Tomball changed the rules on big trees in 2025. To protect green space as the city grows, the City Council passed Tomball's first tree preservation ordinance, and it reaches existing homes, not just new subdivisions. Anyone searching for a tree service in Tomball, TX should know that before the first limb is cut.
This website and its phone number are a free connection service. Nobody here owns a saw. When you call (346) 680-8916, an automated assistant takes your details and passes the call to an independent, locally owned tree company near Tomball, which comes out, sets the price and does the work if you hire it.
- Harris CountyTomball is a city in northwest Harris County, northwest of Houston.
- 18 inchesThe diameter at which a tree on the City of Tomball Tree List becomes a protected tree.
- Jan 21, 2025The date existing properties became subject to the tree ordinance.
- CenterPointThe utility that owns and maintains the power lines across Tomball.
A railroad town that grew up in the woods
The city's own history describes German settlers who found the thick forests around Spring Creek much like the Black Forest back home, and good ground for farms, cattle and timber. The town of Peck was renamed Tomball on December 2, 1907, at the downtown depot, after Thomas Ball, who brought the railroad through. Oil came in 1933, and the town took the nickname Oiltown USA.
Those woods still show. Eight miles west of town, Harris County's Kleb Woods Nature Preserve keeps 133.5 acres of towering pine and oak forest and scattered wetlands on an old family homestead. Many Tomball yards hold the same two kinds of tree: wide oaks that shade roofs and driveways, and tall pines that reach a long way when they fall.
Tomball's tree ordinance, step by step
City Council approved the ordinance on January 6, 2025, and existing residential and commercial properties became subject to it on January 21, 2025. Residents and developers inside city limits now need city approval before cutting protected trees. Here is how a homeowner can think it through.
- Inside city limits?The ordinance covers property within the City of Tomball. Many homes with a Tomball mailing address sit outside the city in unincorporated Harris County, so confirm with the city before assuming either way.
- On the list?The City of Tomball Tree List names the species the ordinance protects, more than 40 of them, from American elm to willow oak, with native trees like live oak, post oak and pecan among them.
- 18 inches or more?A listed tree becomes a protected tree once its trunk measures 18 diameter inches or larger. A company you hire can measure it for you.
- Dead, diseased or hazardous?Trees the Director of Community Development or a designee determines are dead, diseased, in severe decline or a safety hazard are exempt. The city decides that, not the homeowner or the contractor.
- Get the permitFor a healthy protected tree, a tree removal permit comes from Community Development, 281-290-1405. Replacement is inch for inch: an 18 inch tree calls for 18 caliper inches of new trees. If replacement is not possible, the ordinance allows a fee in lieu paid into a city tree fund.
What this means when you call a company
A healthy 20 inch live oak in a Tomball back yard is now a different job than it was in 2024. Before you agree to a removal date, ask the company whether the tree is on the city list, whether it measures 18 inches or more, and who is getting the permit. Some homeowners find that tree trimming or structural pruning solves the real problem, a limb over the roof or a crowded canopy, and the tree can stay. When the tree truly has to go, the tree removal page explains how a removal is planned, and an arborist assessment can document decline or a defect for the city.
New building puts trees at risk in a quieter way. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension warns that post oak roots are very sensitive to disturbance, and that driveways, patios, remodels, swimming pools and even parked vehicles can compact the soil around them and start a slow decline. If you are adding onto a home near a big oak, talk to a tree company before the slab goes in.
Storms that hit Tomball's trees
Tomball's worst tree damage has come from wind and water, not just the big named storms.
- April 2016. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado, with winds of 60 to 85 mph, in the Willow Way area near Tomball. Falling trees split homes, and a 62 year old woman died when trees fell on her house.
- Hurricane Harvey, August 2017. About 30 inches of rain fell in the Tomball and Magnolia area over four days. Willow Creek left its banks in Tomball and passed its 100 year flood level by about a foot.
- Hurricane Beryl, July 2024. Beryl left millions in the region without power. The City of Tomball opened a tree debris drop-off at the old landfill, 1200 Rudolph Road, for residents and utility customers.
After a storm, do
- Keep people and pets away from fallen trees and hanging limbs.
- Call 911 if a line is down or someone is hurt, then the utility.
- Photograph the damage for your insurer before anything is moved.
- Ask Community Development whether a storm damaged protected tree is exempt.
After a storm, do not
- Touch or go near a limb resting on a wire.
- Climb into a damaged tree or cut a trunk under tension.
- Pile debris on meters, hydrants or storm drains.
- Hire the first stranger who knocks without checking insurance.
Power lines over Tomball yards
CenterPoint Energy is the transmission and distribution utility for Tomball: whichever retail provider sends your bill, CenterPoint owns the poles and wires and restores power after outages. Its forestry team trims trees around its lines to ANSI A300 standards at no charge for typical trimming on existing facilities. If a tree is growing into the wires, call CenterPoint at 713-207-2222 or ask through your retail provider. Homes just outside the city can be on a different utility, so check your bill.
Never let anyone without utility training work a tree that touches a line. If a limb is on a wire, stay back and call 911 and the utility.
Where the brush goes in Tomball
| Option | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly bulk and brush | Frontier Waste Solutions, the city's provider since October 1, 2024, picks up on your second collection day: 12 items, 2 cubic yards at most, trimmings cut, tied and bundled at 40 pounds or less. | Small pruning jobs |
| Spring Cleanup Week chipping | Free chipping of brush and small limbs. Call 281-290-1425 to get on the list before the week starts. Limbs 6 to 8 feet long, no more than 6 inches across, all laid the same direction at the road. | A spring cleanout |
| Precinct 4 public dumpster | Harris County Precinct 4 runs a public dumpster on Service Center Road in Tomball that takes branches and shrubs, listed as open Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check its page before you load the truck. | Hauling it yourself |
| Hauling in the quote | Ask the tree company to chip the brush and haul the logs as part of the job. See tree debris removal. | Full removals and storm cleanup |
Hiring well in Tomball
Common calls from Tomball include storm damage, oaks rubbing roofs, pines too close to a fence line, stump grinding after a permitted removal, and clearing on acreage outside town. Whatever the job, Texas does not license tree trimming or removal, so the checks are up to you.
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).
Not sure what the tree needs? Call and describe it. The company you are put through to looks at the tree and tells you the price before any work starts.
How a Tomball call gets to a tree company
- 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 Tomball homeowners
- Tree Removal
- Tree Trimming
- Tree Pruning
- Arborist Assessment and Tree Care
- Emergency and Storm Tree Removal
- Tree Removal Cost in Houston
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