Tree trimming and pruning in Myrtle Beach, to the ANSI standard
Pruning done right makes a tree safer and stronger; done wrong — topped, lion-tailed, flush-cut — it makes the next storm worse, and in Myrtle Beach topping a protected tree is legally a removal. We prune to the ANSI A300 standard and explain every cut.
Most of the trimming we do on the Strand is maintenance on trees that are worth keeping: deadwooding the live oaks so the dead limbs come down on our schedule instead of a storm's; cleaning and thinning crowns so wind moves through them; raising canopies off roofs, driveways and the street; clearing the service drop from the pole to the house (Santee Cooper will disconnect it for free with a day's notice so we can work safely); and structural pruning on young trees so they grow a strong central leader and well-spaced limbs instead of the weak, co-dominant forks that split at twenty. Every cut follows the ANSI A300 pruning standard: at the branch collar, never flush, never a stub, and never more than a quarter of the live crown in a year. Myrtle Beach writes that standard into its ordinance for paid tree work, and Conway makes tree workers sign an affidavit that they've read it.
What we don't do is top trees. Topping — cutting the main limbs back to stubs — is still common along the Strand and it's the worst thing you can do to an oak: the stubs rot, the tree pushes out a thicket of weakly-attached water sprouts that grow fast and break easily, and in ten years you have a bigger, more dangerous tree than you started with. It's also illegal on a protected tree in Myrtle Beach (the ordinance counts topping, stubbing and lopping as unauthorized removal), banned outright in Conway and Surfside, and in Georgetown County too. We also don't lion-tail (strip the interior and leave tufts at the tips), which loads the ends of the limbs and sets them up to break in a hurricane. If you've been told your oak needs to be topped for storm safety, call us for a second opinion; what it usually needs is a proper thin and a weight reduction, which is a different job — and on a landmark oak, one that may need its own permit.
What's included
Deadwooding
Dead and dying limbs removed before a storm removes them — the single best thing for an old oak.
Crown cleaning & thinning
Crossing, rubbing and crowded limbs removed so wind moves through the canopy instead of pushing on it.
Clearance
Roofs, gutters, pools, driveways, the service drop and the street — raised and kept there.
Weight reduction
Overextended limbs over the house shortened back to a lateral, not stubbed.
Structural pruning
Young oaks and maples trained to one leader and sound branch spacing so they never need a crane.
Never topping
ANSI A300 cuts at the collar, under a quarter of the live crown, and the permit when pruning a landmark oak needs one.
Tree trimming cost in Myrtle Beach, SC
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree trimming, under 30 ft | $100 – $400 | Crape myrtle, young oaks, ornamentals |
| Medium tree, 30–60 ft | $350 – $800 | Most maintenance pruning |
| Large tree, 60 ft and up | $700 – $1,500 | Mature oaks and pines |
| Live oak crown cleaning, big tree | $500 – $2,000 | Deadwooding and thinning; see live oak care |
| Storm-prep thinning and weight reduction | $300 – $1,200 | Per tree; see hurricane prep |
| Service-drop or roof clearance | $150 – $500 | Per tree; utility disconnect arranged |
These are 2026 Grand Strand ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — the climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, the permit for your town — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about tree trimming
How often should an oak be pruned?
A mature live oak every three to five years for deadwood and clearance; a young oak every two years for structure until it's established. Laurel oaks more often, because they shed more deadwood as they age.
When is the best time to prune on the coast?
Late winter into early spring, before the growth flush, for structural work; deadwood any time. We do most hurricane-prep thinning in April and May so the canopy is set before June 1.
Can you prune the tree on the city right-of-way in front of my house?
Street trees belong to the town, and in Myrtle Beach anything in the right-of-way over three inches is a protected tree. We can do the part of your tree that's over your property and advise on the rest.
My neighbor's oak hangs over my yard. Can you cut it?
South Carolina lets you trim back to the property line on your side, at your expense, as long as you don't kill the tree — and on the Strand, if the tree is a protected size, the town's pruning rules still apply to your side of it. We do that work regularly and we'll talk to the neighbor first if you'd like.
Someone offered to top my oak for $300.
Please don't. In Myrtle Beach that's an unauthorized removal with a fine attached if the tree is protected, and everywhere it's a tree that will cost you more in ten years. A proper thin and weight reduction is the storm-safe answer.