Baldwin County is big enough that the rules change under you as you drive across it. A homeowner in Fairhope can take down a pine in the back yard on a Saturday. The same homeowner in Gulf Shores could be fined for it. We run tree removal, trimming and storm work across the whole county, which means we work under all of those rules rather than one set.
Tree & Land Services
in Baldwin County
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Baldwin County?
There is no single county-wide tree permit. Each city writes its own rule, and the unincorporated county is different again. Inside city limits your answer depends on the trunk diameter, the species and sometimes just where the tree stands.
In Fairhope you need no city permission for a tree on private residential property, though commercial trees over 24 inches and any tree on the right of way must be approved. Gulf Shores requires a permit for any tree at 12 inches, or a live oak at 6. Orange Beach starts at 6 inches, with dogwood and redbud at 4 and longleaf pine at 18. Foley protects native trees from 30 inches. Spanish Fort triggers a land disturbance permit at 1,000 square feet of ground disturbance.
In the unincorporated county a land disturbance permit applies where wetlands are present or the site floods, and clearing over an acre brings in a state stormwater permit. Rules get amended, so treat this as a starting point. We check the current requirement for your address before we quote. Fairhope Public Works takes tree questions at 251-928-8003.
Where we work across the county
We are based in Fairhope and the Eastern Shore is our core ground, but the truck covers the county. Each area asks something different of us.
Eastern Shore. Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope and Point Clear. Established neighborhoods, mature live oaks and tight lots where the drop zone is somebody’s roof.
Central Baldwin. Robertsdale, Loxley and Summerdale. Open acreage, field trees and long driveways.
North Baldwin. Bay Minette. Heavy pine and hardwood, timber lines and rural power runs.
South Baldwin and the coast. Foley, Elberta, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Sandy soil, salt wind and the strictest tree ordinances in the county.
What we do
Tree removal is the core of the business. We take down trees that are dead, leaning, split or simply too close to the house. Where there is nowhere for a trunk to fall, we do it in pieces with rigging.
Tree trimming is the other half of the work and the half that prevents the first. Thinning a dense canopy lets wind through instead of pushing the whole tree over. Trees pruned properly before Hurricane Andrew survived at 73 percent, against 47 percent for unpruned trees in the same study.
We also grind stumps, clear land for building sites and pasture, and run storm cleanup after weather. Larry and the crew handle commercial contracts as well as residential yards.
Storm cleanup after a hurricane
Hurricane Sally came ashore at Gulf Shores on 16 September 2020 as a category 2 with 105 mph sustained winds, and Baldwin County spent months clearing what it left. That is the work we drop everything for: trees on roofs, trunks across driveways and leaners hung up in power runs.
If a tree is on your house right now, call us at 251-689-9211 rather than filling in a form. We work trees on structures first, then blocked driveways, then everything else.
The pine that looks fine after a storm
One thing is worth knowing in the weeks after a blow. A pine that looks untouched can still be dying. Researchers who went back three months after Hurricane Charley found that 27 percent of standing slash pines and 48 percent of standing longleaf pines had died. Pines can fail anywhere from six months to two years after a storm.
Green needles in October do not mean the tree came through it. Watch for yellowing, thinning at the top or beetle activity through the following two summers, and call us if you see any of it.
Book a look at your property
We give free estimates and we do not charge to tell you a tree is fine. Coastal Tree & Land Services is family operated and veteran owned, licensed and insured, and we have been working Baldwin County since 2019. Call 251-689-9211 or use the form below, and we will come out, walk the property and give you a straight price.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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All of it. We are based in Fairhope and the Eastern Shore is our core ground, but we work Spanish Fort down to Orange Beach, out through Robertsdale, Loxley and Summerdale, and north to Bay Minette. If you are not sure whether you are in range, call and ask.
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They do, and by a lot. Fairhope asks nothing for a tree on private residential property. Gulf Shores requires a permit for anything at 12 inches, or a live oak at 6. Orange Beach starts at 6 inches. We check what applies to your address before we quote.
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We work trees on structures first, then blocked driveways, then everything else. Rural properties tend to wait longest simply because of driving time, so call early rather than waiting to see how it settles. Use the phone for anything urgent instead of the form.
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Yes. Alongside residential yards we hold commercial contracts and clear land for building sites, pasture and fence lines. Tell us the scale at the estimate and we will bring equipment to match, and we will flag any land disturbance permit the job needs before we start.