When a tree falls in the woods – who pays to clean it up?

If a tree falls in the City of Gainesville there are a couple factors that come into play when figuring out who pays for it.

If you or a neighbor has a dead or dangerous tree it is the property owner’s responsibility to have it removed.  Talk to your neighbor if you are concerned about their trees damaging your property.

There is a Gainesville city ordinance that says homeowners must remove
“dead or hazardous trees that are standing or have fallen to the ground and that pose a hazard to neighboring properties, or which create a hazard to the safety or welfare of any occupant of the property (except the owner), or the inhabitants of the surrounding area, or any public property.”

If the tree was healthy and it hits your home or fences etc. then often you get to pay for the clean-up and repairs, talk to your insurance company about what they require.

The Gainesville Sun just wrote a pretty good article about this:
Who is responsible when a tree falls on a home?