Most tree removal calls in Concord are one of three things: a water oak that's started dropping limbs or shows a hollow at the base, a loblolly pine leaning toward the house after a wet winter, or a tree that's simply in the way of a pool, a garage or an addition. Each one gets the same first step — our arborist looks at it and tells you whether it actually needs to come down, because plenty of "dead" oaks are just late leafing out and plenty of leaning pines have leaned that way since the house was built.
When a tree does need to go, how we do it depends on what's underneath. A tree with room to fall gets dropped and bucked. A tree over the house, the deck, the power drop or the neighbor's fence gets climbed and rigged down in pieces, or lifted out whole with a crane when that's faster and safer. Either way the yard is raked, the wood is chipped or hauled, and the stump is ground if you want it gone.
What's included
Arborist assessment
Is it dead, dying, structurally unsound, or just ugly? A straight answer before you spend money.
Code & HOA check
We confirm whether the tree is private, in the city right-of-way, or covered by a subdivision landscape plan — and who has to sign off.
Climbing & rigging
Sectional takedowns over roofs, decks, fences, sheds and service drops, with rigging lines and a ground crew.
Crane removals
Large oaks and pines lifted out over the house when rigging would take days or risk the roof.
Cleanup
Wood chipped or hauled, lawn raked, driveway blown, firewood left cut if you want it.
Stump grinding
Scheduled with the removal or after, at the per-inch price on your estimate.
Tree removal cost in Concord, NC
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree (under 25 ft, open access) | $300 – $750 | Dogwood, crape myrtle, Bradford pear |
| Medium tree (25–50 ft), open lot | $700 – $1,600 | Dropped and bucked |
| Large oak or poplar (50–80 ft) near structures | $1,700 – $4,200 | Climbed and rigged in sections |
| Crane-assisted removal | $2,800 – $7,500 | Big trees over the house or garage |
| Emergency / storm removal | $700 – $5,000 | Any hour; insurance documentation provided |
| City / HOA paperwork (when needed) | Handled for you | Most single-family yard trees need none |
These are 2026 Cabarrus County ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — removal, rigging or crane, hauling, stump grinding, any paperwork — and good for 30 days.
The trees that come down most in Cabarrus County
Water oak. The number-one removal in the older neighborhoods. Fast-growing, short-lived for an oak, and prone to hollowing at 60 to 80 years — right where the 1950s and '60s houses are now. Limb drop is the warning sign.
Loblolly pine. Shallow-rooted in Cecil clay, tall, and top-heavy. They lever over in wind when the ground is saturated, and southern pine beetles and ips beetles finish off the drought-stressed ones.
Tulip poplar. Beautiful, huge, and brittle. Poplars shed big limbs in summer thunderstorms and rot fast once a wound opens.
Bradford pear. Splits at the branch unions in ice and wind, seeds thorny thickets along every creek in the county. We have a whole page on getting rid of them.
Leyland cypress. Planted as a privacy screen, killed by Seiridium canker and bagworms, and then a brown wall of kindling ten feet from the house.
Recent work
Questions we get about tree removal
How much does it cost to remove a tree in Concord?
Between about $300 for a small ornamental and $7,500 for a crane job over the house, with most oak, poplar and pine removals landing between $700 and $4,200. Height, what's underneath it, whether a truck can get down the side yard, and whether the stump is ground all move the number. You get it in writing on site.
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in my yard in Concord?
For a tree on your own existing single-family lot, in our experience, no city permit is involved — Concord's tree and landscape requirements (Article 11 of the Development Ordinance) attach to development and redevelopment plans, and the city's Chapter 50 tree rules cover trees on public property. The exceptions are real, though: a tree in the street right-of-way belongs to the city, some subdivision plats require specific buffer or street trees to stay, HOAs have their own rules, and the North Union Street historic district may want to see a Certificate of Appropriateness for major changes. We check before we cut so you're never the one holding a violation.
Can you remove a tree close to my deck or the power drop?
Yes. A lot of Concord removals are within twenty feet of a deck, a screened porch or the service drop from the pole. We rig each section down on ropes or lift it with a crane so nothing touches the house. If limbs are within ten feet of the energized line, we call Concord Electric Systems or Duke Energy to drop or sleeve the line first — no one should be cutting inside that distance.
Will you remove a tree the HOA wants gone?
If it's on your property and permitted, yes. Highland Creek, Skybrook, Christenbury, Moss Creek, Afton Village and most of the newer subdivisions off Poplar Tent and Cox Mill have architectural review rules on top of the city code; we know them and we'll tell you what paperwork they'll want.
What happens to the wood?
Chipped on site and hauled, or left as chips or firewood rounds if you'd rather keep them — oak and hickory rounds are worth keeping. Large trunks go on the log truck.
Is your tree service licensed?
North Carolina doesn't license tree services statewide, which is exactly why you should ask for a certificate of insurance. Ours covers general liability and workers' compensation for tree work specifically — not a landscaping policy that excludes climbing — and we'll send it before we start.