When lot size brings in a permit
Most DeSoto County homeowners can take a tree down without asking a city. Each city draws the line in its own place, and above that line the rules are very different. What the codes and city forms read for this site say:
- Southaven. The zoning code, Sec. 13-11, exempts any residential lot of one acre or less, and an unplatted residential parcel of five acres or less with an occupied house on it, from tree removal permits and tree surveys. Trees "injured or destroyed during acts of God" are exempt as well (checked Nov 11, 2026). Before relying on those size thresholds for a bigger property, confirm them with the city's planning office through City Hall, 662-280-2489.
- Horn Lake. The city's tree removal permit application, dated May 27, 2026, requires a permit before cutting any protected tree, but exempts residential parcels under one acre, and residential parcels under five acres where the owner has filed a homestead exemption (checked Nov 11, 2026).
- Hernando. Chapter 16 of the city code exempts residential parcels under one acre and homesteaded residential parcels under five acres; above that, clearing protected trees takes a $100 permit plus mitigation for the canopy removed (checked Nov 12, 2026).
- Olive Branch. Tree rules sit in the zoning ordinance's site plan requirements for development, and the city's list of permits doesn't include tree removal (checked Nov 11 and 12, 2026).
- Unincorporated DeSoto County, including Nesbit, Lake Cormorant and Lewisburg. The county zoning ordinance has no tree removal permit for an existing home; its tree language covers buffers in new development (checked Nov 11, 2026).
- Your HOA. Many subdivisions here have covenants. Read yours before booking the work.
Two more cautions. Hernando has five historic districts, including Courthouse Square, so check with the city's Office of Planning before removing a tree in one. And in Horn Lake, if the roots to be disturbed lie in Flood Zone AE, the permit form says a floodplain development permit is needed too. The DeSoto County tree rules guide lays the four cities and the county side by side.
What sets the price of a removal
Two trees of the same height can carry very different prices. These are the things the contractor will be looking at in your yard:
- Height and trunk size. HomeGuide's national figures climb from $150 to $500 for a tree under 30 feet to $1,200 to $2,700 for one over 80 feet (checked Nov 11, 2026).
- What's underneath. A roof, a covered patio, a pool, a fence or a neighbor's shed means cutting short pieces and lowering them on ropes. That takes more people and more hours than dropping a tree into open lawn.
- How a truck gets in. In a fenced backyard with a narrow gate, wood may have to be carried out by hand, or a section of fence opened.
- Wires. Limbs near the service wire or a distribution line slow everything down, for the legal and safety reasons covered below.
- The wood and the stump. Whether the price includes chipping, hauling and grinding changes the total more than people expect, especially since the cities here leave contractor debris to the contractor.
Bringing down a big tree near a house
An oak that has grown over a brick house for decades usually can't come down in one piece. A whole tree can only be felled when the open ground in the direction of the fall is longer than the tree is tall, and on most Southaven house lots it isn't. So the crew works from the top down:
- Climbing or a bucket truck. Limbs come off first, then the trunk in short lengths. Pieces over a roof or patio are tied off and lowered.
- A crane. When a tree leans over the house or is too weak to climb, a crane can lift sections clear. It needs a firm place to set up and room away from overhead wires, and HomeGuide adds $500 to $2,500 a day for one (checked Nov 11, 2026).
- Felling in one piece. Possible on open acreage outside town, or at the back of a large lot with nothing in the way.
Ask the contractor where each big piece will land and what protects the fence, the patio cover and the lawn along the way. On fragipan soils, which stay wet above the pan in late winter and spring, heavy equipment can rut a yard, so a soft lawn may call for mats or a drier week.
Power lines and the wire to your house
Mississippi law forbids work that could reasonably be expected to bring a person, a tool, equipment or material within 10 feet of a high-voltage overhead line until the required safety steps are taken (Miss. Code § 45-15-3). The person responsible for the work has to notify the utility in writing and can't start until "mutually satisfactory arrangements have been made" (Miss. Code § 45-15-9). Both were checked Nov 11, 2026.
The service line, the wire strung from the pole to the house, is another matter. Entergy says plainly, "We DO NOT trim service lines." That line is the property owner's responsibility, and Entergy can disconnect it for a while so the owner or the owner's contractor can take down the tree or limbs near it. In Entergy's words, "It is not safe for you or private contractors to work near energized lines" (checked Nov 11, 2026). Most of Southaven, Horn Lake, Hernando and Walls get power from Entergy Mississippi; parts of eastern DeSoto County, including parts of Olive Branch, are served by Northcentral Electric Cooperative. Your power bill tells you which.
Who hauls the wood away
A grown oak leaves trunk sections, heavy limbs and a heap of brush. Here's the part many homeowners don't know: none of the four cities will collect it when a tree service did the cutting (all checked Nov 11, 2026).
| City | What it says about tree-service debris | Limbs a homeowner cuts |
|---|---|---|
| Southaven | "The City shall not provide collection of trees or similar items." The owner or occupant must remove them within seven days of the work. | No longer than 4 to 5 feet, no thicker than 12 inches |
| Olive Branch | "WE DO NOT PICK UP AFTER TREE SERVICES" | Cut to 5 to 6 feet, one pile behind the curb |
| Horn Lake | Yard waste from "tree cutting services will not be collected." | 5 feet or shorter, no more than 10 inches across |
| Hernando | "The City will not pick up limbs that have been cut by a commercial trimming service." | No piece over 4 feet, no limb over 6 inches across |
So hauling belongs in the written price. If the contractor leaves the wood, you'll have to deal with it yourself. The county's rubbish pits accept limbs and leaves: one at 5255 W. Sandidge Road in Olive Branch (662-895-9705) and a privately operated one at 9353 Starlanding Road West in Lake Cormorant. Burning isn't allowed inside any DeSoto municipality; in the unincorporated county a same-day permit covers brush less than 5 inches across (both checked Nov 11, 2026). Trunk rounds cut to firewood length and kept on the property also mean less to haul.
A tree on or near the property line
Before cutting a tree that stands on the line, or one whose trunk is on the neighbor's side, get the neighbor's agreement in writing. Mississippi makes anyone who cuts another person's tree without consent liable for double the tree's fair market value plus reforestation costs. If the cutting is willful or reckless, a further $55 is added for each tree 7 inches or more in diameter, measured 18 inches up, and the statute says an honest mistake is no defense (Miss. Code § 95-5-10, checked Nov 11, 2026). Limbs that hang over from a neighbor's tree are a conversation worth having before the saw comes out.
The stump left behind
Removal usually leaves a stump cut close to the ground. Grinding it is a separate step with its own price, and since a grinder digs mechanically, the person doing the grinding should have a Mississippi 811 ticket first: notice must go in three to ten working days ahead (checked Nov 11, 2026). The stump grinding guide covers depth, pecan taproots and what the hole looks like afterward.
Published removal prices
No guide has published prices collected from DeSoto County contractors, so these are national figures (all checked Nov 11, 2026). They're useful for knowing whether a written price is in the normal range, nothing more.
| Tree height | HomeGuide | Angi | Fixr (Jan 31, 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30 feet | $150–$500 | $150–$450 | $150–$400 |
| 30 to 60 feet | $300–$1,000 | $450–$1,200 | $450–$700 |
| 60 to 80 feet | $650–$2,000 | $800–$1,500 | $900–$1,200 (60–100 ft) |
| Over 80 feet | $1,200–$2,700 | $1,000–$2,000 | $1,300–$2,000 (100+ ft) |
For oaks, Angi lists $200 to $2,000, Forbes Home $700 to $2,000 and Fixr $900 to $2,000. Removing a pine runs $250 to $1,500 on Angi and $250 to $2,500 on Forbes Home. HomeGuide's hourly rate for removal is $65 to $140, and its debris hauling runs $75 to $250 per dump trip. See what tree work costs for trimming, grinding and storm-work figures.
When removal isn't the answer
A healthy oak that only crowds the roof may need trimming instead. A tree already on the house belongs on the storm and emergency page. A pine turning brown or an oak with bark peeling in strips is covered under dead or leaning trees, and big pecans have their own guide.
Questions about removal
My Southaven lot is about a third of an acre. Do I need anything from the city?
No tree removal permit or tree survey, going by the zoning code's exemption for residential lots of one acre or less (checked Nov 11, 2026). You will need a plan for the wood, because the city doesn't collect trees cut by a contractor.
I own three acres outside Hernando's city limits. Does the city's rule apply?
No. Outside city limits the county's rules apply, and the county zoning ordinance has no tree removal permit for an existing home (checked Nov 11, 2026). Inside Hernando, a residential parcel that size would need the $100 permit to clear protected trees unless it has a homestead exemption and is under five acres.
A storm cracked a big oak on my two-acre Southaven property. Do the larger-lot rules apply?
Southaven's code exempts trees injured or destroyed during "acts of God" (checked Nov 11, 2026). Call the city's planning office through City Hall first if you're unsure whether your tree qualifies.
Can the wood stay on my property?
Yes. Tell the crew where to stack the trunk rounds, and at what length. Every load that doesn't leave is one fewer dump trip on the bill.
The site takes down no trees. A removal request made here is passed to one independent contractor covering DeSoto County.
Sources
- City of Southaven zoning code, Chapter 11 (Tree Removal Requirements), Sec. 13-11, on Municode (Supp. No. 70, read Nov 12, 2026); City of Southaven, Code of Ordinances page. Checked Nov 11, 2026.
- City of Horn Lake, Tree Removal Permit Application (May 27, 2026), checked Nov 11, 2026. City of Hernando Code, Chapter 16, Secs. 16-154 to 16-157, and City of Olive Branch Code, Appendix A (Zoning), checked Nov 12, 2026; Olive Branch permit FAQ, checked Nov 11, 2026.
- DeSoto County, Zoning Ordinance, Burn Permits and Rubbish Pits; City of Hernando, Historic Preservation Commission. Checked Nov 11, 2026.
- Southaven Public Works and Sanitation Guidelines; Olive Branch Roadside Rubbish Guidelines; Horn Lake Collection Guidelines (Update 2026-A); Hernando Brush Services. Checked Nov 11, 2026.
- Miss. Code § 45-15-3, § 45-15-9 and § 95-5-10; Entergy, tree trimming and how Entergy trims; Entergy Mississippi, DeSoto service center; TVA, Northcentral Electric Cooperative; Mississippi 811 law. Checked Nov 11, 2026.
- USDA NRCS official series descriptions, Grenada and Loring. Checked Nov 11, 2026.
- HomeGuide tree removal cost; Angi; Forbes Home (audited Oct 1, 2024); Fixr (Jan 31, 2025). All checked Nov 11, 2026.