If a limb is on a power line, do not go near it. Call your utility first. Austin Energy is 512-322-9100. Everything else can wait five minutes while you make that call.
An emergency is a tree that has already failed, or is about to, and something valuable is underneath it. Roof, car, fence, gas meter, the neighbour’s conservatory. That is a different job from a scheduled removal: it happens at night, in the rain, with weight sitting in places it was never meant to sit.
Send us a photo and mark it urgent. Tell us what it is touching. That one detail decides where you sit in the queue.
What counts as an emergency
These go to the front, day or night:
- A tree or limb resting on a roof, wall or vehicle.
- A trunk snapped but still hung up in another tree, which is the most dangerous state a tree can be in.
- Fresh soil lifting on one side of the base after heavy rain, meaning the root plate is already moving.
- A tree blocking a driveway so nobody can get in or out.
- A split leader hanging over anywhere people walk.
These are urgent but not emergencies, and they get scheduled: a large limb down on the lawn touching nothing, a leaning tree that has leaned the same amount for years, storm debris across a back garden, a dead tree well clear of everything. We will tell you honestly which one you have rather than charging emergency rates for a Tuesday job.
What emergency tree removal costs in Austin
| Situation | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Large limb down, nothing structural | $400 – $900 |
| Tree on a roof, removal and make-safe | $1,500 – $3,500 |
| Tree across a driveway or fence | $800 – $2,000 |
| Hung-up or partially failed trunk | $1,200 – $3,000 |
| Crane required over a structure | $3,500 – $8,000 |
The premium is real and we will not pretend otherwise. It pays for a crew getting out of bed, working under lights, and rigging weight that is already under load. If your tree can safely wait until Monday morning, we will say so and it will cost you less.
What to do before we get there
- Get everyone out of the rooms under the tree. A limb that has stopped moving can still settle.
- Call the utility if any wire is involved. Not us, them, first.
- Photograph everything from a safe distance, wide and close. Your insurer will want it and so will we.
- Do not climb on the roof and do not pull at anything. Tension in a hung-up limb releases without warning.
- Call your insurer and open a claim before repairs start.
How we work a night callout
First job is making it safe, not making it tidy. We take the load off the structure, cut the tree back to a stable state, and tarp what is open to the sky if it is raining. Full cleanup and the stump usually happen on a second, cheaper daytime visit, and splitting it that way keeps the emergency bill down.
We photograph the tree before we cut, every time. Insurers routinely want evidence of what failed and where it landed, and once the tree is in the chipper that evidence is gone.
After a metro-wide storm
When a line storm crosses Austin, several thousand people need a tree crew within the same hour. Nobody gets to everyone. We work strictly by severity: structures and vehicles first, blocked access second, everything else after. If you are third on that list we will tell you it is likely tomorrow rather than promising tonight and not showing.
Be careful who you hire in that week. Out-of-state crews follow storms into Texas, and a few of them take a deposit and leave. Ask for a certificate of insurance before anyone touches your tree. More on that in what to do in the first 24 hours after storm damage.
Questions about emergency callouts
How fast can you actually get here?
On a normal night, usually within two to four hours for anything touching a structure in central Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville or Cedar Park. Lakeway, Kyle and Buda run longer. After a metro-wide storm those numbers stop meaning anything and we work by severity, so we will give you a realistic window rather than a comforting one.
Will insurance cover an emergency removal?
If the tree damaged a covered structure, usually yes, though the removal portion is often capped around $500 to $1,000 regardless of the actual bill. Repairs to the roof are covered separately and far more generously. Photograph everything before we cut, and open the claim before work starts.
Do you charge extra at night?
Yes, roughly 25 to 50 percent above the daytime price for the same job. Working under lights with a tree already under load is slower and more dangerous, and it takes a crew off their rest. If your situation can safely wait for morning we will tell you, because that saves you money.
The tree is on my neighbour’s house. Who pays?
In Texas, generally whoever the tree landed on claims it on their own policy, even if the trunk grew in your yard. That flips if you were told in writing the tree was dead or hazardous and did nothing, which can make it negligence. Our guide to who pays for a fallen tree goes through it properly.
Can you tarp my roof as well?
We will get emergency cover over an opening so the weather stays out overnight, and that is normally included in a night callout where the roof is breached. It is a stopgap, not a repair. You still need a roofer, and your insurer will expect you to have taken reasonable steps to prevent further damage, which is exactly what tarping is.
Where we run emergency callouts
Day and night across Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, Hutto, Lakeway, Kyle and Buda.