Tree Service in Hendersonville, on Old Hickory Lake
Tree service in Hendersonville revolves around Old Hickory Lake. The city sits on the lake at about 482 feet above sea level, and water covers 6.51 of its 38.18 square miles. Behind many lakefront lots, the land between the yard and the water is public property managed by the Corps of Engineers, whose 2020 shoreline plan prohibits cutting trees more than an inch across at the base and limits limbing to a third of a tree's height, 12 feet at most. The boundary line decides who may cut what, and the lakefront tree guide explains how to find it.
The city has filled in quickly. The census counted 51,372 residents in 2010 and 61,753 in 2020, and the Census Bureau's estimate for July 2025 is 64,266, which keeps it the largest city in Sumner County, though it was incorporated only in 1969. That growth sits squarely on the county's storm tracks. The April 7, 2006 F3 entered Hendersonville from Goodlettsville at 2:12 p.m. CDT and destroyed 80 homes here before reaching Gallatin, and the December 9, 2023 EF-2 crossed the city on its 35-mile run from north Nashville toward Trousdale County.
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Hendersonville's lake line, limb crews and storm tracks
The Corps rules on the lake strip are specific. Adjoining owners may apply for a vegetation alteration permit to control understory growth such as vines, briars and invasive plants, and a shoreline use permit covers mowing, which generally may not exceed 100 feet wide or half an acre, whichever is less. The Resource Manager may approve a meandering path up to four feet wide down to the water. Diseased or standing trees that pose a severe safety hazard can come down only with prior approval, and the plan generally requires replacement trees at least two inches across at the base. The lake's Resource Manager's office is in Hendersonville.
Cleanup follows the city's limb rules. Crews work Routes A, B and C in order and reach each part of the city about once every six to eight weeks. Limbs thicker than six inches are left behind, piles may be no larger than ten feet by ten feet, and brush has to sit within four feet of the road's edge, away from mailboxes and never under trees or overhead wires. The city will not collect debris from commercial tree cutting, so any removal quote should include haul-off. Small, firewood-sized pieces of stump can go out, and leaves must be in paper bags.
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Tree Service Services Available in Hendersonville
Tree jobs an owner in Hendersonville can request through this site:
See the full pricing guide for typical ranges.
Hendersonville FAQs
Will Hendersonville pick up limbs after a tree company cuts them?
No. The city's limb and brush page says no commercial tree cutting will be collected and tells residents who hire a tree service to have the company haul off the debris. Limbs an owner cuts personally can go out for the regular route pickup, as long as none is thicker than six inches, the pile is no bigger than ten by ten feet and it sits within four feet of the road. A written quote for work here should state whether hauling is included.
Can a lakefront owner trim trees on the Corps strip for a better view?
Only within the plan's limits and with the right permit. The 2020 Old Hickory Lake plan lets limbs be trimmed up to a third of a tree's height, never more than 12 feet, and prohibits cutting any tree more than an inch across at the base. Trees cannot be topped. Branches that overhang private property can be trimmed at the property line rather than at the trunk. In Protected Shoreline Areas, about 36 percent of the lake's shoreline, no cutting or underbrushing is allowed at all.
How far does a Hendersonville lot's private land run toward the lake?
Only to the government property line, and that varies. The Corps acquired the land around Old Hickory Lake by surveyed metes and bounds, so the distance from the line to the water depends on the terrain and the original purchase. The line is marked around the lake with posts and trees, and a section is re-marked every year. The Corps sets no setback from it, and before new permits are issued the line must be clearly identified, with a surveyor's stake survey if it is not.
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