The short version: people first, lines second (SWEPCO: 888-216-3523), photos third, phone call fourth. Nothing on this page beats calling when a tree is actually on something. For prices, the cost guide has the full ranges.
During the emergency
A tree fell on my house. Is it safe to stay inside?
Stay out of the rooms under and beside the impact. If the trunk is resting on the structure, the load can shift for hours, and ceilings fail late. If you smell gas or see sparking, get everyone out and call 911 and the utility. Otherwise, staying in an untouched part of the house is usually fine while you make calls.
A tree took down the line to my house. Who handles that?
Call SWEPCO first at 888-216-3523. The pole-to-pole lines are theirs. The service drop to your house is your responsibility to have cleared and repaired, but only after the utility makes it safe. No tree crew, including us, touches a tree in contact with an energized line.
How fast can you get to me on a storm night?
Honest answer: it depends on the night. A quiet Tuesday, usually within a couple of hours. The night half of Longview loses power, calls are triaged: occupied structures first, blocked access second, everything else at daylight. You will get a straight answer about where you are in line, not a promise invented to win the call.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Longview?
On your own private residential property, generally no city permit is required for removing your own tree. Trees on or over the public right-of-way are city-protected, and utility clearance has its own rules. When a job touches either, we handle that side of it.
Money, trust, and judgment calls
What does tree removal cost here?
Small trees $300 to $700, medium $700 to $1,500, big pines $1,500 to $3,000 and up, storm work 1.5 to 2 times those rates. The cost guide breaks down every factor. You get your number in writing before work starts.
Are you licensed?
Texas has no state license for tree work. None exists, so we will not invent one, and you should walk away from any Longview crew claiming a "Texas tree license." What matters instead: insurance you can verify, equipment that matches the job, and local work you can go look at.
How do I avoid getting scammed after a storm?
Three rules. Get the price and scope in writing before the saw starts. Never pay in full up front, especially cash to an out-of-town truck. And photograph everything first if insurance is involved. Crews that resist any of those three are telling you who they are.
Will you tell me if a tree does NOT need to come down?
Yes, and it happens weekly. A leaning live oak that has always leaned, a pine with one dead limb, storm-bent young trees that will straighten: plenty of scare-quote trees are fine. Removal is the answer when the tree is dead, structurally failed, or positioned to hit something that matters. Otherwise trimming is cheaper for you and honest for us.
More detail on specific jobs: emergency removal · hanging limbs · dead pines · trimming