Find Houston-area tree removal services — and see which ones we've confirmed with the business.

Hiring a tree service in Houston

There is no state licence for tree work in Texas, which makes this the trade where insurance verification matters most. A tree crew works above your roof with chainsaws. If they are uninsured and something goes wrong, the claim comes to you.

Ask for a certificate of general liability and workers' compensation, sent directly by the insurer, and confirm the coverage amount is in the range of the thing standing next to your house. This is not an unreasonable ask and good companies expect it.

Certification worth knowing about

The ISA Certified Arborist credential is voluntary but real — an exam, continuing education, and a public register you can search. For a removal, a good crew is enough. For anything involving the health of a tree you want to keep, an arborist is a different level of advice.

The Houston-specific parts

• Hurricane season changes the calculus. The right time to deal with a compromised limb over the roof is before a named storm is in the Gulf, not after. Prices and availability both move sharply once a storm is forecast.
• Oak wilt is real, and timing matters. Pruning oaks during the high-risk spring window can transmit it through fresh wounds. The widely repeated claim that Houston fines you for it is false — there is no City of Houston ordinance and no penalty; it is a recommendation from the Texas Trees Foundation. It is still good practice, and a tree service that raises it unprompted knows the trade.
• Clay soil and root plates. Saturated clay plus wind is how large trees come down whole in this region. If a company is only looking at the canopy, ask them to look at the base.

On the quote

Get in writing whether stump grinding is included, how deep, and who hauls the debris and the grindings. Those three line items are where quotes that looked identical stop being identical.