Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa
Pensacola crane rental for storm, truss and roof work
Trusses, a tree on the roof, an AC unit or a load of shingles. Send it in and a crane operator who works the Pensacola area prices it.
Start with the job
Send it once. Your job goes to one crane or boom truck operator who covers Escambia and Santa Rosa, and they call you with a price.
- Boom trucks from 23 tons
- Storm repair lifts after Isaias
- Short 2-hour minimums on small trucks
- No charge to ask
Escambia and Santa Rosa job guides
-
Crane service for storm damageTrees on roofs, debris and repair lifts after Isaias.
-
Boom truck for roof trussesTruss sets on new homes in Pace, Milton and Navarre.
-
Crane rental in Fort Walton BeachOkaloosa permits, Destin and the drive east.
What a crane costs around Pensacola
Most Panhandle companies quote by phone. These are one company's posted rates, and Pensacola quotes tend to land near them. Small trucks have short minimums, which helps on quick jobs.
| Crane size | Per hour | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 23-ton boom truck | $180 | 2 hours ($360) |
| 30-ton boom truck | $195 | 2 hours ($390) |
| 40-ton crane | $210 | 3 hours ($630) |
| 50-ton crane | $235 | 3 hours ($705) |
| 65-ton crane | $260 | 4 hours ($1,040) |
| 90-ton crane | $310 | 4 hours ($1,240) |
Source: Harmon Crane posted rates (Kalispell, Montana). The same sheet lists a rigger at $120 an hour, $25 an hour more past 50 miles and $60 an hour more for overtime.
Three Pensacola jobs, priced
- $360A 23-ton boom truck landing shingle bundles on a Pace roof inside its 2-hour minimum.
- $780A 30-ton boom truck setting a house truss package in Milton over four hours.
- $1,280A 65-ton crane for four hours to lift a storm-downed oak off a Gulf Breeze roof, with a $120 an hour rigger for two.
Send yours in for a real number.
Get my lift pricedThe rates page covers travel, riggers, overtime and how to compare quotes.
Towns we cover
- Pensacola downtown
- Gulf Breeze 5 mi
- Cantonment 15 mi
- Pace 13 mi
- Milton 18 mi
- Navarre 21 mi
- Fort Walton Beach 36 mi
- Destin 43 mi
Straight-line miles from downtown Pensacola. Permit offices for each town are on the area page.
_Apr_2026_03.jpg){kind=link}
A boom truck market, mostly
Nearly everything being built around Pensacola is a single-family house.
Escambia and Santa Rosa authorized 3,327 housing units in 2025, and 3,104 through September 2026, up about 21% from a year earlier, by Census permit data. Escambia had just 32 units in apartment-size buildings in 2025, and Santa Rosa had none.
Houses mean trusses, roofing and AC units, which is boom truck work. Growth is strongest in Santa Rosa, so Pace, Milton and Navarre see a lot of truss sets.
After Isaias
Hurricane Isaias came ashore in the western Panhandle as a Category 2 on October 9, 2026, with flooding and outages across Escambia (NWS Mobile summary). A month later most of the work was debris. Repairs are next: trees off roofs, new roofs, replacement AC units and lanai frames.
The last big storm shows how long that lasts. In April 2025 the Navy awarded about $63.5 million in contracts to repair Hurricane Sally damage at NAS Pensacola and Corry Station, five years after Sally (NAVFAC Southeast).
If you have a tree on a roof, say whether it is still hung up or already down, and whether an insurance adjuster has seen it.
Permits and airspace
Inside Pensacola city limits, permits and inspections run through the city's Engineering office on its online system, with 24 hours' notice for inspections (City Engineering). In unincorporated Escambia, the county building office handles it (Escambia building guide).
With NAS Pensacola, Whiting Field and Pensacola International all nearby, tall booms can need FAA notice under 14 CFR 77.9 (eCFR). Most boom truck jobs stay well below the limits, but a big crane near a runway may not.
Questions Panhandle callers ask
How much does it cost to rent a crane in Pensacola?
Small boom trucks with an operator run about $180 to $195 an hour on posted rates, with a 2-hour minimum, so a quick job can start near $360 to $390. Larger cranes run $210 to $310 an hour with 3 to 4 hour minimums.
Can a crane remove a tree from my roof after the storm?
Yes. The crane holds the tree while the crew cuts it in sections, so it comes off without more damage. The size depends on the tree and how far it is from where the truck can park.
Do I need a permit to use a crane in Pensacola?
For most driveway lifts at a house, no separate crane permit is needed. Setting up in a city street or near an airport can need one. The operator will tell you once they see the address.
How far east do you cover?
Out to Fort Walton Beach and Destin. Past about 50 miles, expect a travel charge on top of the hourly rate.
What size crane sets house trusses?
A 23 to 30 ton boom truck sets most single-family truss packages around Pensacola, often in half a day.
Get the job priced
One minute, and a rough idea of the weight is enough.