With a tree on the house, the first job is to keep the damage from spreading: get the weight off the roof, tarp the opening, and open the driveway so you can leave. The crew comes with the saws, the ropes and, where it is needed, a local crane contact to lift a trunk off a structure without doing more harm; what is left standing is handled as an ordinary tree removal once the roof is safe.
Storm work is priced either by the hour or as one job, the number is agreed before the crew starts, and the paperwork is written so an adjuster can use it. The crew photographs the scene before touching it and again when the work is done.
What an emergency and storm cleanup job involves
- A trunk on the roof, on a car, across a fence or through a shed
- Cracked limbs still hanging in the crown over a path or the driveway
- Ice-loaded pines and pecans that have split
- Uprooted trees blocking access
- A crane brought in through a local operator when a trunk has to be lifted off a structure
- Photos and a written record your adjuster can use
What's included
- Around-the-clock answer, trees on structures dispatched first
- Weight sectioned off the roof, car or fence and the opening tarped
- Driveway and access cleared so you can get out
- Hanging limbs over walkways cut and dropped clear on the same visit
- Debris stacked or hauled so the roofer can start
Not in the price
- Roof, fence or vehicle repair, which the crew does not do
- Line-side clearance, which the utility handles first
- The city's free curbside pickup, which covers only bundled limbs under 4 feet
Storm damage in Tyler and Smith County
East Texas trees fail in three ways: ice that loads pines and pecans until limbs shear off, spring hail and straight-line wind that snap and uproot, and the occasional tornado warning that turns into the real thing. The February 2021 ice storm is the one people around Tyler still measure by, and the pines it cracked but did not drop are still coming down in later storms.
After a wide storm every crew in the area is booked for a week or more, so the call the same morning matters. Trees on houses, cars and driveways go first; hanging limbs over a walkway second; a tree that is down in the yard and hurting nothing waits. A tree that was already leaning or hollow before the storm is the one to have looked at now, because it will be the emergency next time.
Two things the city does and does not do. It clears fallen trees and limbs off public streets, and it takes bundled limbs under 4 feet and 50 pounds at the curb for free, with bulk brush picked up as a paid special collection from $20 by request. It does not trim or remove anything near power lines; that call goes to Oncor at 1-888-313-4747, and a private crew waits for the line side to be cleared too.
Emergency and Storm Cleanup pricing in Tyler
Emergency work carries a premium of 50 to 100 percent over daytime rates for nights, weekends and trees on structures, on top of the base removal price. A tree sectioned off a roof or a car usually lands between $2,500 and $6,000 depending on size, what it is resting on and whether a crane is needed; a hanging limb cut and dropped clear of the house is often a few hundred dollars.
Even at 2 a.m. the number is agreed before the first cut. Once the weight is off the roof the crew tarps the opening so the house is protected until the roofer arrives, and stacks or hauls the debris so the roofer can start.
Full price list and what moves the price →
Related: Tree Permits, Storm Cleanup and Debris Rules in Tyler, Tree service in Whitehouse, Tree service in Lindale. Official page: City of Tyler.
Emergency and Storm Cleanup questions, answered
Does homeowner's insurance cover emergency tree removal in Texas?
Usually when the tree has damaged a covered structure: the house, a fence, a detached garage, sometimes a car under an auto policy. A tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing is normally the owner's cost, though some policies allow a small amount for debris. Photograph everything before it moves, keep the written estimate and the invoice, and the crew's photos go in the file too.
How much more does storm tree work cost than a normal removal?
Expect 50 to 100 percent over daytime rates for a night, a weekend or a tree on a structure, because the crew is working under tension with a roof or a car underneath and often needs a crane. The base still follows tree size, so a small tree on a fence is a few hundred dollars more than usual and a big pine through the roof is a multi-thousand-dollar rigging job.
Should I cut the tree off my roof myself?
No. A trunk resting on a roof is under load and can roll, spring or drop the moment a cut releases it, and that is how people and roofs get hurt twice. Get everyone out from under it, call the utility if a line is involved, take photos, and let a crew that is covered for work over structures section it off. Tarping the hole afterwards is the fastest way to stop the damage growing.