Tree removal in Georgetown: safe, tidy, permit-checked
Dead, failing, leaning or just in the way. Nothing touches the roof, the pool, the fence or the neighbor's live oak on the way down. You also get a plain answer on whether the city gets a say.
Our Georgetown removal calls mostly fall into three groups:
- A cedar elm or post oak that started dying at the crown after a dry summer.
- A live oak that lost a leader to ice and now shows a split you can see from the street.
- A tree standing where you want a casita, an addition or a pool.
All three start the same way. Our arborist looks first and tells you if it really must come down. Lots of "dead" post oaks are only slow to leaf out after a dry spring. Lots of leaning cedars have leaned like that since the house went up.
The method depends on what's below the tree and what the code says. Room to fall: we fell it and cut it up on the ground. Over the house, the pool, the neighbor's fence or the service drop: a climber lowers it in pieces on ropes, or a crane lifts it out whole when that's quicker and safer. A dead post oak too brittle to hold a climber comes down from a bucket truck or by crane. Nobody climbs it.
First step on every job: a tape around the trunk at 4½ feet. Heritage species measuring 26 inches or more require a city Tree Removal Permit, whoever owns the lot. We file it for you. Afterward we rake the yard, chip or haul the wood, and grind the stump if you'd like it gone.
What the job covers
Arborist look
Dead, dying, unsound, or just ugly? You hear the truth before you spend anything.
The code check
We measure DBH, name the species and look up the plat date. That tells us if it's Heritage, Protected (on commercial land) or just yours, and who has to sign off.
Climb and rig
Sections lowered over sheds, fences, pools, roofs and service drops. Rigging lines aloft, a ground crew below.
Crane picks
Big pecans, elms and live oaks lifted clear of the house when rigging them would mean days of work or a risk to the roof.
Cleanup
We chip or haul the wood, rake the lawn and blow off the driveway. Want firewood? We leave it cut.
Stumps
Ground with the removal or later, at the per-inch rate on your estimate. Texas 811 called first.
What tree removal costs in Georgetown, TX
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree under 25 ft, easy access | $300 – $800 | Bradford pear, redbud, crape myrtle, small cedar |
| Medium tree, 25–45 ft, on an open lot | $700 – $1,800 | Felled, then cut up on the ground |
| Big pecan, elm or live oak, 45–70 ft, close to buildings | $1,800 – $4,500 | Lowered in sections by a climber |
| Dead post oak near a structure, any size | $1,000 – $4,200 | Too brittle to climb; bucket or crane |
| Removal with a crane | $3,000 – $8,000 | Large trees over the pool or house |
| Heritage Tree permit prep | $150 – $400 | Arborist letter, photos and application; city fees extra |
| Storm or emergency removal | $700 – $5,000 | Any hour, with insurance paperwork |
Ranges are for Williamson County in 2026, for budgeting only. Your written price lists each part (stump grinding, hauling, the removal itself, rigging or crane, any permit paperwork) and holds for 30 days.
From recent jobs
Tree removal questions
What does it cost to take a tree down in Georgetown?
From about $300 for a small ornamental up to $8,000 when a crane has to work over the roof. Most post oak, elm, pecan and live oak removals fall between $700 and $4,500. The number moves with height, with what's under the tree, with whether a truck fits down the side yard, with dead, brittle wood, and with whether you want the stump ground. The written number comes on site.
Does a tree in my own yard need a city permit?
Only a Heritage Tree does. That's one of thirteen listed species: pecan, walnut, live oak, post oak, bur oak, Shumard oak, Monterey oak, chinquapin oak, cedar elm, American elm, bald cypress, Texas ash and southern magnolia, at 26 inches or more across at 4½ feet. Under UDC Section 8.02.030, removing one takes a city Tree Removal Permit on any lot inside Georgetown or its ETJ, with mitigation of 3 inches for each inch removed. On a single-family lot, anything smaller is yours to take down. Protected Trees, 12 inches and up, need approval only on commercial or multifamily land. Homes on lots platted before February 13, 2007 are exempt. And if a certified arborist confirms a tree is dead or fatally diseased, no mitigation is owed. We check all of it before cutting, so a violation never lands on you.
My tree is right by the pool and the power drop. Can you still remove it?
Yes. Plenty of Georgetown removals happen within twenty feet of a covered patio, a pool, or the service drop running from the pole. Each section comes down on ropes, or a crane lifts it, so nothing strikes the house or falls in the water. Limbs within ten feet of a live line? Ask Georgetown Utility Systems, and GUS will disconnect the service drop or move it. Nobody should cut inside that distance while the line is energized.
The HOA wants a tree gone. Will you take it out?
As long as it stands on your property and isn't a Heritage Tree, yes. Most newer subdivisions, including Teravista, Berry Creek, Sun City, Rancho Sienna and Wolf Ranch, run their own architectural review and keep their own tree lists. We know those rules and will tell you which forms each one wants.
Where does the wood go?
We chip it and haul it off. Or we leave the chips, or firewood rounds, for you. Pecan, post oak and live oak rounds make firewood worth keeping. Cedar elm rots fast, though it burns well. Big trunks leave on the log truck. Red oak taken from an oak wilt center always gets chipped and hauled. It never goes on a woodpile.
Is your company licensed?
Texas has no license for tree services. That's exactly why the certificate of insurance matters. Ours lists general liability and workers' comp specific to tree work, rather than a landscaping policy that leaves climbing out. It reaches you before the first cut.