Most tree removal calls from Cypress, TX, are about pines and oaks that grew up with the subdivisions around them and have now reached the house, the fence or the wires. This page covers removal only: which trees get there, what to check before a crew arrives, and what happens with a tree that is already down. For background on rules, neighborhoods and storm history across Cy-Fair, read the Cypress tree service page.
One thing to know first: the phone number here belongs to a free referral line, so nobody who answers it will be cutting anything. You describe the tree, and the call is transferred to an independent, locally owned removal company working in Cypress, which quotes and does the job if you hire it.
Which Cypress trees end up coming down
Pines that turn brown. Tall loblolly pines stand in many Cy-Fair back yards. When one dies, it is usually stress first and insects second. Texas A&M reported heavy losses to Ips engraver beetles in pines weakened by the February 2021 freeze, and a U.S. Forest Service study that simulated lightning strikes on loblolly pines found both southern pine beetles and Ips beetles attacking the struck trees. A pine whose needles have gone brown from the top down is a removal candidate, and a dead pine becomes brittle.
Old water oaks. Water oak grows quickly, which is why builders and homeowners planted so many. The Texas A&M Forest Service tree planting guide lists decay in older trees among its problems, and it belongs to the red oak group, which is more vulnerable to oak wilt. Fungus at the base or a hollow trunk is the usual sign.
Storm survivors. A tree that came through a hurricane with a split fork, a new lean or lifted soil on one side may not survive the next one.
Five checks before a Cypress tree comes down
None of these takes long, and each one can save a dispute, a fine or an injury.
- Find the property lineYour survey shows it. A tree at the back of the lot may be on HOA or MUD greenbelt, and one near the road may be in the county right of way. Harris County rules require prior approval before landscaping in a county or flood control right of way is removed.
- Read the deed restrictionsCypress is unincorporated, so there is no city tree permit, but subdivision restrictions and HOA guidelines can still cover tree removal or replanting. Check yours, and ask the management company if the wording is unclear.
- Look up for wiresCenterPoint says only qualified professionals it authorizes may trim or remove trees next to energized lines, and asks everyone to keep themselves and tools at least 10 feet from power lines. If a tree is too close to a line, call CenterPoint at 713-207-2222.
- Ask for paperworkTexas does not license tree removal, so ask the company for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation before work starts.
- Settle the wood and the stumpAgree in writing whether the price includes chipping, hauling and stump grinding. Your MUD's curbside pickup is not built for a whole tree.
Pines, privacy fences and tight back yards
Cypress lots often put a big tree in the hardest possible place: behind the house, inside a wood fence, with the only access through a side gate. A pine there cannot simply be felled. The crew takes it down in sections from the top, lowering each piece on ropes, or reaches over the house with a crane when there is no room to work underneath. Which method fits depends on the tree's height and condition, how close it is to the roof and the neighbor's yard, and whether a truck can get near it. This is a large part of why two quotes for the same tree can differ, and why the company has to see it before it prices it. The main tree removal page explains the methods, and the crane removal page covers when a crane makes sense.
When the tree is already down
Do
- Keep everyone, pets included, away from the tree and anything it touches
- Call 911 if a line is down or someone is hurt, and stay at least 35 feet from any downed wire
- Report the line to CenterPoint at 713-207-2222
- Photograph the tree and the damage before anything is moved
- Call your insurer, then call the free line for a removal company
Do not
- Climb onto the roof or under the tree to look
- Try to cut a trunk that is under tension or resting on a house or wire
- Pay a door to door crew in full before work starts
- Pile a whole tree at the curb and expect regular pickup to take it
After a regional storm, the county sometimes runs its own debris collection in unincorporated areas, as it did after Hurricane Beryl in 2024, when residents were asked to stack storm debris loose between the sidewalk and the curb. That program picks up debris; it does not take down a broken tree still standing in your yard. For more on storm calls, see emergency tree removal.
After the tree: the stump
Cutting a tree to the ground leaves a stump that keeps the lawn mower away and can sprout or rot for years. Grinding chews it down below the soil surface so the area can be leveled and replanted, or turned into a patio or bed. If you plan to plant in the same spot, tell the company, because grinding deeper and removing the chips takes longer.
Before grinding, the company should check for buried lines. Texas law requires a call to Texas811 at least 48 hours before an excavation, and it treats mechanized digging 16 inches or deeper as excavation, which a deep grind can reach. The stump grinding page has the details.
Prices for the whole job, stump included, are covered in the tree removal cost guide. Those are published ranges, not this line's prices; the company you reach sets its own after seeing the tree.
Check the company yourself. Texas has no state license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a business card proves very little. Ask the company for a certificate of general liability insurance sent by its insurance agent, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and the ISA certification number of its arborist. A company that sprays or injects trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Texas Department of Agriculture or its Structural Pest Control Service. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).
Say where the tree is, how tall it is and what is under it. The Cypress area removal company you reach prices it after a look.
A removal call from Cypress, step by step
- Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (346) 680-8916 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
- Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
- Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
- Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.
How this line works: Tree Service Houston TX is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Houston area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Houston TX a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.
More on tree removal in Cypress
- Tree Removal
- Crane Tree Removal
- Stump Grinding and Removal
- Emergency and Storm Tree Removal
- Tree Removal Cost in Houston
- Will the City Remove a Tree? Who Pays
- Cypress
Only need limbs taken off? See tree trimming in Cypress.