Tree service in Austin typically runs $150 to $400 to trim a small tree, $400 to $900 for a medium one, and $900 to $2,000 or more for a large mature tree, with stump grinding adding $100 to $400. Size and access set the price, and oaks have a calendar rule. Call (512) 690-4912 or request a free quote.
This page is for Austin homeowners and property managers with live oaks, pecans, cedar elms and the rest. It covers what trimming and removal cost, when oaks can safely be cut, which trees need a City permit, how storm damage is handled, and the steps we follow from a first look to a clean site, written for Central Texas, not for a generic tree guide.
How much does tree trimming cost in Austin?
Trimming runs about $150 to $400 for a small tree under 30 feet, $400 to $900 for a medium tree of 30 to 60 feet, and $900 to $2,000 or more for a large tree over 60 feet. Stump grinding adds $100 to $400. A large heritage oak can run $500 to $1,500 or more.
Those figures come from the Austin landscaping cost guide, so this page and that one agree. Our main cost page gives the same broad band of $150 to $650 per tree for trimming and pruning. Size and access drive nearly all of the difference: tight lots and big canopies demand more crew time and equipment.
| Tree work | Typical Austin range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree (under 30 ft) | $150 to $400 | Height, canopy spread, access |
| Medium tree (30 to 60 ft) | $400 to $900 | Height, weight of limbs, what’s below |
| Large tree (over 60 ft) | $900 to $2,000+ | Height, structures and lines, access |
| Large heritage oak | $500 to $1,500+ | Size, timing, deadwood and structure |
| Stump grinding | $100 to $400 | Stump diameter, roots, access |
Removal is priced per job after we see the tree, because height, lean, what’s underneath it and how the wood gets out are specific to each one. We don’t publish one removal number. Ask any company to name what’s included: cleanup, wood haul-off, stump grinding and any permit.
There are honest ways to keep the cost down without cutting corners. Bundle several trees into one visit so equipment and cleanup are paid for once. Schedule routine oak work in the July to January window, when it’s not an emergency, rather than paying for rushed storm work. Thin mature trees before ice season so they shed fewer limbs, and keep an eye on small problems such as a split union or a dead limb before they become a large removal.
When is it safe to prune oak trees in Austin?
July through January is the safer window. Don’t prune oaks from February 1 through June 30, which is when sap-feeding beetles are most active and carry oak wilt to fresh cuts. Whenever an oak is cut, in any season and including storm damage, the wound should be painted immediately.
The Texas A&M Forest Service guidance behind this is the single most important rule for Austin trees. Oak wilt is a fungal disease that spreads through interconnected roots and on beetles, and it can kill a live oak in months. In older neighborhoods, one infected tree is rarely just one tree, because roots connect them.
That makes the calendar awkward. Spring is when many people notice limbs and want them gone, and it’s the exact window to avoid for non-urgent work. Fall and winter are the preferred general period, and summer heat can stress trees, so we avoid unnecessary summer cuts too. If a limb is a real safety issue in the spring window, the cut is kept to what’s necessary and sealed immediately. Our oak care guide has the full calendar.
| Month | Oak pruning | Why |
|---|---|---|
| February to June | Avoid, except real hazards | High oak wilt risk window |
| July to August | Possible, keep cuts minimal | Outside the window, but heat stresses trees |
| September to January | Preferred | Beetles less active, tree dormant or cooling |
| Any month | Paint every wound immediately | Seals the opening for beetles |
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Austin?
Yes, if the tree is 19 inches or more across, measured 4.5 feet above the ground. That’s a Protected tree, and removal takes a City Arborist permit. Heritage trees of 24 inches or more on the protected species list can be removed only in narrow cases. Trees under 19 inches on residential property aren’t regulated.
Heritage species include all oaks, pecan, Texas ash, bald cypress, American and cedar elm, Texas madrone, bigtooth maple, and Arizona and eastern black walnut. Pruning more than 25% of a regulated tree’s canopy also requires a permit. That catches heavy topping jobs as well as removals.
Dead trees follow the same rule. A dead protected tree still goes through the City Arborist, though Austin has a Dead, Diseased, or Imminent Hazard application pathway that’s faster. Our landscaping permits guide links the official City pages we verified. If you aren’t sure whether your tree qualifies, measure it before you call anyone.
What does our tree service process look like, step by step?
We look at the tree before we price it, then put the scope, timing and cleanup in writing. For oaks the timing step comes first. Most jobs move from first look to finished work in a few weeks, faster for hazards, and no cutting starts until you’ve approved the written scope.
- Request and tree details. You tell us the address, how many trees, and what’s bothering you: dead limbs, crowding a roof, storm damage. You decide which trees to price.
- On-site look. We walk the property, check species, size, condition, what’s under and around each tree, and measure trunks where permits might apply. You decide whether it’s trim, thin or remove. About 30 minutes to an hour.
- Rules and timing. We check whether a permit applies and whether an oak has to wait for the July through January window. You decide whether to pull a permit or wait. Days to a few weeks.
- Written scope and price. Which trees, what cuts, what’s hauled, whether stumps are ground, and what’s excluded. You approve before we schedule.
- Cut and clean up. Work is done to the scope, every oak wound is sealed, and debris is chipped or hauled as agreed. One day for most residential jobs.
- Follow-up. Stumps are ground if scoped, and we note anything else you should watch, such as a leaning neighbor or signs of oak wilt.
How do you handle storm-damaged trees in Austin?
Safety first, documentation second, cutting third. Photograph the damage before anything is moved, stay clear of limbs tangled in power lines, and call us or the utility as appropriate. We clear what can be cut safely and flag large trees or heavy limbs over structures for a separate on-site scope.
Ice, not snow, is Austin’s winter threat. Live oaks hold their leaves through winter and present far more surface to freezing rain, which is why Austin’s signature shade tree is also its most frequent ice casualty. Cedar elm and Arizona ash carry weak branch unions, Ashe juniper splits at its multiple trunks, and hackberry is brittle.
Don’t let anyone top a tree to make it safe. Topping creates weak regrowth that fails in the next storm and, on a protected tree, can run into the 25% canopy rule. After the cleanup, oak wounds get sealed the same day. Our ice storms and drought guide covers how to thin trees before winter so they carry less load.
What kinds of tree work do you do?
Pruning and trimming for structure, clearance and deadwood, thinning before winter, removal of dead or hazardous trees, and stump grinding. Work that needs special equipment or specialist treatment, such as large-tree removal near structures or oak wilt treatment, is scoped on site and priced separately.
- Pruning and trimming: deadwood, crossing limbs, clearance from roofs and walks, and shaping young trees.
- Thinning: reducing the sail area of mature oaks and elms before ice season, without removing more than a regulated tree’s share.
- Removal: dead, hazardous or unwanted trees, with the permit question settled first for protected sizes.
- Stump grinding: grinding below grade so the area can be sodded or planted afterward.
- Cleanup: chipping or hauling debris, and leaves from the work area.
Fallen leaves and spring oak shed are a separate chore. Our leaf removal page explains the two cleanup seasons and the City’s rules for what goes in the green cart.
A mature tree is also an asset worth planning around. Live oaks add shade and cooling that lower summer heat on a house, and a heritage tree can’t be replaced on any useful timescale. That’s why the first question on any removal is whether the tree can be saved by thinning, support or timing rather than by cutting it down, and why a second opinion is reasonable on a large tree you care about.
What should I ask before hiring a tree service in Austin?
Ask what exactly is in the written scope, whether a permit applies, how oaks are timed and sealed, what happens to debris and stumps, and what proof of coverage and credentials applies to your job. Get it in writing, and compare several bids on the same scope, not on the lowest number.
A few specific questions separate a careful company from a careless one. Will oak wounds be painted immediately? Will you top the tree, and if so why? Do you check the 19-inch threshold? Where will the equipment go, and what does it do to my lawn and irrigation? A company that can’t answer those hasn’t thought about Austin trees.
Ask for credentials and coverage evidence that applies to the work, and get it before you authorize anything. Don’t pay for work up front, and be wary of door-to-door storm chasers after an ice event. If the price is rock bottom, the scope is probably smaller than you think.
How do I recognize oak wilt, and what should I do?
Watch for veinal browning or yellowing of leaves, a rapid thinning or browning of the canopy from the top or one side, and sudden leaf drop in summer. Red oaks can form fungal mats under the bark. Oak wilt can kill a live oak in months, so a suspected case needs a certified arborist fast.
Don’t cut or move wood from a suspect tree on your own. The disease spreads through connected roots and on beetles, and fresh wounds are the doorway. Photograph the symptoms, note the date, and avoid pruning nearby oaks until someone has looked. Because roots link neighboring trees in older Austin neighborhoods, a single case is a neighborhood concern, not just a single tree.
Our job on a suspect case is to keep other oaks from being wounded and to flag it, not to diagnose or treat it. Confirmation and treatment are specialist work, and we’ll say so rather than guess.
Why does my live oak drop leaves in spring?
Austin’s live oaks are semi-evergreen. They hold last year’s leaves through winter and drop them in roughly February to March as new growth pushes the old leaves off. It looks alarming but it’s normal and healthy, not a disease. It does mean the big oak leaf cleanup here is a spring job.
The timing trap is that spring shed overlaps the oak wilt no-prune window. A yard full of leaves in March isn’t a reason to cut limbs. Rake and blow the leaves, and leave the pruning for July through January. If a particular limb looks dead during the shed, have it looked at before it’s cut, because a bare limb on a live oak in spring isn’t always dead.
How should I water mature trees in a drought?
Triage rather than spread water thin. A heritage live oak is irreplaceable on any timescale that matters, while St. Augustine browns out and comes back. A slow trickle at the drip line for an hour, every week or two, keeps a mature tree alive through a summer that won’t keep the lawn green anyway.
Austin Water’s stage is set by the combined level of lakes Buchanan and Travis, so allowed days and hours move with it. Hand-watering with a hose and auto-shutoff nozzle is allowed any day and time, and trees on a soaker hose or bubbler can be watered any time, though you should confirm with Austin Water before relying on that, since stage rules change.
Water at the drip line, not against the trunk, and use cycle-and-soak on slopes and thin caliche, where fast water simply runs downhill. Our ice storms and drought guide explains why deep, slow water reaches roots that carry a tree through August.
When should I plant a new tree in Austin?
Fall is ideal for trees, shrubs, cacti, succulents and many perennials, and spring suits flowering perennials. Avoid putting new plants in during July and August heat. Pick the species for the soil and space: some natives need well-drained ground and enough overhead and lateral room, and mature size matters more than pot size.
Texas redbud, for example, reaches 15 to 20 feet high and 10 to 15 feet wide, needs well-drained soil, and shouldn’t be squeezed into a bed meant for a shrub. Plant it where it can reach full size without constant pruning. Call Texas 811 before digging, and keep new trees back from foundations, utilities and walks. Our native plants guide lists the sizes and drawbacks.
What do tree crews do to my lawn and sprinklers?
Crews and equipment can rut a lawn, especially wet clay, and heavy limbs can break sprinkler heads. We plan the access route, lay out where debris and equipment go, and note head locations beforehand. Repairs to the irrigation system itself go to an irrigator, because Texas rules require a TCEQ license for that work.
Work is easier on turf when the ground is dry. If a storm leaves a saturated yard, we’ll tell you if the work should wait a day or two. Ruts in clay take a long time to recover, and they’re often more expensive than a short delay. After the work, we blow the area clean and leave notes on anything we saw, such as damaged heads or exposed roots.
How do trees affect the rest of an Austin yard?
Dense oak shade favors St. Augustine over Bermuda, and under a heavy canopy even St. Augustine can struggle, which is why many yards under oaks use groundcover, mulch or hardscape instead of fighting for turf. Roots, shade and leaf fall all shape what else works on the lot.
Planning around trees is part of landscape design, and the work is easier when trees are healthy and trimmed first. Trenching, grade changes and hard surfaces near roots can hurt a tree, so our plans keep digging off major roots and schedule any root-zone work outside the oak wilt window.
What does a typical tree service job look like?
Here are three typical scopes built from the ranges above. They show how work and pricing line up for a given kind of Austin property, not jobs we’ve finished, and your own price comes only after we’ve looked at the trees.
A typical small ornamental tree trim
A crape myrtle or small cedar elm under 30 feet. Deadwood, crossing limbs and clearance pruning, with debris chipped and hauled. Priced in the $150 to $400 band, with the visit timed to avoid the oak wilt window if it’s an oak.
A typical mature live oak thinning
A large live oak over a back patio. Selective thinning and deadwood removal scheduled between July and January, every cut sealed immediately, with no more than a quarter of the canopy taken without a permit. This sits in the $500 to $1,500 or more range for a large heritage oak.
A typical post-storm cleanup
A yard with limbs down after an ice event. Limbs cut and cleared, torn wounds on oaks sealed the same day, a hazardous hanger flagged for a separate scope, and stumps ground later if needed.
Which Austin suburbs do you serve for tree work?
We serve Austin and nearby Travis, Williamson and Hays County communities, including Round Rock, Lakeway and West Lake Hills. Older neighborhoods with mature oaks bring the most oak wilt and permit questions, while newer subdivisions bring smaller trees and simpler scopes.
The full list is on our areas we serve page, and managed properties can start from our commercial landscaping page. When you’re ready, request a free quote or call (512) 690-4912, tell us how many trees and which species, and we’ll set a time to look.