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Emergency Tree Removal in Tyler & Longview
A tree on your house, your car, or a power line is an emergency. You can be connected with a local company that handles emergency tree work day or night.
Is this actually an emergency?
Use this quick check. If any of these describe your situation, treat it as urgent:
- A tree, or a large limb, has fallen on your house, garage, carport, or a vehicle.
- A tree is leaning on or has fallen across a power line.
- A tree is blocking your only driveway or the only road out during a storm.
- A large tree is visibly cracked, split at the trunk, or leaning further than it did an hour ago.
If none of those apply and you just have storm-damaged branches or a tree you’ve been meaning to deal with, tree removal or tree trimming covers scheduled work at a lower cost than an emergency call-out.
What to do right now
- Get clear of the fall zone. Move people, pets, and vehicles away from the tree and anything it’s resting against.
- Treat any line contact as live. If the tree is touching a power line, assume the line is energized. Don’t touch the tree, nearby fencing, or anything metal.
- Call the utility first if a line is involved. Report it before you call anyone else, including your insurance company or a tree service.
- Check for gas or structural danger. If the tree hit your house and you smell gas, see exposed wiring, or the structure looks unstable, get everyone outside and call 911.
- Document once it’s safe. Photograph and video the damage from a safe distance before anything is moved, in case you file an insurance claim.
Trees on power lines: the one rule that matters
Never approach a tree that’s touching a line, and never let anyone try to cut it themselves. Electricity can travel through a wet branch, wet ground, or a metal fence the tree is leaning against, even if nothing looks obviously “live.”
Report it to the utility that serves your area right away. Oncor, which serves much of North and East Texas including parts of the Tyler area, provides a 24/7 line for reporting downed power lines and states that its vegetation management crews include certified arborists trained specifically for work around energized lines. Clearing a tree away from an active line is utility and specialist work, not a job for a general tree crew or a homeowner with a chainsaw.
Trees on a house or vehicle
| Situation | What tends to happen |
|---|---|
| Tree fell on the roof or a wall | Often covered by homeowners insurance if wind or another covered peril caused it; get it documented before repairs begin |
| Tree fell on a fence | Coverage varies more by policy; ask your carrier |
| Tree fell on a parked vehicle | Usually a comprehensive auto insurance claim, not homeowners |
| Tree fell in the yard, no damage | Removal is often not covered, even though it’s urgent to you |
This table reflects general, commonly cited insurance practice, not a guarantee. Confirm your own coverage with your agent or carrier before assuming either way.
What the Texas Department of Insurance recommends after storm damage
- Contact your insurer promptly and keep a record of who you spoke with and when.
- Photograph and video the damage before cleanup or repairs, and don’t discard debris until your adjuster has seen it or cleared you to.
- Make temporary repairs, like tarping a damaged roof, to prevent further damage, and save those receipts.
- Get more than one contractor bid and compare it to the adjuster’s estimate before settling the claim.
Burn bans and storm debris
If a storm drops large limbs or an entire tree, you may be tempted to burn the brush pile rather than pay for haul-off. Check first. Texas county judges or commissioners courts can declare a burn ban during dry conditions, and the rules are set county by county. Texas A&M Forest Service publishes current burn ban status by county, so check before you burn anything, storm debris included.
Emergency season in East Texas
Emergency tree calls in this region climb during storm season, particularly late summer into fall when tropical systems and severe thunderstorms are more likely to bring down large limbs and whole trees. If you have a tree you’ve been worried about, getting it assessed before the next storm is cheaper and safer than an emergency call after it falls. See tree removal to have a hazardous tree evaluated on your schedule instead of the storm’s.
What not to do in a tree emergency
- Don’t cut a tree that’s under tension (leaning against another tree, bent under its own weight, or resting on your roof). A trapped trunk can snap back or roll unpredictably when cut.
- Don’t use a chainsaw on anything touching or near a power line, even a line you think is dead.
- Don’t climb onto a damaged roof to inspect a fallen tree yourself; wait for a professional assessment.
- Don’t move debris that’s leaning against your house until someone has confirmed the structure is stable underneath.
- Don’t assume a tree that “looks okay” after a storm is safe; cracked roots and hairline trunk splits aren’t always visible from the ground.
After the emergency crew leaves
Once the immediate hazard is down and cleared, you may still need follow-up work: stump grinding where the tree was, trimming damaged limbs on trees that survived, or a broader look at other trees on the property that took storm stress. See stump grinding and tree trimming for those next steps once the emergency itself is handled.
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Common questions
What is considered emergency tree removal?
In practice, it means a tree situation that can't safely wait: a tree that has already fallen on a house, garage, fence, or vehicle, a tree that's touching or leaning into a power line, a tree blocking the only way in or out of a driveway after a storm, or a large tree that's cracked, split, or actively leaning and could come down at any time.
How much does emergency tree removal cost?
Expect to pay more than a scheduled job. Cost guides report that same-day or after-hours emergency tree removal commonly runs about 2 to 3 times a standard rate, since it requires a crew to respond outside normal scheduling. Exact pricing depends on the tree's size and how it fell. Ask for a clear price before work starts even in an emergency, if the situation allows time to ask.
A tree is touching a power line. What do I do?
Stay well back and keep everyone else away, including pets. Do not touch the tree, any branch resting on it, or a fence or metal object it's leaning against, since electricity can travel through wet wood, wet ground, or metal. Report it to the utility that serves your area immediately. Utilities like Oncor, which serves much of North and East Texas including parts of the Tyler area, ask the public to report a downed line or a tree on a line to them directly rather than approach it, and they say their vegetation crews include certified arborists trained for that work.
A tree fell on my house. What should I do first?
Get everyone out of the house if there's any risk of further collapse, gas smell, or exposed wiring. Once it's safe, call your insurance company to start a claim. The Texas Department of Insurance recommends photographing and video recording the damage before anything is moved or cleaned up, making temporary repairs like tarping to prevent further damage, and keeping receipts for anything you pay for before the adjuster arrives.
Will insurance pay for emergency tree removal?
Often yes, when the tree fell on a covered structure like your home, garage, or fence due to a covered peril such as wind. If the same tree fell in the yard and caused no property damage, many policies won't cover removing it, even though it's urgent to you. Confirm your specific coverage with your carrier, and keep documentation either way in case you need it.
How do I get a tree removed for free after a storm?
There's no reliable free removal program we can point you to for general storm cleanup in East Texas. The one situation that's usually handled at no cost to you is a tree on or touching a power line, since the utility typically clears that hazard as part of keeping its own lines safe. For everything else, expect to pay, and check whether your homeowners policy covers it.
Related help
- Stump GrindingLeft with a stump after a tree came down? You can be connected with a local stump grinding company that serves your area.
- Tree RemovalIf a tree on your property needs to come down, you can be connected with a local tree removal company that serves your area, day or night.
- Tree TrimmingOvergrown limbs, branches over the roof, or a tree that just needs shaping? You can be connected with a local tree trimming company that serves your area.