The short answer
In Georgetown in 2026, removing a tree costs between about $300 and $8,000. A small ornamental, a crape myrtle or a young cedar in the open is $300 to $800. A medium cedar elm, hackberry or Arizona ash, 25 to 45 feet, with room to drop it is $700 to $1,800. A large live oak, pecan or cedar elm, 45 to 70 feet, spreading over the house, the pool or the service drop is $1,800 to $4,500 rigged down in sections. A dead post oak of any real size runs $1,000 to $4,200 because it can't be climbed. Trees that need a crane — over the roof, on a tight Sun City lot, or too brittle to climb — run $3,000 to $8,000. Stump grinding adds $150 to $900. A Heritage Tree permit, when one applies, adds $150 to $400 for the arborist letter and application, plus the city's fee and mitigation.
Prices by size
| Tree | 2026 price | What's typical |
|---|---|---|
| Small tree, under 25 ft, open access | $300 – $800 | Crape myrtle, redbud, small cedar, Bradford pear |
| Medium tree, 25–45 ft, open lot | $700 – $1,800 | Cedar elm, hackberry, Arizona ash — dropped whole |
| Large tree, 45–70 ft, near structures | $1,800 – $4,500 | Live oak, pecan, cedar elm — rigged in sections |
| Dead post oak, any size near a structure | $1,000 – $4,200 | Bucket truck or crane; never climbed |
| Crane removal | $3,000 – $8,000 | Over the house or pool, tight lots, brittle trees |
| Heritage live oak (26"+), permit included | $2,500 – $8,000 | City mitigation set separately at 3:1 |
| Emergency / storm | $700 – $5,000 | Nights, weekends, trees on structures |
| Stump grinding | $150 – $900 | $5 – $7 per inch of diameter |
What moves the price
What's under the tree
This matters more than height. A 60-foot live oak on an open lot gets dropped in a morning. The same tree over a limestone ranch, a pool and the neighbor's fence gets climbed and rigged down in fifty pieces, each one lowered on a rope. That's a full day for a crew, and it's why "near the house" doubles the price.
Whether it's dead — and what killed it
A post oak that died in the 2022–23 drought, a red oak that oak wilt took in six weeks, a cedar elm that's been standing dead for two years — none of them can safely hold a climber, so they come down from a bucket truck or with a crane, and a badly deteriorated one has to be picked in small, careful pieces. The year a tree dies is the cheapest year to remove it. Dead post oak in particular turns brittle faster than people expect.
Access
Can a bucket truck reach the tree? Is there a gate wide enough for a compact loader? Is the tree down a limestone slope in Berry Creek or in the San Gabriel bottom? Every piece that has to be carried out by hand instead of driven adds time.
Species
Live oak is dense, heavy and spreads wide, so every limb over the house is a rigging job. Pecan is big and brittle at the tips. Cedar elm is light but tall and splits. Post oak is the heaviest wood in the county and the most dangerous once dead. Cedar is light and full of dead interior limbs that have to be cleared before anything else. The arborist prices what the species actually takes.
The permit
If the tree is a Heritage Tree — 26 inches or more across at 4½ feet, one of 13 species — the city requires a Tree Removal Permit anywhere in Georgetown or its ETJ, and unless the tree is dead, fatally diseased or hazardous, the mitigation runs three inches planted or paid for every inch removed. That can add more than the removal itself, which is why we measure and check the plat date before quoting anything. See the permit guide.
The stump
Grinding is priced separately by the inch, and west of I-35 it often stops shallower than usual because the limestone is right there. See the stump grinding page.
What a real quote includes
A written, itemized price should list: the tree or trees by species and size, the method (drop, rig, crane), what happens to the wood and debris, whether the stump is included, any city or HOA paperwork, the certificate of insurance, and how long the price is good for. If a quote is a number on the back of a card with no scope, you don't know what you're buying — and after an ice storm, that's how the out-of-state crews get you.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to remove a tree in winter?
Often a little — crews are less booked from December through January, the ground is firm, and it's inside the safe window for oak work anyway. Storm work is the exception; after an ice event every crew in the county is busy for a month.
Does insurance pay for tree removal?
Only when the tree hit a covered structure. A tree that fell in the yard is on you; a tree on the roof is usually covered, with a debris cap. See our insurance guide.
Why did I get three quotes that were $2,000 apart?
Usually because one of them is uninsured, one is guessing, and one has actually looked at what's under the tree and measured it for the Heritage Tree rule. Ask each one for a certificate of insurance and an itemized scope and the spread usually explains itself.
Do you charge for the estimate?
No. The on-site look and the written price are free. An arborist's written risk assessment, oak wilt evaluation or letter for the city or an insurer is a separate, small fee that's credited toward any work.
Can I save money by keeping the wood?
A little — leaving the trunk bucked into rounds saves the hauling. Live oak, post oak and pecan are excellent firewood. If the tree came out for oak wilt, the wood has to be covered with clear plastic or burned before spring, and we'll tell you.
Related: Tree removal · Crane tree removal · Stump grinding · Do you need a permit?