— Local Coverage —
A Village Inside a Township, With Two Rulebooks
The Village of Milford is about 6,500 people in two and a half square miles, sitting inside a 35-square-mile township of about 17,000. In the Village you've got a National Register historic district — 312 structures, 255 of them contributing, running from 1834 forward, in Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Craftsman and Bungalow — which means century-old street trees over narrow lots and close setbacks. In the Township you've got rural residential zoning with two-acre minimums and three-acre averages, wooded lots, and horse farms. Same mailing address, very different tree work, and very different rules.
— NEIGHBORHOODS & AREAS —
— What We Do —
Services in Milford
Tree Removal
Safe takedowns of any size — from a single dead ash to full clearing along a driveway or fence line. Every branch and log hauled, yard left spotless.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Structural pruning, canopy thinning, deadwooding, and clearance work over roofs, driveways, and power lines. Healthier trees, cleaner curb appeal.
Stump Grinding
Below-grade grinding with chip cleanup and grade repair, so you can replant, re-sod, or forget the stump was ever there.
24/7 Storm & Emergency Work
Trees on houses, trees on cars, trees blocking the road — we respond day or night with the trucks, chippers, and skid steers to make it safe fast.
Land & Lot Clearing
Overgrown lots, buildable parcels, and property line cleanup. We drop, chip, and haul so your project can start clean.
Landscape Design & Install
After the trees come down — beds, plantings, sod, and hardscape done right by the same crew that knows your yard.
— Why Homeowners Call Us —
Local know-how in Milford
We Don't Top Trees — the Village Made It Law
Milford's ordinance makes topping a street or park tree unlawful without written Tree Board consent, and defines it precisely: cutting limbs back to stubs larger than three inches within the crown so as to remove the normal canopy and disfigure the tree. Very few communities legislate against topping. If someone quotes you a price to top a tree, that tells you something.
Oak Wilt Has Hard Dates, and Oaks Are Landmarks Here
Michigan DNR guidance is not to prune oaks between April 15 and July 15 — red oaks can die within weeks of infection. In Milford Township oak is a landmark species at 18 inches DBH, and the Village names oak wilt as a declared public nuisance. Oaks get scheduled around those dates.
Ash Is Exempt in the Township
Milford Township's exempt species list includes ash, which means dead and dying ash generally need no tree permit there. The Village goes the other direction and names emerald ash borer as a public nuisance the DPS director can order removed. Either way, standing dead ash is brittle and unsafe to climb, and we take it down from outside the tree.
September 2026 Put It on the Map
Straight-line winds of 60 to 70 mph came through on September 2nd and 3rd, with multiple trees and large branches down east of Milford, significant flooding downtown, and more than 260,000 DTE customers out across the region. We ran storm calls through it, day and night.
— Local Rules —
Milford Tree Rules: Village vs. Township
One name, two governments, two very different answers. Note that the Township ordinance was replaced in 2024 — older section numbers still circulating online are superseded.
Village: No Permit to Remove Your Own Tree
The Village of Milford's tree article has no private-property removal permit, no DBH threshold, and no replacement requirement. What it regulates on private property is planting — no tree within six feet of a street right-of-way line.
Village: Your Tree Service Needs a Permit and a Bond
It is unlawful to engage in the business of pruning, treating, or removing street or park trees in the Village without a permit from the Village Clerk, backed by evidence of $500,000 bodily injury and $500,000 property damage liability coverage. Ask whoever you hire whether they carry it.
Village: Your Duty Over the Right-of-Way
Owners of trees overhanging a street right-of-way must keep eight feet of clear space above the street or sidewalk, keep streetlamps and intersection views unobstructed, and remove all dead, diseased, or dangerous trees and broken or decayed limbs. If you don't after written notice, the Village does it, bills you, and the unpaid bill becomes a lien with 6 percent interest.
Village: Pests Are a Declared Nuisance
Any tree on private property afflicted with emerald ash borer, Dutch elm disease, Asian long-horned beetle, oak wilt, or thousand cankers disease is declared a public nuisance, and the DPS director can order pruning, spraying, or destruction.
Township: Single-Family Homes Are Largely Exempt
The Township ordinance states outright that it is not the intent to regulate single-family residences. No permit is needed for routine yard maintenance on a legal lot of record, or for tree removal on an occupied single-family lot with a valid certificate of occupancy. Hazardous trees, emergency work after a storm, and trimming done to ANSI A300 standards are also exempt. Clear-cutting is never exempt.
Township: When a Permit Is Required
Outside those exemptions, a tree permit is required to remove a protected tree — 8 inches DBH or greater — or a landmark tree, which means 24 inches DBH or greater plus species-specific thresholds: oak, maple, pine and hickory at 18 inches, walnut at 20, sassafras at 15, and dogwood, redbud, serviceberry and spruce at 8. Replacement runs one for one, and the ordinance also bars harvesting more than 25 percent of canopy cover before approval, or clear-cutting within five years of taking ownership.
Who to Call
Village of Milford: (248) 684-1515. Milford Township Building Department: (248) 685-8731. Township roads are largely Road Commission for Oakland County, so right-of-way work out there is a county matter.
Ordinances change — confirm current requirements with Milford before planting or removing.
— Our Process —
How a Job Goes
- ✓Free on-site estimate, usually within the week
- ✓Clear written quote — no surprise add-ons
- ✓Scheduled crew arrives in marked trucks with proper gear
- ✓Careful rigging around houses, fences, and landscaping
- ✓Every branch and log chipped or hauled off-site
- ✓Yard raked and blown clean before we leave
— Nearby Cities —
Also serving near Milford
Don't see your city? Ask us — we travel across all of Southeast Michigan.