Tree work rules in Alabama

A business that solicits tree surgery in Alabama needs a Horticulture Professional Services License in the Tree Surgery category from the Department of Agriculture and Industries. The business needs a certified operator who passed the exam, and the license is renewed every year.^1-2

Ask your city or county government whether removing a tree needs a permit where you live.

If a tree is touching the power line to your house, keep clear and call your utility first. Clearing the line is the utility's job, and a tree company can't start until it's done.

Alabama law requires keeping 10 feet from high voltage overhead lines over 750 volts. Closer work is allowed only after safeguards such as barriers, de-energizing or relocation are arranged with the line owner, and the law sets no advance notice period.³

Alabama's one-call law doesn't name stump or root removal: its definition of excavation doesn't mention trees or stumps, and neither does the 2027 amendment to it. Call 811 before a stump is ground or dug out, and the one-call center can say whether your job needs a locate.⁴

For-hire ornamental and turf pest control in Alabama needs a Professional Services License in the Ornamental and Turf Pest Control category. The business also needs a certified operator.¹