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Last reviewed 2026-10-17

Tree Removal Cost in Cobb County, GA

Plan on $400 to $1,200 for a typical tree in Cobb County and $300 to $2,500 for an oak; both are national ranges from HomeGuide's February 2026 cost guide. Big white and red oaks, tulip poplars and loblolly pines tower over most older lots in Marietta, Smyrna and East Cobb, and they are usually close enough to a house that crews take them down in pieces.

Two local facts change the job. First, Cobb sits inside Georgia EPD's summer open burning ban, which runs from May 1 through September 30, so for five months of the year brush has to be chipped or hauled. Second, the county is hilly: NRCS soil survey data put 70.0% of mapped acres at 8% slope or steeper, which slows rigging, hauling and stump grinding.

The county is mostly suburbs now. The Forest Service's 2025 FIA forest inventory estimates only about 18,400 acres of forest land, oak/hickory and loblolly/shortleaf pine leading, but that comes from just five sample plots with a 50% sampling error, so read it as a rough sign of how built-out the county is. The trees that matter for pricing are in yards.

Cost at a glance

Cobb County tree removal cost at a glance
Item	Typical cost	Source
Typical single tree	$400-$1,200	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Oak	$300-$2,500	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Tree 60-80 ft	$850-$2,000	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Chipping	$50-$100	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Single-family Land Disturbance Permit	$50.00 per lot ($250.00 min) + $40.00 per disturbed acre	Cobb County fee schedule (July 1, 2024)
Open burning of yard debris	Banned May 1-Sept 30	Georgia EPD rule 391-3-1-.02(5)

Permits

We found no Cobb County permit for removing a single tree from an established home lot. What Cobb regulates is land disturbance: the county says that, unless exempted, all land-disturbing activity in unincorporated Cobb needs a Land Disturbance Permit (LDP) from its Site Plan Review Section. A Clearing Only LDP lets trees be cut and removed, but stumps may not be pulled and no other soil disturbance is allowed; Grading Only and Full Site permits go further.

Under the county's fee schedule effective July 1, 2024, a single-family residential LDP costs $50.00 per lot with a $250.00 minimum, plus $40.00 per disturbed acre for the state NPDES stormwater fee; site plan revisions are $100.00. If you plan to clear more than a few trees, grade, or pull stumps across a large area, call Site Plan Review at 770-528-2147 before booking a crew. Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Austell and Powder Springs have their own city codes.

Burning: Georgia EPD's rule 391-3-1-.02(5) bans open burning of yard and land-clearing debris in 54 counties, Cobb included, from May 1 to September 30. Cobb is also one of 19 metro counties where prescribed burning is not exempt during that window, and EPD's burn-type list bars burning storm debris in large summer-ban counties like Cobb. Outside the ban months, hand-piled yard debris may be burned unless a local ordinance says otherwise, and burning garbage or lumber is illegal year round.

Step 1: check whether you are in a city or unincorporated Cobb. Step 2: if the work is more than a yard removal, ask Site Plan Review whether an LDP applies. Step 3: from May through September, price chipping or haul-off instead of burning. Step 4: get itemized bids covering felling, stump grinding and cleanup. Step 5: call 811 before grinding near buried lines.

Local conditions

Steep, rocky Piedmont ground: per the NRCS survey, 24.9% of mapped acres in Cobb County are at 15% slope or more and 10.9% have bedrock within about 100 cm (39 in), most of it on the ridges around Kennesaw Mountain and Lost Mountain in the west and north. Crews on those lots rope trees down and hand-carry brush to the street.

Creek bottoms: the same NRCS survey rates 10.8% of mapped soil as occasionally or frequently flooded, along the Chattahoochee River on the southeast edge and the creeks that feed it near Mableton and Austell, where wet clay can keep a bucket truck off the lawn.

Storm record: FEMA's declarations data list 10 weather-related major disasters that included Cobb County from 1966 through 2017, four of them severe storms (one a severe winter storm in 2000), three hurricanes (Opal in 1995, Ivan in 2004 and Irma in 2017) and two tornado events.

Ice and wind: tall loblolly pines and big oaks with heavy crowns over houses are the classic Cobb call after a winter storm or a line of summer thunderstorms with straight-line winds.

What drives local prices

Height: HomeGuide's national bands run $500-$1,500 for 30-60 ft trees, $850-$2,000 for 60-80 ft and $1,200-$2,500+ above 80 ft; many Cobb pines and poplars fall in the upper bands.
Species: HomeGuide lists oak at $300-$2,500 and pine at $250-$1,600 per tree.
Slope and access: steep yards add climbing and hand-carry; we add an est. 15% to 30% on those lots.
Disposal: with burning banned from May through September, chipping ($50-$100 on HomeGuide's survey) and haul-off are part of nearly every summer bid.
Permits: an LDP for bigger clearing starts at $250.00 for a single-family lot, plus $40.00 per disturbed acre.
Method: per-tree, height and chipping ranges are HomeGuide's published national figures (Feb 4, 2026); LDP fees are quoted from Cobb County's July 1, 2024 fee schedule; lines marked est. are our estimate, not Cobb bids. Figures checked October 16, 2026.

Common jobs

Oak, tulip poplar and pine removal over houses on wooded lots
Storm cleanup after ice storms and summer thunderstorms
Removal on steep lots with rope rigging and hand carry
Lot clearing under a Clearing Only LDP

Service area

Quote requests come from Marietta, Smyrna and Vinings in the south and center, Kennesaw and Acworth to the north near Lake Allatoona, Powder Springs and Austell in the southwest and Mableton near the river. I-75, I-575 and I-285 carry crews across the county, with US 41 running north through Marietta and Kennesaw.

Many East Cobb and Marietta lots are wooded subdivisions with fences, pools and decks inside the fall zone, so expect most removals to be climbing and rigging jobs rather than straight felling.

Ready for a price? Send the free quote form below with the species, height, slope and what sits under the tree. A member of our team replies by email with next steps and, where we know them, local insured crews to contact.

Communities: Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Austell, Powder Springs, Mableton, Vinings, East Cobb

When something can’t wait

If a tree is on a power line or the house, stay away and call your electric utility or 911 first. Remember that storm debris cannot be burned in Cobb in summer; HomeGuide says same-day removals run 2 to 3 times normal rates, so photograph the damage for your insurer.

Questions about Cobb County

How much does tree removal cost in Cobb County, GA?

Most single trees run $400 to $1,200 and oaks $300 to $2,500 on HomeGuide's 2026 national data. Tall pines and poplars over houses on steep lots land at the top of those ranges.

Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in my Cobb County yard?

We found no county permit for a single tree on an established home lot. Larger clearing, grading or stump pulling can require a Land Disturbance Permit; ask Site Plan Review, and check your city's rules if you live inside one.

Can I burn the brush in Cobb County?

Not from May 1 through September 30, when Georgia EPD's summer burn ban covers Cobb. The rest of the year, hand-piled yard debris may be burned unless local rules say otherwise.

What does a Clearing Only permit allow?

Cutting and removing trees, but not pulling stumps or other soil disturbance. Grading or stump removal needs a Grading Only or Full Site LDP.

Why are Cobb bids higher than rural Georgia?

Big trees sit close to houses, fences and pools on hilly lots, so crews climb and lower them in sections, and summer disposal means chipping and hauling.

Sources

Nearby counties

Georgia tree removal hub

Tree problems

Local fees and rules change. Confirm with the county or state office named above before you clear. Estimate your clearing cost.