My neighbor said to do their 2 queen palms was about 250 but they aren't 3 stories either.

Make sure whoever does the tree trimming knows what they are doing. We had our palm "trimmed" and they cut out the green heart, killing the tree.

Call some tree trimming companies for bids. Get at least three bids, and tell them you are getting bids. I find prices for this sort of thing vary greatly from one business to the next. Also ask them to explain exactly what they will do -- how much they will remove, what is their method, etc., and are they insured.

The Washingtonia will get expensive over time -- many in my neighborhood are over 60 ft. tall. If it were me, I'd also ask how much it would cost to remove that one. But that's just me...

Thanks for the feedback guys. Catkim, I know what you mean about the Washingtonia. Mom's got them coming up like weeds all around her yard.

Compared to costs to trim Phoenix canariensis palms here in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I ended up getting 5 30 to 50 foot tall palms trimmed for about $3500, the estimate your mom received seems more than reasonable. This is really messy, as well as dangerous work with a chainsaw and a lot of dust. I would suggest that you make sure that they might not be spreading any diseases such as Pink Rot from having trimmed other infected palms, although this is less of a problem with true Date palms, but is a real concern if they are Phoenix canariensis palms. Just the dump fees for the spent fronds will probably amount to over $100.

My tree man pointed out two 40 foot palms in the front of a lawyers office. He made a deal to trim the palms in exchange for the lawyers fee for getting him a divorce. My tree man says he has never been happier. The trees look good too. Al