Richmond and Rosenberg sit side by side in Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, near the Brazos River. If you are looking for tree service in Richmond, TX, the job usually turns on three local questions: which city's rules apply to your address, how much of the cut wood the curbside crew will take, and how close the tree is to a CenterPoint line.
This number does not send anyone to cut trees. It is a free referral line. You call (346) 680-8916, an automated assistant writes down your address or ZIP and what is wrong with the tree, and then it transfers you to an independent, locally owned company that serves Richmond and Rosenberg. That company comes out, sets its own price and is paid by you.
River bottom soil and big pecans
Fort Bend County describes its own ground as ranging from rich alluvial soils in the Brazos River Valley to sandy loam and clay out on the prairies. The river carved a broad valley, as much as ten miles wide in places, and those fertile deposits are a big reason the county grew up around farming.
The same county profile lists pecan, oak, ash and cottonwood as native trees, with stretches of old bottomland forest still standing along the waterways. That matches what Richmond and Rosenberg homeowners tend to call about: pecans dropping heavy limbs over a driveway, an oak that has grown out over the roof, or a cottonwood that has become too big for a small yard.
Deep river soil grows big trees quickly, and big trees near houses are where tree trimming and removal get expensive and technical. If yours is tall and close to the house, say so on the call so the company can plan the right equipment.
Richmond rules or Rosenberg rules?
The two cities touch, but each runs its own permits, street trees and trash contract. Check which city your address is in before anything gets cut.
| Question | City of Richmond | City of Rosenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Trees in the public right of way | The Street and Drainage Department handles tree trimming and mowing on public rights of way, under a city Tree Trimming Policy. | Public Works trims right of way trees in an annual project that rotates through the council districts. |
| Removing a tree | A tree permit is required to cut, remove or relocate a tree larger than 19 inches in diameter. File the Tree Removal Application with the Building Department, (281) 232-6871. | Ask the city before removing a tree near the street or on a site being developed. Tree trimming questions go to Citizen Relations, 832-595-3301. |
| Clearance the city keeps | Ask Street and Drainage about a specific street tree. | 12 feet over sidewalks, 15 feet over curbs, 18 feet over the center of the street. |
| Your own yard trees | The owner's job, along with any HOA deed restrictions that apply to the subdivision. | |
What the Richmond curbside crew will and will not take
Richmond's residential trash, recycling and yard waste are collected by GFL Environmental under contract with the city. Trash goes out twice a week, and recycling, yard waste and heavy trash are all picked up on Wednesdays. That schedule is handy after a light trim, and much less so after a removal.
- Yard waste: 8 or fewer bags or bundles, each weighing under 50 pounds.
- Brush and limbs: no more than 3 inches across, bundled in 4 foot lengths.
- Heavy trash: up to 5 cubic yards per account on each collection day.
- Not collected: stumps and logs heavier than 50 pounds and longer than 4 feet, dirt, fence pickets with nails and large timbers.
- Questions about a particular item: GFL at 281-368-8397.
A grown pecan or oak produces trunk rounds and limbs far thicker than 3 inches, so most removal debris in Richmond has to leave on the tree company's truck. When you compare prices, ask each company whether chipping, log hauling and stump grinding are included or extra.
When the Brazos rises and the wind blows
Living near a big river changes how trees fail. During Hurricane Harvey in 2017 the Brazos rose to a record level, cresting at over 55 feet at Richmond. Trees that stand in saturated ground for days can lose their grip, and roots that sat underwater can decline for months afterward.
Wind is the other threat. After Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, Fort Bend County began collecting storm debris early in the week of July 15, and its contractor hauled fallen trees, limbs and fence material from curbs at residential addresses. If a storm drops a tree on your house, these steps come first:
Do
- Get everyone out of rooms under the fallen tree.
- Call 911 if a line is down or anyone is hurt, and keep people and pets well back.
- Photograph the tree, the roof and any cars before anything is moved, for your insurer.
- Call the free line so a local company can look at it and quote the work.
Do not
- Go near any wire touching the tree, even if it looks dead.
- Climb onto the roof or the trunk to free limbs.
- Let anyone start cutting before you have a written price.
- Pile big trunk sections at the curb expecting the weekly crew to take them.
For more on getting ready before the season starts, read the hurricane tree prep guide, and for urgent jobs see emergency tree removal.
CenterPoint lines in Richmond and Rosenberg
CenterPoint Energy is the company that delivers electricity in both cities, and it runs a service center at 4011 Avenue H in Rosenberg. Your retail electric plan may carry another company's name, but the poles and wires are CenterPoint's. If you live farther out in the county, check your bill to see who owns the lines.
CenterPoint's contract crews trim trees near its distribution lines. The thinner service line running from the pole to your house is a different matter: CenterPoint treats branches around that line as the homeowner's responsibility, and no one should work near it until the utility confirms what is safe. When you call the free line, mention any wire running through the tree. It changes how the company plans the job.
Trimming or removal: what to say on the call
People searching for a tree trimming service in Richmond, TX and people searching for tree removal in Richmond, Texas end up on the same number. Here is how to help the company you are put through to understand the job before it arrives.
- Which city you live inRichmond, Rosenberg or the county outside them. The answer decides whose permit, street tree rules and trash rules apply.
- The kind of tree and its sizeA pecan, an oak, a cottonwood or a pine, and roughly how tall it is compared to the house.
- What it is nearThe roof, the fence, a driveway, a pool, or a CenterPoint wire.
- What you want doneA lift over the roof, deadwood out, a full removal, or a stump ground. If you are not sure, ask for an arborist assessment first.
- Where the wood goesAsk whether the price includes hauling, since the curbside crew cannot take big logs.
For what a proper trim looks like, read tree trimming and the timing guide. To see how prices are built, the removal cost guide and trimming cost guide cite published ranges. Every quote still depends on your tree.
Check the company before work starts
Anyone with a truck and a saw can knock on doors after a storm in Fort Bend County. Texas does not license tree trimming or removal, so the questions you ask are your protection.
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).
Tell the assistant your Richmond or Rosenberg address and what the tree is doing. The company you are put through to sees the tree and gives you its own price before any work begins.
How a call from Richmond works
- 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.
Services and guides for Richmond homeowners
- Tree Removal
- Tree Trimming
- Emergency and Storm Tree Removal
- Stump Grinding and Removal
- Tree Debris Removal and Hauling
- Tree Removal Cost in Houston
- Hurricane Season Tree Prep
Looking for a different town? See all Houston-area service areas.