Emergency tree removal in Dunnellon, FL starts with two questions: what is the tree touching, and is anyone in danger? Broadway Tree Care takes emergency calls in Dunnellon, the northern end of our service area, and our tree service in Dunnellon page covers the rest of what we do there.
The city and county rules come from the City of Dunnellon's tree removal guidance and application and Marion County's stand-alone tree removal permit application. The state rule is section 163.045 of the Florida Statutes.
What counts as a tree emergency in Dunnellon?
Treat it as an emergency when a tree or limb is on or against a house, a screen enclosure or a vehicle. The same goes for a trunk blocking a driveway or road, a trunk that has split, a tree leaning further than it was yesterday, a limb hung up in the canopy that has not come down yet, and soil heaved or cracked around the base after heavy rain. Those are the signs listed on our emergency tree removal page.
A trunk across a driveway is inconvenient but usually stable. A limb resting on a roof can shift when it is cut, and one hung up in the canopy can fall without warning. What the tree is touching sets the urgency more than anything else, so say that first on the phone.
Who do you call first for a fallen tree in Dunnellon?
| Situation | Call first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone hurt, or a fire | 911 | Call us once everyone is safe. |
| The tree is in or touching a power line | Your electric utility. Keep everyone well clear of the tree and the ground around it, because a line touching a tree can energize both. | We take the tree only after the utility confirms the line is safe. |
| The tree is on your roof | Broadway Tree Care, to get the tree off. | A roofer for the roof itself. Roof work is a roofer's job. |
| A trunk blocks your own driveway or yard | Broadway Tree Care. | Photograph it where it lies before anything is cut. |
| A tree is lying in a public road | The agency that looks after the road. | Marion County's right-of-way page says tree clearing in a county right-of-way needs a county permit, so ask the road's owner before anyone cuts. |
Does an emergency tree removal in Dunnellon need a permit?
It depends on where the tree stands, and a mailing address alone does not settle it. Dunnellon is an incorporated city in Marion County, and the City of Dunnellon and Marion County each have their own tree rules. Ask whether the tree is inside the city limits. A permit answer from a neighbor across the Withlacoochee River in Citrus County does not apply here.
What does the City of Dunnellon say about a dangerous tree?
The city's tree removal guidance points first to Florida Statute 163.045, which sets the conditions for a homeowner to have a tree removed without notice to the city or its permission. If you do not meet them, it says City Code sections 74-62 and 74-64 through 74-68 apply. It adds that the rule does not apply to new construction projects.
Two lines in the form matter after a storm. A tree within 10 feet of the principal residence gets a permit application with zero fees, and so does a tree damaged beyond the point of revitalization in a way that is "apparent to the untrained eye." Its example is a tree breaking in half mid-trunk. Every other request needs a written assessment from an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect, under 163.045(2), to be exempt from permitting, and the form tells homeowners to keep that assessment as proof.
The guidance does not describe a separate emergency process. Its application asks for photos of the trees, so if one comes down at night, photograph it where it lies before anything is cut. Then ask the city how it wants a failed tree handled. Community Development's number is (352) 465-8500, extension 1010, and its email is planning@dunnellon.org.
What does Marion County say outside the city limits?
Outside the city, Marion County's rules apply. The county's permit application paraphrases section 2.22.4 of its Land Development Code, and the exceptions it lists include removing trees that "pose an immediate and direct threat to persons or property," and trees that are dead or dying from natural causes. Read that as the county's own summary rather than the code itself. The form says to refer to the Land Development Code for clarification, and Growth Services answers questions at (352) 438-2600.
What does Florida law add?
The state rule sits over both. Under section 163.045, a local government cannot require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation to prune, trim or remove a tree on residential property if the owner has documentation that the tree poses an unacceptable risk. Documentation means a signed on-site assessment by an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect, and a tree qualifies when removal is the only practical way to bring its risk below moderate.
We are a tree crew, not a permit office, so we do not issue permits and we do not sign hazard assessments. We tell you what we see when we get there and point you to the right office. Our guide to when a certified arborist's opinion helps covers the assessment, and our guide to tree removal permits in Citrus County covers the Florida rule in more depth. Its county rules are Citrus County's, not Marion's. For a planned removal, see tree removal in Dunnellon.
What happens when you call Broadway Tree Care from Dunnellon?
A real person answers (813) 735-2777 at any hour, holidays included. Give us the address, what the tree is touching and how a truck reaches it.
We tell you where you sit in the queue, not a window we cannot hold. After a named storm everybody's tree comes down in the same few hours, so the order is what we can give you. On site the loaded and hung-up material comes off first. We photograph the damage and its cause before clearing, so your insurer has something to look at, and the debris leaves with us. The quote is in writing before any work starts. We take cards and cash, and there is no financing.
What should you do while you wait?
Stay out from under the tree and keep vehicles away too, and don't climb a hung-up limb or cut a loaded one. A few photos from a safe spot help, as long as you are nowhere near a line. Our guide to what to do after a storm damages a tree covers the first steps in more detail.
Sources: City of Dunnellon Community Development, tree removal guidance and permit application, revised 04/2024 (dunnellon.org); Marion County Growth Services, stand-alone tree removal permit application (marionfl.org); Marion County, right-of-way permitting (marionfl.org); Florida Statutes section 163.045. The city and county websites block automated readers, so we read archived copies captured between March 2023 and February 2026. Call the city or county to confirm the current version before you rely on a detail.