Frequently Asked Questions

HomeAdvisor's 2026 cost guide puts most tree removals between $200 and $2,000, with a national average around $750. By height: about $150 to $450 up to 30 feet, $450 to $1,200 for 30 to 60 feet, $800 to $1,500 for 60 to 80 feet, and $1,000 to $2,000 over 80 feet. A crane adds about $500, hard access can add 25 to 50 percent, and an emergency removal can reach $5,000. Your number comes from a written quote after someone sees the tree.

Requesting is free with no obligation, and the estimate comes after a local tree service looks at the actual tree and its access. Confirm with the company that contacts you that the visit is free, and ask for the quote in writing. A tree service should also tell you honestly if a tree can be saved with pruning.

It depends on what goes there next, so ask before the work. A few inches below grade is enough for grass; a patio, driveway, or planting bed needs deeper grinding with the big surface roots chased out. HomeAdvisor puts grinding one stump at $150 to $500 nationally. Get the depth written into the quote.

It depends on the city. The City of Marietta exempts a single residential lot with one dwelling of up to two units, except lots in the Residential Infill Development Overlay and developments with approved tree plans. Kennesaw requires a $25 tree cutting permit, Roswell a permit for any tree larger than 3 inches in diameter, Sandy Springs for trees 18 inches across or larger, and Alpharetta for any living tree on a single-family lot. East Cobb is unincorporated Cobb County, so ask the county before grading or work near a creek.

Yes, and you should check them first. Your HOA may have its own approval rules on top of the city's; Kennesaw's permit form even asks whether HOA approval is required. Read your covenants and get any approval in writing before the work is scheduled.

Yes. Georgia's Erosion and Sedimentation Act restricts land disturbance and trimming within 25 feet of creeks, streams, and most ponds, and some cities add more: Dunwoody keeps 75 feet undisturbed, and Sandy Springs requires a permit for any tree in a stream buffer. Within 2,000 feet of the Chattahoochee, the river corridor rules apply too. Call your city or Cobb County before anyone cuts.

If the tree hit your house or another insured structure, the Insurance Information Institute says a standard policy covers the damage to the structure and contents and the cost of removing the tree, generally up to about $500 to $1,000 depending on the insurer and policy. If the tree hit nothing, there is generally no coverage, though some insurers pay when it blocks a driveway or a wheelchair ramp. Photograph everything before it is moved.

Yours. The Insurance Information Institute says you are insured no matter who owns the tree; your insurer may then try to recover the cost from your neighbor's insurer. Damage from poor maintenance is not covered.

We connect you with a local tree service, and they set the timing once conditions are safe to work. After a widespread storm, call as early as you can, tell them if a tree is on an occupied home or blocking a vehicle in, and ask how soon they can come out.

It depends on your utility. Georgia Power trims limbs rubbing the service wire on a limited basis, leaves tree removals and limbs over 3 inches to the property owner, and will disconnect the service wire for tree work if you call 1-888-660-5890 at least 72 hours ahead. Cobb EMC may remove a tree near the service wire that is dead, weakened, rubbing, or endangering the line once you report it. Marietta Power runs its own trimming program near its lines.

Right up against it, with the right method. Trees over the roof or a few feet from the wall come down piece by piece with rigging, or with a crane when the tree is large. If the work comes within 10 feet of a line over 750 volts, Georgia law requires 72 hours' notice through Georgia 811 first. We connect you with a local tree service; ask how they plan to rig yours.

Yes. Contact Georgia 811 (811 or 800-282-7411, free) at least 3 business days before any digging, including stump grinding, and wait until every utility has marked or cleared the site. Utilities mark only public lines, which usually end at the meter, so sprinklers, landscape lighting, and power to a shed or pool heater need a private locator.

The tree service does, if it is in the quote, so make sure it is. Inside the City of Marietta, sanitation will not pick up any part of a tree that a tree company cuts down, and it only takes homeowner limbs up to six feet long and four inches across. If you want the wood kept for firewood or the chips left as mulch, say so up front.

Not land-clearing or storm debris, at any time of year: Cobb, Fulton, and DeKalb are on Georgia EPD's lists for both the May 1 to September 30 summer ban and the October to April limits. Yard debris burning is also banned during the summer months. Never burn lumber, shingles, plastics, or trash.

Urgent. The Georgia Forestry Commission says southern pine beetles and Ips beetles can kill pines within weeks in summer, that an infested pine cannot be saved with insecticide, and that it should come down as soon as the needles start fading to pale green or yellow. Look for small white or pinkish pitch tubes on the bark. Do not wait on a brown pine near the house.

Often hypoxylon canker, which attacks oaks weakened by drought, root damage, or construction. As bark sloughs off, it shows a tan, gray, or black crust. The Georgia Forestry Commission says a tree showing those fruiting structures will not survive, regardless of treatment, so have a tree near the house looked at.

Often, yes. A structurally sound tree near the house can frequently be managed with careful pruning rather than removal. The International Society of Arboriculture advises removing no more than about 25 percent of the crown at once and cutting just outside the branch collar. Ask the tree service what each cut is for.

A local tree service does. We connect you with a local tree service, who contacts you directly, and the work and price are between you and that company. Always ask to see their license and insurance before work starts.

The International Society of Arboriculture suggests checking for an ISA credential with its Verify a Credential tool on TreesAreGood.org, asking for proof of insurance and calling the insurance company, checking local permits and licenses, getting more than one estimate, being wary of door-to-door bargains, and getting it in writing.