Cary, North Carolina
Tree Removal and Tree Service in Cary
Cary is known for its tree-lined streets, but North Carolina law limits what the town can regulate. The session laws that let Cary adopt tree rules exclude property developed for single-family or duplex homes, so an owner of an existing house can generally remove a yard tree without a town permit.
- County
- Wake (and part of Chatham)
- Tree rules
- Town of Cary Land Development Ordinance; state session laws authorizing tree regulation
- Key local rule
- Tree rules exclude single-family and duplex property; buffers and specimen trees regulated on development sites
- Electric utility
- Duke Energy Progress
- Main hazards
- Ice storms, hurricane remnants, tall loblolly pines, summer thunderstorms
What state law allows
North Carolina towns can regulate trees only as far as the General Assembly allows. The session law that authorized Cary and several other towns to adopt tree ordinances states that any tree ordinance shall exclude property to be developed for single-family or duplex residential uses.
Within that limit, Cary regulates tree removal in perimeter buffers before development, along roadways and next to developed property, and a 2001 law lets towns protect significant specimen or champion trees on sites planned for new development.
Do I need a town permit to remove a tree in Cary?
On an existing single-family or duplex lot, generally no. Development sites, commercial property and required buffers are different, and HOA covenants in many Cary neighborhoods add their own approval steps. Call the town's planning staff if your lot backs onto a required buffer or common area.
- Single-family home
- Generally exempt from the town tree ordinance.
- Development sites
- Buffers and specimen trees regulated.
- HOAs
- Many Cary subdivisions require architectural review for removals.
Fran, ice and tall pines
Hurricane Fran tracked inland over the Triangle in September 1996 and brought down tens of thousands of trees, many of them tall loblolly pines over houses in Cary and Raleigh. The December 2002 ice storm followed, coating the region in ice and breaking pines and Bradford pears across Wake County.
Those storms shaped what Cary plants today and how owners think about the pines left standing in many subdivisions. A 90-foot pine 20 feet from a bedroom is the most common removal request in town.
The town's own canopy goals focus on public land and new development, and its street tree program replants along town roads.
Triangle tree warning signs
Pines with thin crowns after drought
Stress that invites bark beetles.
Bradford pears with tight forks
Likely to split in the next ice storm.
Oaks with dead limbs over roofs
Common in neighborhoods built in the 1980s and 1990s.
Trees near new construction declining
Root damage from grading and utilities.
Keep the pine or take it down
Keep
- Healthy crown and trunk
- Far enough from the house to miss it if it fell
- Part of a stand that shelters it
Remove
- Dead or dying top
- Leaning toward the house
- Left alone after neighbors were cleared
Pines that grew in a stand are vulnerable once exposed. See pine tree removal.
Before removing a tree in Cary
Check your HOA
Many subdivisions require approval.
Check for buffers
Required buffers and common areas are regulated.
Call Duke Energy
If the tree is near lines.
Plan the removal
Most yard pines are sectioned down, because few Cary lots have room to drop a 90-foot tree.
Replant
Replace a removed pine with a hardwood placed farther from the house.
Cary tree questions
Why can't Cary regulate trees on my lot?
State session law excludes single-family and duplex property from the town's tree ordinance authority.
Does Raleigh have the same limit?
North Carolina cities have different authority under their own laws. Check Raleigh's rules separately.
Who maintains trees along town streets?
The Town of Cary maintains trees in its right-of-way.
Can a Cary HOA block a tree removal?
If the covenants require approval, yes. HOA rules are private agreements separate from town rules.
What trees hold up best in Cary storms?
Willow oak, white oak, southern red oak and bald cypress tend to do better than loblolly pine and Bradford pear. Young trees pruned for a single strong leader do best of all.
Are pines near my house a liability?
A healthy pine is not a defect by itself. A pine with a dead top, a lean toward the house or root damage from construction should be assessed.
Reach a tree service in Cary
Call to be connected with an independent tree company that works in the Cary area, or leave your number and one will call you back.
(844) 955-1716Call availability varies by area and time of day
Limbwright is a referral service. Your call goes to an independent tree service company that sets its own schedule and terms. Ask for proof of insurance and a written scope before work starts. How this works
Call now
Talk to a tree service provider in your area. Have the tree's location and what it is near ready.
(844) 955-1716Call nowCall availability varies by area and time of day