Tree Service in Cleveland Heights, OH

Tree Service in Cleveland Heights runs under clearer rules than most cities. The city's Forestry division says plainly that trees on tree lawns are on public property, that cutting down or removing one yourself can get you cited and fined, and that trees on private property are the owner's responsibility, to be handled by a private tree service. So when a homeowner calls us about a tree, the first thing we check is where the trunk stands. If it is in the tree lawn, the call goes to Forestry at 216-691-7300 or through the Access Cleveland Heights app. If it is in your yard, we can help.

A city that checks who does tree work

Cleveland Heights also regulates the people doing the work. Under city ordinance 917.19, anyone who engages in forestry, tree surgery or tree removal work within the city needs a city license, issued after the Building Department reviews proof of liability insurance and qualifications. The city publishes a Tree Service List for residents with each registered company's name, phone number and insurance expiration date. It is worth checking that list before you hire anyone for work in Cleveland Heights.

Old housing, old trees

Cleveland Heights is one of Cleveland's historic streetcar suburbs. It was a village by 1903 and a city in 1921, and the 2020 Census counted 45,312 residents and 22,270 housing units on about 8 square miles. Many homes date from the first decades of the 1900s, including Tudor Revival buildings from the 1926 Taylor Road development and the Euclid Golf Allotment, a National Register listing since 2002. Those neighborhoods have deep lots, detached garages at the back, and trees that have been growing next to them for 80 to 100 years.

The ground is also uneven. The city sits on the heights east of Cleveland, and Forest Hill Park, given by the Rockefeller family in 1938, and other parks break up the street grid with ravines and slopes. Trees on a slope behind a house can lean toward the house over time, and backyard access often involves steps and retaining walls rather than a flat path.

Common requests

Limbs over the driveway and sidewalk. If the limb comes from a city tree, Forestry will clear it. If it comes from your tree, it is yours to clear, and that is a quick job for us.

Big backyard trees near the garage. Old maples and oaks behind the house often have deadwood over the garage roof or the neighbor's yard. Cleaning out dead limbs and reducing heavy ones is usually the first step.

Removals with no drop zone. Many lots are deep but narrow. We take trees down in sections and lower pieces on ropes.

Storm damage. Summer thunderstorms and heavy snow both break limbs on the heights. After a storm, we prioritize anything resting on a house, a garage or a car.

Planning a visit

When you call (216) 294-3085 or send the form, tell us whether the tree is in the tree lawn or the yard, and whether access is through a driveway or only a side gate. We will walk the property with you and leave a written estimate. Get a free estimate