Tree Removal: Tree Down, Leaning or Dead

What happened to the tree?

Each situation has its own page: what to do before anyone arrives, what the work involves and what you will be asked on the phone.

On the house or roofGet people out from under it, photograph everything, call the insurer, then a crew.
On a power lineThe utility comes first. Stay away and treat the line as live.
On a carPhotograph it where it lies. The car claim goes to the auto policy.
On a fence or shedDamage to a fence or shed is often covered differently from the house.
Across the driveway or roadOn the street it is the city’s call. In the driveway, check the policy first.
After a stormHanging limbs, split trunks, trees on houses, and the ones that look fine.
LeaningLifted soil or cracked roots at the base turn a lean into a warning.
Dead or dyingDead wood is brittle and unpredictable, which is why it often costs more to remove.
Split or cracked trunkTwo stems from one point, or a crack down the trunk, are common failure points.
Hanging broken limbIt can fall without warning. Keep people and cars out from under it.
A neighbor’s treeWeather is nobody’s fault. A tree the neighbor was warned about can be.

The first few minutes

Start from what you see. The middle column is what you can do safely yourself; the last is work for the utility or a tree crew.

What you seeDo nowLeave to the crew or the utility

A tree or limb on a power line Keep everyone and pets well away and call the electric utility’s emergency number The utility makes the line safe; only trained line-clearance crews work near it

A tree on the roof Get everyone out of the rooms under it, photograph the damage, call your insurer Lifting the tree off without dropping it through the roof

A tree on the car Photograph it where it lies; do not try to drive out from under it Cutting the tree off the car; the claim goes to your auto policy

A tree across the driveway or the street Photographs, and a call to the city if it is on the street Cutting and hauling a tree that is under tension

A broken limb hanging in the crown Keep people and cars out from under it Bringing the limb down on a rope, not letting it drop

A tree that leans more than it did Look for lifted soil or cracked roots at the base, from a distance Judging whether it will fall, and taking it down if so

What tree work costs

HomeGuide, a cost guide that tracks estimates homeowners receive, puts typical tree removal at $400 to $1,200, from about $200 for a small tree that is easy to reach to as much as $3,000 for a large or complicated removal. By height it gives $200 to $500 under 30 feet and $1,200 to $2,500 or more above 80 feet.

Two things surprise people. A dead tree often costs more to take down than a living one, because brittle branches can fall unexpectedly. And a tree that has fallen on a house or a power line can cost more than the same tree standing, while one that fell cleanly into open ground usually costs less. What sets the price

What insurance usually pays

The Texas Department of Insurance sums it up this way: many homeowners policies provide some coverage when a tree falls in a storm and damages the house, or when limbs block the driveway, but “limbs and trees falling in your yard usually aren’t covered.” A tree on a car goes to the auto policy’s comprehensive coverage.

When a neighbor’s tree falls on your house, the neighbor’s policy probably won’t pay unless the neighbor was at fault, and the claim goes to your own policy. Photograph everything before it moves. Insurance and fallen trees

Questions people ask first

Who answers the phone?

An independent tree service in your area, or a company that books appointments for tree services. This site does not do tree work; it is paid when a call qualifies. How this site is paid

Does the call cost anything?

No. The call and being connected are free. The work itself is priced by the provider, usually after someone has seen the tree, and you decide whether to go ahead.

Can someone come tonight?

The line takes calls 24/7. Whether a crew can come out at night depends on the providers near you and on how many calls they have after a storm; the person you speak with will say.

What about the stump?

Grinding the stump is usually quoted together with the removal. Say whether you want it ground, left low or left as it is when you describe the job.

I rent. Can I call?

Yes. The line takes calls from owners, renters and businesses. At a rented home the landlord usually decides on tree work and pays for it, so check the lease, and tell the person on the phone that you rent.

Is there a provider in my town?

Calls go to a provider in the caller’s area where one takes part. There are pages for towns and cities in every state the line serves, but this site cannot promise a provider in every one.

Largest cities

By state

Who licenses tree work, and what cities may require, differ from state to state. Each state page leads to its counties and towns.

The work, the money and the rules

A person on the phone in a back yard looking at a large fallen tree

What you will be asked

Where the tree is and what is under it or near it: the house, a power line, a car, a fence, the street.
Whether it is standing, leaning, split or already down, and since when.
Roughly how tall it is and how thick the trunk is at chest height. A guess is fine.
Whether a truck can get close, or the tree is in a back yard behind a fence or a narrow gate.
Whether there is damage your insurer should see, and whether you have called them yet.
The address, and whether you own the property or rent it.

Call (888) 239-7893 free call, 24/7

The line takes: tree removal, emergency removal after a storm, trimming and pruning, lot and land clearing, tree health checks, cabling and bracing, and brush and debris cleanup, for homeowners, renters and businesses. It is not for: jobs, equipment, firewood, tree services looking for work, or a price quoted over the phone without anyone seeing the tree.

A tree down, or about to come down? Start with what happened.