Tree felling prices on the KZN coast.

What published guides say

We have not yet collected prices from South Coast businesses. The closest published figures are national. Procompare's 2026 cost guide gives these ranges:

Use these as a rough guide only. They are national figures, not quotes from Margate or Port Shepstone, and a hard job can cost more than the top of the range.

What moves the price

• Size. Height and trunk width decide how long the job takes and how much wood there is to deal with.
• Access. A tree the team can reach with a truck is quicker than one behind the house, down a steep bank, or where every branch has to be carried out by hand.
• What is underneath. Near a roof, wall, pool or fence, a tree cannot simply be dropped. It comes down in pieces, often lowered on ropes, which takes longer.
• Power lines. Eskom tells the public not to cut down trees next to power lines, and to contact Eskom when a tree close to a line needs trimming or felling. That adds a step.
• The stump. Felling leaves a stump. Grinding it out is usually extra, and priced by its size and roots.
• Removal. Some quotes leave the wood and branches on site. Others include chipping and carting it all away.
• Permission. A protected tree such as a milkwood needs a DFFE licence first. A tree on the verge needs the municipality's written permission.

How to get a fair quote

• Get three quotes from people who come and look. A price over the phone is a guess.
• Ask for it in writing, with each part listed: felling, stump, removal and clean-up.
• Ask how the tree will come down, and what will protect your roof, walls and garden.
• Agree on a date, and what happens if the weather delays the job.
• Pay a deposit only if the quote says so in writing.

Questions to ask before you say yes

• Do you have public liability insurance, and can I see the certificate? It is the cover that pays if the work damages your house or a neighbour's.
• Who will climb, and what training do they have?
• Is this a protected tree? If it is a milkwood or on the protected list, will you work from a DFFE licence?
• Is this a listed invasive tree? If so, removing it helps you meet your duty to control it. How will you stop it coming back? See invasive trees in KZN.
• Is it near a power line? Has Eskom, or the municipality if it supplies your power, been told?
• Who takes the wood, and where to?

Check your own cover

Before work starts, ask your home insurer whether damage caused by a contractor is covered, and whether they want to see the contractor's insurance. Keep the written quote and the insurance certificate together.