The decision page is remove a dangerous tree. This list only helps you walk into that page with the right facts.
In short. Measure the trunk the way that county measures it, photograph the defect and the target, and carry the form that county actually prints. A missing fee table stays missing.
| Paper | Where it matters | Skip it and |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter note | 4.5 feet in Charlotte; 4.0 feet uphill in Buncombe | You file the wrong heritage or slope case |
| Defect photos | Charlotte’s three-day hazard file | The manual points to fees and penalties |
| Species | Ash exempt in Charlotte; longleaf not exempt in Fayetteville | You pay, or you argue, the wrong exemption |
| Declaration date | Raleigh’s one-year minor removal after an ice storm | You miss the window and use the ordinary rule |
| Fee line | Only if the schedule prints one | You quote a crew a number the county never published |
The list
- A diameter at the height the ordinance names. Charlotte and New Hanover use 4.5 feet. Buncombe’s overlay uses 4.0 feet on the uphill side. Write the height you used.
- Photos of the crack, the target, and the whole tree. Charlotte accepts pictures, video, and a witness statement on the hazard track. Take them before the stump is the only evidence.
- The species, in writing. Ash is out of Charlotte heritage status. Longleaf is out of Fayetteville’s pine exemption. “A pine” is not a species.
- The disaster declaration, if you are using one. Raleigh’s minor-removal clock runs one year from a declaration by the state or the city, and it names ice, hurricane, and tornado.
- The printed fee, or a blank. New Hanover prints $45 and $200 an inch. If your county does not, leave the cell blank. Do not borrow a neighbor’s schedule.
How this was ranked
Ordered by the paper that changes the legal category of the tree, then the paper that proves it after the fact. A contract with the crew is not on this list because this desk does not draft one.
Questions people type before they hire
Is a survey required for one yard tree?
Fayetteville requires a survey of 30-inch trees on development sites. An existing single-family house is exempt from that preservation section except for required street trees. Do not order a development survey for a house the section does not cover.
Can I use last year’s photos?
Charlotte’s hazard file is about failure now. A photo from a previous season does not show that failure has started.
What if I cannot find a fee?
Say the document is silent. Buncombe’s checklist and Asheville’s news page describe the rule without a removal price. That is the honest cell.
Which page do I use to hire?
The rule page. These five papers make the callback shorter. They do not replace it.
When the list matches your tree, go back to remove a dangerous tree and use the callback. The card is also at the top of this page.