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Last reviewed 2026-10-17

Tree Removal Cost in Jackson County, AL

Plan on $400 to $1,200 to take down one tree in Jackson County; that is the national average range in HomeGuide's February 2026 cost survey, and HomeGuide's survey puts a small, easy tree as low as $200 and a large, hard one near $3,000. Oak is the species you are most likely pricing here, and the same HomeGuide data list oak removal at $300 to $2,500 because the wood is heavy and the crowns spread wide over roofs and fences.

The Forest Service's 2025 FIA forest inventory puts forest land in the county at about 452,900 acres, and the oak/hickory group covers 81.2% of it. That is a hardwood county, so many quotes here are for tall, wide-crowned oaks and hickories that have to be roped down in sections rather than dropped in one piece.

Terrain does the rest. The Tennessee River and Guntersville Lake split the county, with the Sand Mountain plateau to the southeast and the Cumberland Plateau rising toward Skyline and Hytop to the northwest. NRCS soil survey data show 44.3% of mapped acres on slopes of 15% or more and bedrock within about 100 cm (39 in) of the surface on 49.2%, which is why the same oak can cost far more on a ridge lot than in a valley yard.

Cost at a glance

Jackson County tree removal cost at a glance
Item	Typical cost	Source
Typical single tree	$400-$1,200	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Oak (most common species here)	$300-$2,500	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Tree 30-60 ft	$500-$1,500	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Stump removal	$100-$500+	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
AFC burn permit (over 1/4 acre or near woods)	Free	Alabama Forestry Commission
Scottsboro brush, a knuckle-boom load or more	$150 per load	City of Scottsboro, Ordinance No. 525

Permits

We found no county-wide permit for removing a tree from a private yard in Jackson County; if you live inside Scottsboro, Stevenson or Bridgeport, ask city hall before a big removal near the street. The rules that reliably apply are about fire and power lines.

Alabama law (Code of Alabama, Title 9, Chapter 13) requires a burn permit from the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) before you burn any woodland, field or new ground over 1/4 acre or within 25 feet of woods or grass. The AFC says the permit costs nothing, that violations can bring a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to six months in jail, and that burning household trash breaks the public health law.

Alabama licenses tree surgery, not tree felling: Code of Ala. §2-28-1 defines it as cavity filling or repair, bracing, cabling and wound treatment, and expressly leaves pruning out. Firms selling that work carry the Department of Agriculture and Industries Horticulture Professional Services License, which ADAI lists at $175 a year. For a plain removal, ask instead for a certificate of liability insurance.

Step 1: walk the tree and list everything inside its falling distance: house, shop, fence, driveway, and any NAEC or city power line. Step 2: if limbs touch the wire running to your house, call the utility first; NAEC's written policy is to disconnect that line so your crew can work, not to cut the tree. Step 3: collect two or three written bids that price felling, stump grinding and haul-off as separate lines. Step 4: choose disposal before work starts, either Scottsboro curbside pickup or an AFC-permitted burn out in the county. Step 5: call Alabama 811 before a grinder goes after a stump near buried lines.

Local conditions

Hardwood heavy: in the FIA tables the oak/hickory group holds about 367,700 forested acres in the county, loblolly/shortleaf pine 6.8%, oak/gum/cypress 6.3% and oak/pine 5.7%. Expect quotes for mature white and red oaks and hickories, with pine work mostly in the planted stands along the plateau tops.

Steep and rocky ground: per the NRCS survey, 61.9% of mapped acres are 8% slope or steeper and bedrock sits close to the surface along the plateau rims and bluffs, so grinders hit rock and crews often hand-carry brush to a chipper parked on the road.

Flood ground: the NRCS survey rates 10.0% of mapped soil as occasionally or frequently flooded, mostly along the Tennessee River and Paint Rock River flats, where wet clay can keep a bucket truck off the lawn for days after rain.

Storms set the emergency calendar: FEMA's declarations data list 16 weather-related major disasters that included Jackson County from 1973 through 2020, ten of them severe storms and three tornado events, among them the April 2011 tornado outbreak (DR-1971).

What drives local prices

Height sets the base: HomeGuide's national bands are $200-$500 under 30 ft, $500-$1,500 for 30-60 ft, $850-$2,000 for 60-80 ft and $1,200-$2,500+ above 80 ft.
Species: HomeGuide lists oak at $300-$2,500 and pine at $250-$1,600 per tree; most yard trees here are oaks and hickories with wide, heavy limbs.
Slope and access: if a bucket truck or grinder can't reach the tree, climbing and hand-carry add an est. 15% to 30% to the bid on ridge and plateau lots.
Disposal: Scottsboro's weekly brush routes are free, but a knuckle-boom load or more is billed $150 per load under Ordinance No. 525; outside city limits, price haul-off or a permitted burn.
Extras: HomeGuide's survey puts stump removal at $100-$500+ and chipping at $50-$100, and says booking several trees at once can cut 10%-25%.
Method: the ranges above are HomeGuide's published national figures (Feb 4, 2026), not Jackson County bids; lines marked est. are our estimate for local access. Figures checked October 16, 2026.

Common jobs

Dead or leaning oak and hickory removal on wooded ridge and bluff lots
Storm cleanup after severe thunderstorms and tornadoes
Removal next to NAEC service lines, scheduled around a disconnect
Stump grinding on shallow, rocky soil

Service area

Quote requests come in from Scottsboro and Hollywood along US 72, from Stevenson and Bridgeport near the Tennessee line, from Section, Pisgah and Dutton up on Sand Mountain, and from Skyline and Hytop on the plateau; SR 35 climbs Sand Mountain from Scottsboro and SR 79 runs north toward Skyline. Madison County borders Jackson on the west, past Gurley and the Paint Rock Valley; its page covers Huntsville's city burn permit.

North Alabama Electric Cooperative (NAEC) says it runs about 2,000 miles of distribution line in Jackson and Marshall counties, so rural removals near its lines run into its 30-foot single-phase and 40-foot three-phase right-of-way.

Ready to price your tree? Use the free quote form below: give the height, trunk width, slope and what the tree could hit. A member of our team replies by email with next steps and, where we know them, local insured crews to contact.

Communities: Scottsboro, Stevenson, Bridgeport, Section, Pisgah, Skyline, Hollywood, Woodville, Dutton, Hytop

When something can’t wait

If a tree is on a line or a roof, stay back and call the utility's outage line or 911 first. NAEC does not clean up storm brush, so cleanup is on you or your insurer; HomeGuide says same-day or next-day removal runs 2 to 3 times normal rates, so take photos before the crew starts.

Questions about Jackson County

How much does tree removal cost in Jackson County, AL?

Most single trees run $400 to $1,200, HomeGuide's 2026 national average range, with oaks anywhere from $300 to $2,500 depending on size and what sits under them. Steep, rocky lots on Sand Mountain or the plateau cost more because crews climb and lower the tree instead of felling it.

Do I need a permit to burn the brush pile?

If the burn covers more than 1/4 acre or sits within 25 feet of woods or grass, yes. The AFC permit is free; the AFC warns that burning without one can bring a fine of up to $1,000.

Will NAEC cut a tree that is on my service line?

No. NAEC's right-of-way policy says it will not cut trees, healthy or dead, around service lines; it disconnects the line so the owner can have the tree cut. Dead trees it fells to protect primary lines are left where they fall, and storm brush is not cleaned up.

Does Scottsboro haul away limbs after the tree is down?

Weekly city brush routes are free. Put limbs at the curb by 6 a.m. on your pickup day, unbagged and apart from household junk. A knuckle-boom load or more costs $150 per load (Ordinance No. 525), so a whole-tree job usually includes haul-off.

Why do bids vary so much here?

Access and wood. The county is mostly hardwood forest and nearly half of its mapped soil sits on 15%-plus slopes (NRCS), so two trees of the same height can need very different rigging, crew size and grinding time.

Sources

Nearby counties

Tree problems

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