Tree service in Houston

Houston's tree and shrub ordinance protects several groups: right-of-way trees along a public street, corridor trees of 20 inches or more in the building setback, green corridor trees of 15 inches or more, designated trees, and parkway trees. To remove a protected tree, you send written notice of intent, a site map and a replacement plan to the Planning Department 20 days before removal.

Right-of-way trees also need written permission from the Parks Department's Urban Forestry group (713-867-0378). Unnecessary destruction can cost $90 per diameter inch on top of the daily fine. New single-family construction has to plant or keep trees, with one tree on lots under 5,000 square feet.

Measure the trunk and check whether it sits in the setback or the right-of-way before you collect quotes. A tree service that says no notice is ever needed in Houston is guessing.

HomeGuide's February 2026 national figures put tree removal at $400 to $1,200 on average, from about $200 for a small tree to $3,000 for a large or complex one. Its trimming figure is $400 to $900 per tree, and stump grinding runs $120 to $400 for the first stump plus $30 to $60 for each one after (December 2025).

Texas sales tax applies to tree removal, pruning and spraying as taxable landscaping, so check whether the quote includes it.

Houston tree debris pickup limits

City heavy trash comes every other month and takes resident-cut limbs up to 8 inches in diameter and 10 feet long, with a cap of 8 cubic yards per set-out. Waste from a hired tree removal isn't collected at all, so the contractor has to haul it. Get haul-away and stump work priced as separate lines.

The full Texas guide to tree service costs and credentials is on the Texas tree service guide.

For trimming and removal, ask for proof of insurance, references and the company's Texas sales tax permit. Spraying or treating trees for pests for hire adds a state layer: it needs TDA structural pest control licensing in the lawn and ornamental category, so ask for that license number if the quote includes treatment.

ISA Certified Arborist is a professional credential, not a government license, and holders follow ISA's code of ethics. It's a reasonable request for anyone diagnosing disease or pruning a large oak.

Houston tree work near power lines

Texas law bars working, or bringing any tool, within six feet of a high-voltage overhead line unless safety arrangements have been made with the line operator, who must get at least 48 hours' notice. CenterPoint Energy maintains the poles and wires in its Houston-area territory, so call CenterPoint before a crew works near the line to your house and ask who handles that trimming.

Texas A&M Forest Service says oaks shouldn't be pruned or wounded from February through June, to slow oak wilt, and wounds should be painted at any time of year. It listed Houston among cities with municipal oak wilt programs as of 2019.

Harris County gives hurricane season as June 1 to November 30, which overlaps the last month of the oak no-prune window. Ask the crew to plan oak work over the house for July or later, and to paint every cut.

Limbs over the roof are worth a look from Houston roofing companies after a storm. Southeast of the city, tree service in Friendswood works under that city's own rules. More on Houston permits and floodplain is on the Houston guide.