Lawn and landscape
Tree removal cost
A 50 ft tree with an 18 in trunk and a fence and a shed round it is about $870 to take down, stump ground and wood hauled. The same tree is $630 with room to fell it whole and $1,110 over the house, where it comes down in pieces on ropes — height sizes the job, and what the tree would hit sets the price. A 25 ft tree in the open is $430; a dead 90 ft tree over a roof by crane $4,095. Stumps are ground by the inch, about $4. This prices removal, trimming and stump grinding from the tree's height, trunk and surroundings.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-24 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
Tree removal cost calculator
The tree, and what it would hit
Height sets the size of the job; the space around it sets how it comes down, and that is most of the price. The stump is its own line.
Felled or taken down in sections, the brush chipped, the wood hauled or left.
Ground to the top of the crown.
At 4.5 ft up; circumference ÷ 3.14.
Of about this size.
Limbs taken off first and dropped where they can go, then the trunk in a couple of pieces.
Sound wood that holds a rope and a climber.
No wires in reach.
Chipped and hauled.
Ground below grade.
Grindings left in the hole.
Not required here.
Scheduled work.
A tree service or arborist.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
A tree, 50 ft, removed
$870
some obstacles · stump ground
What it would hit sets the price
With room to fall, this tree is $480; some obstacles it is $720. The saw time is similar; the climbing, rigging and lowering are what change.
Measure the trunk
18 in across at 4.5 ft.
Wrap a tape round the trunk at chest height and divide by 3.14. That diameter is what a stump grinder prices by, what makes a big tree heavier to take down, and what a town tree ordinance uses to decide whether removing it needs a permit — often anything over 6 to 12 in.
One tree, four ways down
Same height, trunk and stump; only the space around it changes.
What the tree service charges for
- The tree, 50 ft, removed
Limbs taken off first and dropped where they can go, then the trunk in a couple of pieces. Brush chipped, wood hauled.$720 - Stump, 21 in, ground
Priced by the inch across, ground 6 to 12 in below grade.$150
What it costs
National average. 1 tree, 50 ft and 18 in across, removed — some obstacles — fence, shed, garden. Not included: damage repair, surface roots beyond the stump, or replanting.
The chips make mulch — how much a bed takes is on the mulch calculator; the lawn where the stump was, on the sod page.
Worth knowing
- A 50 ft tree with room to fall is about $480; the same tree over the house, taken down in pieces on ropes, is $960. Height sets the size of the job; what the tree would hit sets how it is done, and that is most of the difference between two quotes for the same tree.
- A 21 in stump ground 6 to 12 in below grade is about $150, priced by the inch across with a first-stump minimum. The grindings fill the hole; raked out and replaced with topsoil and seed, it is lawn again.
On this page — 5 sections
What it would hit sets the price
The short version
- A 50 ft tree, stump ground: $870. $630 with room to fall, $1,110 over the house.
- Height sizes the job, about $12 a foot with a $350 minimum.
- Stumps are by the inch: about $4 an inch, $150 minimum.
- Near a power line, call the utility first.
Every tree quote starts with the height, because a taller tree is more wood and more time on the saw. But two quotes for the same tree can differ by half again, and the reason is not the tree: it is what the tree would hit on the way down. With room to fall it is one directional cut and an hour cutting it up on the ground. With a fence, a shed and a flower bed round it, the limbs come off first and drop where they can. Over the house it is climbed and taken apart from the top, every piece cut, tied and lowered on a rope. A huge or rotten tree over a roof gets a crane that holds each section while it is cut.
$480
50 ft, room to fall
Felled whole
$720
50 ft, obstacles round it
Limbs first
$960
50 ft, over the house
Climbed and rigged
$150
The stump, ground
21 in across
MaterialsEstimator, Tree removal, stump grinding and trimming price survey · checked 2026-09-24
Height and trunk
| Removed, stump ground, wood hauled | Room to fall | Obstacles | Over the house |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 ft tall, 10 in trunk | $430 | $570 | $710 |
| 40 ft tall, 14 in trunk | $534 | $726 | $918 |
| 50 ft tall, 18 in trunk | $630 | $870 | $1,110 |
| 65 ft tall, 26 in trunk | $793 | $1,114 | $1,435 |
| 80 ft tall, 36 in trunk | $1,070 | $1,523 | $1,976 |
| 100 ft tall, 44 in trunk | $1,452 | $2,076 | $2,700 |
Healthy trees, no power lines. A crane adds about $1,500 a day where the tree cannot be climbed.
Trunk diameter is measured at breast height, 4.5 feet up: wrap a tape round the trunk and divide by 3.14. Past about 24 inches a tree is heavier than its height suggests — bigger pieces, bigger rigging — and the stump is priced by the same measure, a little wider at the ground. The same number is what a town’s tree ordinance uses to decide whether taking the tree down needs a permit.
American National Standards Institute / International Society of Arboriculture, ANSI A300 tree care standards, and diameter at breast height (DBH) · checked 2026-09-24
Wires, dead wood and storms
Within 10 feet of a power line, only a qualified line-clearance arborist may work, and that is priced in. The first call is the utility: many trim or remove trees near their own lines at no charge, or will de-energise the line while your crew works. A dead tree cannot be climbed and rigged the normal way — the wood will not hold a rope or a person — so it often means a lift or a crane. A leaning or split tree is under tension that releases unpredictably when cut. And storm work, a tree on a roof at night, is priced as the emergency it is; homeowner’s insurance often pays when a tree has fallen on a covered structure.
| Healthy, clear | The hard cases | |
|---|---|---|
| 50 ft, obstacles, stump ground | $870 | $1,086 near power lines |
| Over the house | $1,110 | $1,878 as an emergency |
| 90 ft, 40 in trunk | $2,327 rigged | $4,095 dead, by crane |
| Who can do it | Any insured tree service | Line-clearance arborist; crane operator |
American National Standards Institute / Tree Care Industry Association, ANSI Z133, Safety Requirements for Arboricultural Operations · checked 2026-09-24
The stump, the wood and the permit
The stump is ground by the inch across — about $4, with a $150 minimum for the first and less for each after — 6 to 12 inches below grade, and the grindings fill the hole. Raked out and replaced with topsoil and seed, it is lawn again. Where a footing, a slab or a new tree is going, the stump and main roots are dug out instead. The wood can be hauled or left in rounds for firewood, about 15% off. And before any of it, a call to the town if the trunk is over about 6 inches: many protect trees above a set size.
Before the crew comes
- Height, trunk diameter at 4.5 ft, and what it would hit.
- Power lines within 10 ft: call the utility first.
- The town's tree ordinance: permit or not.
- Stump ground, dug out, or left — on the same quote.
- The wood hauled or left in rounds; the chips taken or left for mulch.
- Proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance.
- Cars, furniture and pets out of the drop zone.
What goes wrong
01Comparing quotes by the total alone
One includes the stump and the wood, one does not; one drops the tree whole where another rigs it.
Instead — Ask how it comes down and what is included.
02An uninsured crew
A tree through the roof, or a climber hurt on your property, becomes your problem.
Instead — Certificates of liability and workers' compensation before work starts.
03Working near a power line
Within 10 ft is reserved for line-clearance arborists for a reason.
Instead — The utility first; many do it free.
04Topping a tree instead of removing it
It weakens and often kills the tree, and the regrowth is weakly attached.
Instead — A proper pruning, or removal.
05Leaving the stump for later
A second trip costs a second minimum.
Instead — Ground on the same visit.
06Felling a big tree yourself
Felling is one of the most dangerous chainsaw jobs, and a tree that goes the wrong way lands on something.
Instead — Yourself only under about 25 ft with room to fall; stumps are fine.
- 01Estimate the heightWalk away until you can see the top between your fingers at arm's length with a pencil the height of the trunk-base-to-top, or count storeys: about 10 ft each.
- 02Measure the trunkCircumference at 4.5 ft, divided by 3.14, is the diameter everyone prices by.
- 03Look at what it would hitRoom to fall the full height, some obstacles, or the house. That decides felling, rigging or a crane.
- 04Check wires and conditionPower lines within 10 ft, a dead or leaning trunk: each changes who can do it and how.
- 05Decide the stump and the woodGround, dug out or left; wood hauled or left in rounds.
- 06Check the permitCall the town if the trunk is over 6 in — ordinances differ.
A 50 ft tree makes a trailer of chips. The mulch calculator says how many beds they cover at 3 inches.
What to do with the chips- DBH
- Diameter at breast height: the trunk measured 4.5 ft above the ground. What stump grinders and tree ordinances go by.
- Felling
- Dropping a tree whole with a directional cut. Needs clear ground the length of the tree.
- Sectional take-down
- Removing a tree from the top in pieces, each cut and lowered on ropes, when it cannot be dropped whole.
- Rigging
- The ropes, blocks and friction devices that lower cut pieces under control instead of letting them fall.
- Crane removal
- A crane holds each section as it is cut and swings it to the ground or the street. For huge, rotten or hemmed-in trees.
- Line clearance
- Tree work within 10 ft of a power line, reserved for qualified line-clearance arborists.
- Stump grinding
- A machine with a toothed wheel chewing the stump to chips 6 to 12 in below grade. The roots stay and rot.
- Stump removal
- Digging out the stump and main roots with an excavator. For where a footing, a slab or a new tree is going.
- Crown thinning
- Removing selected branches through the crown to let light and wind through, without changing the tree's shape.
- Crown raising
- Removing lower limbs to clear a roof, a driveway or a walk.
- Topping
- Cutting a tree's main stems back to stubs. Condemned by the pruning standard; it weakens and often kills the tree.
- Protected tree
- A tree above a set trunk diameter, or of a listed species, that a local ordinance says cannot be removed without a permit.
Common questions
- How much does tree removal cost?
- About $870 for a 50 ft tree with an 18 in trunk and a fence and a shed nearby, stump ground and the wood hauled. With room to fell it whole it is $630; over the house, taken down in pieces on ropes, $1,110. A 25 ft tree in the open is $430; an 80 ft tree with a 36 in trunk over a roof $1,976; a dead 90 ft tree by crane $4,095.
- How is a tree removal estimate worked out?
- From the height — about $12 a foot, with a $350 minimum — and then what the tree would hit: 10 a foot with room to fell it, 19 over the house. A trunk over 24 in adds weight; a dead or leaning tree adds 20 to 35%; power lines 30%; a crane about $1,500 a day on top. The stump is a separate line.
- How much does stump grinding cost?
- About $4 an inch across, with a $150 minimum for the first stump: $150 for a 21 in stump, $164 for a 41 in one, $300 for three on one visit. Digging the whole stump and roots out is about $500 — $575 with topsoil and seed.
- How much does it cost to trim a tree?
- About $540 for a 50 ft tree — deadwood out, crown thinned and raised, limbs off the roof — and $864 for an 80 ft one. A proper pruning takes no more than about a quarter of the leaves in a season; a quote to top a tree is a reason to find another company.
- Why do two tree quotes differ so much?
- Because they plan to take the tree down differently. Felled whole it is $480; dropped in a few pieces round a fence, $720; climbed and rigged over a house, $960. Ask each one how they will bring it down, and whether the stump, the wood and the clean-up are in the price.
- Does it cost more near power lines?
- About 30% more — $1,086 for the 50 ft tree — because only a qualified line-clearance arborist may work within 10 ft of a live line. Call the utility first: many trim or drop trees near their own lines for free, or de-energise the line while your crew works.
- Is it cheaper to leave the wood?
- About 15% cheaper — $762 instead of $870 — with the trunk cut into rounds and left, and the brush chipped. Hardwood rounds are firewood once split and seasoned; the chips are mulch.
- Do I need a permit to remove a tree?
- Often, for a trunk over a set diameter — commonly 6 to 12 in at 4.5 ft — or a listed species. Many towns charge nothing; some want an arborist's report or a replacement tree. About $100 here; call before booking the crew.
- Does homeowner's insurance pay for tree removal?
- Usually when a tree has fallen on a covered structure — house, garage, fence — and often up to a set amount for removal; rarely for a healthy tree you simply want gone, or a dead one that has not fallen. Emergency work after a storm runs about 80% more: $1,878 for the 50 ft tree over the house.
- Can I remove a tree myself?
- A small one, under about 25 ft with room to fall, if you know a chainsaw. Anything bigger, anything near a house or a wire, is one of the most dangerous jobs done with a saw. Stumps are the easy part: a grinder is about $200 a day to rent — $200 against $150 for a service.
- Should I grind the stump or leave it?
- Grinding with the removal is $150 on the same visit; coming back for it later is a second trip and a second minimum. A left stump sprouts, rots slowly and is in the way of the mower; ground, it is lawn again once topsoil and seed go in — $150 is the difference here.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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