Austin is really several tree cities stacked on top of each other. Tarrytown and Pemberton Heights have enormous old live oaks and pecans planted a century ago, growing over houses worth protecting. Hyde Park and Rosedale run to pecan and cedar elm crowded into narrow lots where nothing can be dropped. Circle C and Shady Hollow are 1990s subdivisions on cleared cedar ground, so the mature canopy is thin and the Ashe juniper is taking it back at the edges. Mueller is newer again and mostly nursery stock still finding its shape.
Different neighbourhoods, different jobs, one constant: the City of Austin tree ordinance is the strictest thing we work under anywhere in the metro.
The Austin permit rule, in plain terms
Measure the trunk at 4.5 feet above the ground. From 19 inches in diameter the tree is protected and removal needs a permit. From 24 inches it is a Heritage tree, and for the protected species list, which includes live oak, pecan, elm, ash, bald cypress, walnut and Texas madrone, removal needs a genuine justification rather than a preference for more lawn.
Nineteen inches in diameter is about 60 inches around. A tape measure round the trunk answers the question in a minute, and it is the first thing we check. Dead and genuinely hazardous trees follow a lighter process, but they still have to be documented rather than simply cut. The whole thing is set out in our Austin tree permit guide.
West of I-35, east of I-35
The interstate runs almost exactly along the Balcones Escarpment, and the ground either side behaves differently enough to change how trees fail.
West, through Westlake, Barton Hills, Zilker and out toward Circle C, you are on the Edwards Plateau: thin soil over limestone. Live oak and Ashe juniper do well there because they tolerate it, but anchorage is often shallower than a big canopy suggests, and digging for anything is slow going.
East, through Mueller, Windsor Park, Del Valle and the whole eastern crescent, it is Blackland Prairie clay. It holds water, then shrinks hard in an Austin August, and that constant movement tears fine roots and cracks the ground around root plates. Pecan and cedar elm love the moisture and then go over in the first wet windstorm after a drought.
Oak wilt is an Austin problem specifically
Central Texas has the worst oak wilt in the country, and Austin’s live oak motts are exactly what it spreads through, tree to tree along grafted roots. Whole streets in West Austin have lost their canopy to it.
Which is why we do not open oaks between February 1 and June 30, and why every oak cut gets painted the same day whatever the month. If a crew offers to trim your Tarrytown live oak in April, that is the moment to find another crew. See oak wilt treatment.
What we do in Austin
Tree removal in Austin is the bulk of it, $450 to $2,400 for most residential trees. Tree trimming in Austin runs $300 to $1,800. Stump grinding is $120 to $400. Emergency callouts run day and night, and land clearing covers the acreage on the city edges.
Also available across the city: storm damage cleanup, hazardous tree removal, dead tree removal, crane work and commercial contracts.
Getting to you
Central Austin is our shortest drive and we can usually be at an emergency inside a couple of hours. The awkward part of this city is never distance, it is access: 1920s bungalows in Hyde Park with a 32-inch side gate, no alley, and a pecan that has to come out through the front. That is a hand-carry job and it costs more than the same tree in an open Circle C back yard. Send a photo of the gate along with the tree.
Questions from Austin homeowners
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Austin?
Yes, for any tree 19 inches or more in diameter measured 4.5 feet up, which is roughly 60 inches around. At 24 inches and above it is a Heritage tree and the bar is higher again. Dead or hazardous trees follow a lighter process but still need documenting. We measure and check before quoting.
How much does tree removal cost in Austin?
Between $450 and $2,400 for most Austin homes. A 25-foot hackberry in an open yard sits near the bottom; a 70-foot live oak over a Tarrytown roof sits near the top. Narrow side gates in older central neighbourhoods push the price up more than people expect, because every piece gets carried out by hand.
When can I trim my live oak in Austin?
July through January, and January is the best month of all. Avoid February 1 to June 30 completely, because that is when the beetles carrying oak wilt are active in Austin and a fresh cut draws them in. Paint every oak wound the same day it is made, in any month.
Who removes a tree that fell from city land onto my property in Austin?
Report it to Austin 3-1-1 first and get a reference number. In practice a tree that has landed on your property usually becomes your claim, the same as with a neighbour’s tree, unless you can show the city was told it was hazardous and did nothing. Photograph everything before it is moved.
Can you get equipment into a narrow central Austin lot?
Usually, with the right machine. Anything under a 36-inch gate means walk-behind equipment and hand-carrying wood to the street, which adds labour. Where there is an alley behind the property, as in much of Hyde Park and Clarksville, the job gets considerably easier and cheaper. Tell us about the access when you send photos.
Do you work in West Lake Hills and Rollingwood?
Yes, and both have their own tree regulations separate from the City of Austin, generally stricter again. Steep limestone driveways are the practical constraint out there, since they decide whether a crane can set up at all. We check the local rule for the specific address before quoting.
Working further out? We also cover Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville and seven more cities.