Arborist Letters and Tree Risk Assessments

What an Arborist Letter Is

An arborist letter is a written opinion from a certified arborist about the condition of a specific tree and the risk it presents. It isn't a form letter. It follows an inspection of that tree, on that property, on a stated date.

Boards and permit offices ask for one because it moves the decision off of opinion and onto a professional record. It also protects you. If a tree comes down on a roof after a board said no, the paperwork matters.

• The tree, its species, size and location on the property
• What is actually wrong with it, described in plain terms
• The targets at risk, meaning what the tree can hit
• The risk rating and how it was reached
• What we recommend, whether that is removal, pruning or monitoring
• The arborist credential and the date of the inspection

What Florida Law Actually Says

There is a state law on this, section 163.045 of the Florida Statutes. In plain terms, a local government cannot require a notice, an application, an approval, a permit, a fee or mitigation before you prune, trim or remove a tree on residential property, if you have documentation from an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. It also says the local government cannot make you replant that tree.

The details matter, so read them carefully. The law is written for residential property, which it defines as a single family detached building on a lot actively used for single family residential purposes. The documentation has to come from an onsite assessment done under the ISA Best Management Practices for Tree Risk Assessment, second edition, and it has to be signed by the arborist or the landscape architect. And the tree has to genuinely rate as an unacceptable risk, which the statute ties to removal being the only practical way to bring that risk below moderate.

It doesn't cover everything either. Mangrove protection is carved out and stays under separate state rules. The statute limits what local governments can require. It doesn't rewrite a private deed restriction or an association covenant on its own, and nothing here is a promise that a given tree qualifies. We won't tell you it does until our arborist has stood under it. This is general information about a state statute, not legal advice.

How the Assessment Works

We schedule a visit, look at the tree from the ground and from above where the canopy calls for it, and check the things that actually drive failure. Root plate, trunk, unions, decay, lean, past storm damage, and what sits underneath.

Then we write it up. If the tree rates low risk and can stay, that's what the letter says. We would rather lose the removal than put our arborist credential on a document that doesn't hold up.

• Call or text us and describe the tree and the deadline you're working against
• Onsite inspection by our ISA Certified Arborist
• Written assessment with the findings and the recommendation
• You submit it to your board, your city or your county
• If removal is the answer, our crew schedules the work

When Homeowners and Boards Call Us

Most of these calls sound the same. Somebody already knows the tree is dangerous and needs a professional to say so on paper.

We also get called by HOA and condo boards who want an outside opinion before they approve or deny a resident request, and by managers with a common area tree nobody wants to be responsible for.

• An HOA or a city has said no to removing a tree you believe is hazardous
• A permit office asked for a certified arborist report
• A storm cracked or uprooted a tree and you have an insurance claim
• A sale or a closing is being held up over a tree on the property
• A board needs documentation before it votes on a common area tree
• You want to know if a tree can be saved before you pay to remove it