When a tree comes down on a roof, a car or the only way out of the driveway, the order of steps matters more than the price.
First hour
- Stay clear of wires. For a tree causing sparking or a hazard on Ocala Electric Utility lines, OEU lists 352-351-6666; in an emergency, call 911. Customers of Duke Energy, SECO Energy or Clay Electric should use their own utility's number.
- Report blocked roads. During Milton, the Ocala Gazette passed on the Marion County Sheriff's Office request to report downed trees or power lines to its Citizens Information Line, (352) 369-7500.
- Photograph everything before anything is moved, for your insurer.
- Then call for a tree contractor. A tree resting on a structure needs someone equipped to lift it off in pieces.
What the last three storms did here
| Storm | What was reported in Marion County |
|---|---|
| Irma, Sept 2017 | Many trees down on power lines, signals out countywide, 6 to 10 inches of rain (WFTV) |
| Ian, Sept 2022 | Relatively little damage to the county; an estimated $455,452 cost to the City of Ocala (Ocala Gazette) |
| Milton, Oct 2024 | 46,962 customers without power, 11,189 of them on OEU; trees down in southeast Ocala yards (Ocala Gazette, WCJB) |
Permits after a storm
- In unincorporated Marion County, trees posing an immediate and direct threat to people or property, and dead or dying trees, are on the exemption list.
- Inside Ocala, the city's application says emergency applications must be submitted in person.
- On a single-family home lot, a documented unacceptable-risk finding means no local permit (permits).
Storm pricing
Angi's Orlando debris guide lists emergency work at $100 to $150 an hour and warns that demand and prices can spike after major storms. If a downed tree is lying safely in the yard, waiting a week or more may lower the cost; a tree on the house is not that tree.
Debris pickup
After Milton, WCJB reported that Marion County opened three drop-off sites for vegetative debris, beside the Belleview Public Library, at SW Hwy 484 and SW 57th Ave Road, and on NE Jacksonville Road, and began roadside pickup on October 16, 2024. Those were set up for Milton; in normal weeks, Ocala's limits on billable piles apply and the county has no curbside service.
Sources
- City of Ocala: Vegetation Management (Ocala Electric Utility)
- Ocala Gazette: Hurricane Milton impacts Marion County, over 45,000 out of power (Caroline Brauchler, October 10, 2024)
- WCJB: 'We dodged a bullet with this one': Ocala neighbors staying positive after trees fall into yards (Emma Delamo, October 10, 2024)
- WFTV: Marion County: Power outages, downed trees across the county (September 11, 2017)
- Ocala Gazette: Hurricane Ian cost the City of Ocala an estimated $455,452 (Adriene Codelia, November 27, 2022)
- Marion County Growth Services: Stand-Alone Tree Removal Permit Application
- City of Ocala Growth Management Department: Tree Removal Permit Application (revised 1/22/2025)
- Florida Statutes 163.045 (2025): Tree pruning, trimming, or removal on residential property
- Angi: How Much Does Tree Debris Removal Cost in Orlando, FL? (Barbara Bellesi Zito, updated May 14, 2026)
- WCJB: Marion County opens up drop off locations and roadside pickup for vegetative debris (October 11, 2024)
- City of Ocala: Residential Sanitation (yard waste rules)
- Marion County Solid Waste: Recycling & Trash Disposal
Checked October 27, 2026. Fees, rules and price surveys change, so treat the linked original as the final word.