Everything people ask us

Tree trimming in Austin typically runs $350 to $950 for a mature live oak, tree removal $650 to $3,200, and stump grinding $145 to $600. Price is driven by size, access, and what sits beneath the tree. Summit Tree Care gives fixed written estimates rather than hourly rates, so the number you approve is the number you pay.

Yes. We carry $2 million in general liability plus full workers compensation on every crew member, and we will send the certificate directly to you or your insurer before work begins. This matters more than people realise: if an uninsured crew is injured on your property, that exposure can land on your homeowners policy.

No. On-site estimates are free across our entire service area, and there is no travel charge to Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, Kyle or Buda. Formal written arborist reports for permits, insurance or litigation are a separate paid service, priced from $275.

Avoid pruning oaks from February through June. That is when the sap-feeding beetles that transmit oak wilt are most active and most attracted to fresh wounds. July through January is the safe window. If a storm forces an emergency cut in spring, every wound needs pruning paint applied within minutes.

Inside Austin city limits, very likely. The City protects trees 19 inches and larger in diameter, and Heritage trees at 24 inches and above for qualifying species. Williamson and Hays County jurisdictions are generally less restrictive, though Georgetown operates its own ordinance and HOA covenants often apply. We check your specific address and file any permit for you.

Scheduled work is typically booked five to eight business days out, longer in the weeks following a major storm when every crew in the region is committed. Emergency calls are handled 24 hours a day, with crews usually reaching a tree on a structure within two to four hours.

Completely, and it is included in every quote. Brush is chipped and hauled, hard surfaces are blown clean, and the crew leader walks the finished work with you before leaving. If you would rather keep the chips as mulch or the wood as firewood, tell us and we will leave it stacked at no charge.

Greater Austin and the surrounding suburbs: Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, Kyle and Buda, plus Bee Cave, Hutto and Manor. All are inside our standard service area with no travel surcharge.

Prune oaks between July and January in Central Texas. Avoid February through June entirely if possible, because that is when the sap-feeding beetles that spread oak wilt are most active and most attracted to fresh wounds. If an oak must be pruned during that window for safety reasons, every cut needs pruning paint applied immediately.

Often, yes. The City of Austin protects trees 19 inches or more in diameter measured at 4.5 feet above ground, and designates Heritage trees at 24 inches and above for certain species including live oak, pecan and bald cypress. Removing a protected tree without a permit can bring significant fines. We measure your tree and handle the application as part of the job.

Six to ten inches below existing grade as standard, which is enough for turf, garden beds and general landscaping. If you are planting a replacement tree in the same spot or pouring a slab, we grind deeper and remove more root material, which we will price accordingly.

For a tree on a structure we are typically on site within 2 to 4 hours anywhere in Greater Austin. After a widespread regional storm every crew in the city is committed at once, so we triage by severity: structures and blocked access first, yard debris after. We will always give you an honest window on the phone rather than an optimistic one.

Oak wilt is a lethal vascular disease caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum. It spreads two ways in Central Texas: underground through the interconnected root systems that link neighbouring live oaks, and above ground by sap-feeding nitidulid beetles that carry spores from fungal mats on dead red oaks to fresh wounds on healthy trees. Roughly 90% of local spread is through roots.

When the trunk is too decayed to bear a climber safely, when the tree is very large and directly over a structure, when there is no drop zone beneath the canopy, or when back-yard access is too tight to carry material out. A crane is also often the cheaper option on very large trees, because it can complete in one day what would take a rope crew two or three.

No more than 25% of a live crown in a single growing season, and considerably less on a mature or stressed tree. Removing more than that starves the tree of the foliage it needs to produce energy, which usually triggers a flush of weak water sprouts and leaves the tree in worse condition than before.

Most residential removals fall between $650 and $3,200. A small ornamental in an open yard sits at the bottom of that range. A large mature live oak overhanging a house sits at the top. Crane-assisted removals of very large or badly compromised trees can run higher. Every estimate we give is a fixed written price, not an hourly rate.

Grinding uses a cutting wheel to reduce the stump and major roots to chips in place, leaving the deep root system to decay naturally underground. Full removal excavates the entire root plate with machinery. Grinding is faster, far cheaper and much less destructive to the surrounding lawn, and it is the right choice for the overwhelming majority of residential jobs.

Get everyone out of the affected rooms and away from the tree. If any line is down or touching the tree, stay well back and call Austin Energy immediately, because we cannot legally or safely work near an energised conductor. If it is safe to do so, photograph everything from a distance for your insurer, then wait for us.

Avoid pruning oaks from February through June, the period when sap-feeding beetles are most active and most strongly attracted to fresh wounds. July through January is the safer window. If storm damage forces an emergency cut during spring, paint every wound immediately, within minutes rather than hours.

Usually not. Most residential removals are done with the crane set up on the street, reaching over the house. It needs a stable, level footprint for outriggers and clear overhead space to swing. We check all of this during the survey and tell you exactly where it will sit and which vehicles need to move.