Tree removal in Houston, Texas, tends to start with one of three stories: an aging water oak that has begun to shed heavy limbs, a pine that died after drought, a freeze or beetles, or a tree that a hurricane or windstorm left broken and leaning. Taking any of them down safely is a planning job before it is a cutting job. This page covers the warning signs, the methods, the city rules and how to judge the company you hire.
Tree Service Houston TX does not cut down trees. It is a free phone line. Call (346) 680-8916, tell the automated assistant what the tree is doing and where you are, and your call is transferred to an independent, locally owned tree service company that works in your part of greater Houston. That company looks at the tree, quotes its own price and does the work.
The Houston trees that most often reach the removal stage
Water oaks. Water oak is one of the most common shade trees on older Houston lots because it grows fast. That speed comes at a cost. The Texas A&M Forest Service tree planting guide lists decay in older trees and poor drought tolerance among its problems, and the Native Plant Society of Texas calls it short lived, weak limbed and vulnerable to wind and ice damage. Water oak also belongs to the red oak group, which is more susceptible to oak wilt.
Loblolly pines. Pines fill the yards of north and west Houston subdivisions, and they decline in a different way. After the February 2021 freeze, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported that loblolly pines were hit hard, and that in the months that followed it saw a large amount of pine death from Ips engraver beetles, which can invade trees stressed by a hard freeze. Lightning matters too: 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.
Storm damaged trees. Houston's storms leave their own removal list. On May 16, 2024, a derecho pushed winds estimated up to 100 mph through the Houston metro, according to the National Weather Service. Less than two months later, Hurricane Beryl came ashore on the Texas coast southwest of Houston on July 8, 2024, as a Category 1 storm with 80 mph winds, and about 2.7 million customers across Texas lost power, much of it from fallen trees and branches. A tree that survived with a cracked fork, a torn root plate or a new lean can fail in the next storm, so it is worth having it looked at. The emergency and storm page covers trees that are already down.
Warning signs a tree may need to come down
One sign alone is not a verdict. Each is a reason to get the tree assessed by someone qualified, ideally before the next hurricane season.
Look at the trunk and roots
- Mushrooms or shelf fungi growing on the trunk or root flare
- Soft, hollow or crumbling wood near the ground
- Long cracks or seams running up the trunk
- Soil lifting or cracking on one side of a leaning tree
- Roots cut by a foundation repair, driveway or sewer line
Look up into the crown
- Large dead limbs over the roof, driveway or street
- Bark peeling away from big branches
- A split where two main stems meet in a tight V
- A pine with needles turning brown from the top down
- A crown that thinned out suddenly on one side
Check from the ground only. Do not climb a ladder into a damaged tree. If you are not sure, an arborist assessment can tell you whether trimming will do or the tree really has to go.
How a tree removal is usually done
A careful company walks the job with you first. It should point out what the tree could hit, where the truck and chipper will park, and whether a gas meter, a fence, an irrigation line or a septic system sits in the work zone. Then it chooses a method:
| Method | When it fits | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Felling in one piece | Open ground in the direction of the fall, such as a back acreage or a wide yard | Where exactly the trunk will land and how the lawn will be protected |
| Sectional removal by rope | Trees close to a house, fence, pool or garage | Who is climbing, and how each piece is lowered clear of the roof |
| Bucket truck | Trees the truck can reach from the street or driveway | Whether the truck will sit on the driveway and how heavy it is |
| Crane | Large or decayed trees over a house with no room to lower pieces | Where the crane sets up and whether the street must be blocked |
Before you sign, read what the quote says happens after the tree is on the ground. One company's "removal" may leave logs stacked on the lawn, while another includes chipping the brush, hauling the wood and grinding the stump. Compare quotes on the same scope of work, and ask for the scope in writing.
City of Houston rules before the first cut
Who owns the tree decides which rules apply.
Trees on city property
The City of Houston requires a Tree Removal/Tree Trimming Permit for any tree on city property, which includes rights of way, medians and parks. Processing takes about 10 business days, fees vary with the tree's size and location, and the permit must be posted 20 days before work starts.
Trees on a setback
The same permit page also covers trees on a setback, the strip of a lot along the street where building is restricted. If a big tree sits near the front of your lot, ask the company to confirm the permit question before the job is scheduled.
Other cities and HOAs
Small cities inside the Houston area, such as Southside Place and Hilshire Village, run their own tree permits, and many subdivisions have deed restrictions. The permit guide walks through it.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department asks anyone who sees street trees being cut down to call the Urban Park Rangers at 832-395-7100, a line answered 24 hours a day, so it can check for a permit.
Trees near CenterPoint power lines
If any part of the tree touches or could fall into an overhead line, the job changes. CenterPoint Energy says to never try to remove a tree next to a power line yourself, and to call it at 713-207-2222 or 1-800-332-7143 if a tree is within 10 feet of its lines. The company says trees and plants cause about 20 percent of unplanned outages in Houston and that it trims about 1 million trees a year. If a line is on the ground or sparking, keep everyone back and call 911.
Tell the assistant on the free line about any wires when you call, including the service drop that runs from the pole to your house. The tree company you are connected with needs to plan for it, and some of the work may have to wait for the utility.
Before you hire anyone
Texas does not license tree trimming or tree removal companies, so the paperwork you ask for tells you more than the truck lettering does. Ask the company you are connected with for:
- A certificate of insuranceGeneral liability coverage, sent to you directly by the company's insurance agent, with you named as certificate holder.
- Workers' compensation proofOr a written explanation of how its workers are covered if someone is hurt on your property.
- Arborist credentialsThe name and ISA certification number of the arborist making the call on a sick or risky tree, which you can look up yourself.
- A written scopeWhat happens to the brush, logs and stump, who handles any permit, and what is not included.
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.
Jobs that often go with a removal
Taking the tree down is often only part of the work.
Emergency and Storm Tree Removal
A tree on the house, the car or across the street after a hurricane, a derecho or a hard freeze. What to do first and how emergency work is handled.
Stump Grinding and Removal
Grinding a stump below the lawn, what happens to the roots and chips, utility locates and when full stump removal is worth it.
Crane Tree Removal
When a crane is the safest way to take a large tree over a house, how the lift is planned, and what it needs in street and driveway space.
Tree Debris Removal and Hauling
Hauling limbs, logs and storm debris, what curbside tree waste pickup takes, and when to have the tree company haul it instead.
How a tree removal call 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.
The line takes calls from across greater Houston:
Tree removal in the suburbs
Some suburbs have their own tree removal pages with local rules, utilities and pickup details: tree removal in Spring, tree removal in Cypress and tree removal in Humble. Every other town is on the service areas list below.
- Houston-area service areas
- Houston
- Katy
- Sugar Land
- The Woodlands
- Spring
- Cypress
- Humble
- Pasadena
- Conroe
- Pearland
- League City
- Baytown
- Tomball
- Richmond
- Friendswood
- Missouri City
- Fulshear