plant, prune or remove. No permit needed. The one exception is a hazard: if a private tree is dead, diseased or dropping limbs over a sidewalk or street, the city can require it be dealt with, so we flag that during the estimate if we see it. If you are not sure which side of that line your tree stands on, we work it out during the free estimate. Rules change, so a quick call to the city never hurts.
Whose tree is it, though?
This comes up constantly on Royal Oak’s narrow lots, and it is worth knowing before you call anyone.
Ownership follows the trunk. If the trunk stands on your side of the line, it is your tree, even when most of the canopy hangs over next door. You may cut branches back to the property line, but you cannot cross it, and you cannot take so much that you kill the tree.
On lots this tight the line often runs within a few feet of a mature trunk, which is exactly the situation that turns into a dispute. We establish where it falls before quoting, so nobody is guessing.
What we do in Royal Oak
Tight-lot sectional removals, and crane work where a crane can actually reach. Trimming and crown reduction on the silver maples that overhang the garages, shortening the limbs rather than topping the tree.
Stump grinding in spaces most machines will not fit. Storm calls run around the clock, and in Royal Oak that usually means a limb across a driveway before work.
Tree removal → Pruning & tree trimming → Stump grinding → Emergency response →
Silver maple, mostly
Silver and Norway maple through most of the neighborhoods, honey locust along the streets, and some very large old maples on Vinsetta. Silver maple is the one that generates the calls. It grows fast, the wood is soft, and it drops limbs in summer storms.
What removal costs in Royal Oak
A Royal Oak removal usually costs somewhere between $600 and $2,500. Size matters less here than what surrounds the tree. A medium maple boxed in by a garage, a fence and a power line costs more than a taller tree with room around it, because every piece has to be roped and lowered by hand. The cost guide explains the rest.
From our Google reviews
“I have been a repeat customer since 2019 and will continue to only work with Tree Pros. I have always been 110% satisfied with the timeliness, quality of work and professionalism. A couple of the trees I had taken down were massive and in tight spots between houses. Tree pros was able to take them down with no issue. Thank you Rob and team for the focus and hard work you guys do to keep my properties safe.”
Robert R., May 2026
Read all 16 reviews on Google. Tree Pros, LLC is licensed and insured, and Rob gives every Royal Oak estimate in person, free. Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday for emergencies.
Common questions
Who owns a tree on the property line in Royal Oak?
Ownership follows the trunk. If the trunk stands on your side of the boundary, the tree is yours, whatever the branches do and however much of the canopy hangs over the neighbor’s roof. Your neighbor may cut branches back to the line at their own cost, but they cannot cross it, and they cannot cut so much that the tree dies, which could make them liable for it. The same applies in reverse to a tree rooted next door. A trunk that stands on the line itself is generally shared by both owners, and one side changing it without the other’s agreement is where disputes start. City trees in the strip between the sidewalk and the street belong to Royal Oak and are not yours to remove or prune. On narrow lots the line often runs within a few feet of a mature trunk, so we establish where it falls before quoting. Our Michigan tree law guide covers the details.
What does a tree service charge per hour?
Reputable tree work is almost always priced per job, not per hour, because the price is set by risk and rigging rather than time. A medium maple boxed in by a garage, a fence and a power line takes longer and costs more than a taller tree in an open yard, and no hourly rate captures that. An hourly number also tells you nothing about who is doing the work or what is included. Ask instead for a written estimate with the scope spelled out: what comes down, what gets hauled away, whether the stump is included, and how the lawn and hardscape will be protected. Then ask for proof of insurance and, if the crew claims an arborist, the ISA certification number. Rob’s is MI-4857A. A clear written scope is what lets you compare two estimates fairly, and it is what we leave after every estimate.
How much does tree removal cost in Royal Oak, MI?
Most Royal Oak removals run between $600 and $2,500, and what surrounds the tree matters more than how tall it is. On these narrow lots a tree is usually boxed in by a garage on one line, a fence on the other and a power line overhead, so it comes apart in small pieces and every piece is roped down by hand to a landing spot the size of a parking space. That rigging time is what you are paying for. A tree we can reach from the driveway with clear ground under it sits near the bottom of the range. A big old maple on Vinsetta with limbs over two roofs sits at the top, and a crane parked in the street adds to it. If the problem is a silver maple hanging over the garage, ask about crown reduction first; it costs a fraction of a removal. The stump is priced on its own.
Written by Robert Burgund
ISA Certified Arborist · MI-4857A
Rob owns Tree Pros, LLC in Bloomfield Township and runs every job himself. He has climbed and cared for trees in Oakland County since 2013. More about Rob and how we work.
We also work Birmingham and Troy. The Oakland County page has every town we serve.
Free estimates across Royal Oak.
Rob looks at what surrounds the tree, not just the tree, and gives you a written price with the rigging plan included.
Call or Text 248-672-8058Request a Free Estimate