Tree service in Austin

The City Arborist measures diameter 4.5 feet above the ground. The rules cover Austin's full and limited purpose jurisdictions, so ask the city first if your lot is in the ETJ.

Heritage species include all oaks, pecan, cedar elm and bald cypress. Trimming has a limit too: no more than 25% of the canopy of a regulated tree may come off without a permit. A crew that offers to "lift" a regulated live oak by half is proposing work that needs a permit.

Permit and variance applications go through Austin Development Services. City Arborist staff don't inspect private trees outside permit review, so the city suggests hiring a qualified private arborist and points to the International Society of Arboriculture's Find an Arborist tool.

Texas A&M Forest Service says oaks should not be pruned or wounded from February through June, and that every wound on an oak should be painted or covered at any time of year; any kind of paint will do. Oak wilt spreads when sap-feeding beetles carry spores from fungal mats on diseased red oaks to fresh cuts, then moves between neighboring oaks through grafted roots.

Austin is one of the Texas cities the Forest Service lists as having had a municipal oak wilt program. For your own yard, book oak pruning for July through January and ask the crew how they treat cuts. Spraying or treating trees for pests for hire needs a TDA license in the lawn and ornamental category; see pest control in Austin.

Credentials to ask an Austin tree crew for

ISA Certified Arborist is a professional credential from the International Society of Arboriculture, and holders must follow ISA's Code of Ethics. Ask for the certification number, proof of insurance and, for a large tree, who files the city permit.

What Austin tree work costs

Austin bids vary, so compare them with HomeGuide's national figures from pages dated December 2025 to February 2026: removal averages $400 to $1,200, from about $200 for a small tree to $3,000 for a large or complex job. Trimming runs $400 to $900 per tree, and stump grinding $120 to $400 for the first stump plus $30 to $60 for each additional one. Texas sales tax applies to tree removal, pruning and spraying. The Texas tree service guide explains more.

Brush, power lines and neighbors in Austin

Austin Resource Recovery collects brush by appointment, up to three times a year per address, so ask whether the quote includes hauling. Texas law bars anyone from working within six feet of a high-voltage line without safety arrangements with the line operator; closer work needs 48 hours' notice to the operator, agreed safety measures and payment of its actual cost. Austin Energy provides the city's electricity, so ask it about its own rules for trimming near its lines. Limbs from a neighbor's tree are a civil matter, and the city encourages agreeing a plan first.

Storm-damaged limbs over the house are a job for both trades: see roofers in Austin. Our Austin hub has the other city rules, and tree service in Cedar Park is listed for comparison.