How to size up a tree
You do not have to be exact about height, as the price bands are wide. A simple way is the shadow method: on a sunny day, measure your own shadow and the tree's shadow. The tree's height is your height times its shadow, divided by yours. Stay clear of anything dead or leaning while you do it.
Then think like the crew. Where can it fall? A tree in an open yard can come down in one piece. A tree over a roof or beside power lines has to come down in sections, sometimes with a crane or a bucket truck. LawnStarter says that can add up to half to the final bill. Also look at how a truck can get to it, since a tree behind the house with a narrow gate costs more to clear.
If the tree touches or could reach a power line, stop and call your utility. The arborist's trade body, the International Society of Arboriculture, says tree work should be done only by those trained and equipped to work safely in trees. Some cities also require a permit or protect certain trees, so check with your town.
A worked example
Here is a 45 foot tree near the house, with a 24 inch stump to grind and the wood hauled away. These lines come from the same formula the calculator above runs.
45 ft tree near a house, stump and hauling
- Removal band, 30 to 60 ft: $435 to $870
- Near a house: the high end can rise by up to half
- Stump, 24 in: $100 to $120
- Hauling: $50 to $200
- Total: $585 to $1,625
Keep the wood if you can, as that saves the hauling and may heat a room. The firewood calculator tells you what you have once it is stacked. To plan what goes in its place, try the tree spacing calculator and the landscaping cost calculator.
Tree removal cost by height
These count the removal alone, with no stump or hauling. The second column is the high end after the maximum 50 percent for difficult access, and it is not a quote. Real prices vary with the species, its health and the season.
| Height | In the open | Near a house or lines |
|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | $285 to $435 | $285 to $653 |
| 45 ft | $435 to $870 | $435 to $1,305 |
| 70 ft | $870 to $1,160 | $870 to $1,740 |
| 90 ft | $1,160 to $2,000 | $1,160 to $3,000 |
Mistakes that make a tree more expensive
- Assuming it is all included. The stump is usually separate, by Lawn Love. Hauling may be too, so ask for a line for each.
- Pricing on height alone. A short tree over a roof can cost more than a tall one in an empty field.
- Comparing grinding with removal. Grinding takes the stump below ground. Removing the roots is a much bigger job, and LawnStarter prices it differently.
- Waiting until it falls. Lawn Love puts an emergency at up to $3,000, so a dead tree over a roof is cheaper to deal with now.
- Hiring on price alone. Ask for proof of insurance, since a fall or a dropped limb on an uninsured job can land on you.
Questions
How much does it cost to remove a large tree?
About $870 to $1,160 for a tree of 60 to 80 feet, and $1,160 to $2,000 above that, in the open, on Lawn Love's figures. Near a house or lines, that can run up to half as much again. Emergencies cost far more.
Is stump grinding included?
Usually not, as Lawn Love says it is usually billed separately. Grinding runs $2 to $5 per inch of diameter, with most companies charging a $100 minimum, so a 24 inch stump is about $100 to $120. Ask what your quote covers.
What does tree removal cost per foot?
About $10 to $14 per foot of height, on LawnStarter's figures, with an overall range of about $385 to $1,070 for a typical tree. Access can matter as much as height, so a short tree over a roof may cost more than a tall one in a field.
How much does it cost to remove a tree that fell?
About $450 to $3,000 for an emergency, such as a tree on a roof or a line, by Lawn Love. LawnStarter says some insurers may help cover it, so ask yours before you agree to anything. Call your utility first if a line is involved.
Can you remove a tree yourself?
Only a small one in the open, if you know what you are doing. The International Society of Arboriculture says tree work should be done only by those trained and equipped to work safely in trees. Never touch anything near a power line.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree?
Sometimes, because some cities require permits or protect certain trees. We did not find a national figure or rule we could rely on, so check with your town before you book anyone. A good tree service should know the local rules.
This tree removal cost is a planning range from lead-generation estimates, not a survey, and access can move it as much as height. Permits and protected trees are local matters. Only a written quote from a licensed, insured tree service is binding. Stay well away from a tree touching a power line, and call your utility.
Sources and review
- How much does tree removal cost?, Lawn Love, 2026.
- How much does tree removal cost?, LawnStarter, 2026.
- How much does stump grinding cost?, Lawn Love, 2025.
- Why hire an arborist?, International Society of Arboriculture, no date shown, read November 2026.
Checked in November 2026. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it goes in the corrections log.
How this is calculated
Every figure below is read from the code that produces the answer, so what is written here is what the calculator ran. The constants were last checked against their sources in November 2026.
The arithmetic
Range
Range = Height band + Stump + Hauling
- Height band
- A low and a high, by the tree's height
Worked through: 435 + 100 + 50 = 585
Stump grinding
Stump = Diameter × Rate per inch, at least the minimum
- Rate per inch
- $2 to $5, with a $100 minimum
Worked through: 24 × 5 = 120
The constants, and where they come from
HEIGHT_BANDS
Modelled from published dataRemoval price by height, in feet: a low and a high
- 0
- 30, 285, 435
- 1
- 60, 435, 870
- 2
- 80, 870, 1160
- 3
- over 80, 1160, 2000
Applies to: United States, lead-generation estimates and not a survey
Source: How much does tree removal cost?, Lawn Love, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
Also from: How much does tree removal cost?, LawnStarter, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
Lawn Love and LawnStarter share an overall range and a date, so they may not be independent. HomeGuide and Angi refused our requests. No source read gives a regional factor, so none is applied.
NEAR_MAX_INCREASE
Modelled from published dataThe most that being near a house or lines adds to the bill, as a share
Applies to: A tree near a house, a power line or a structure
Source: How much does tree removal cost?, LawnStarter, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
LawnStarter says up to 50 percent, so we move only the high end. Near a house and near lines are treated as one case, because no source separates them.
STUMP_PER_INCH
Modelled from published dataStump grinding per inch of diameter, low and high
- 0
- 2
- 1
- 5
Applies to: Grinding, and not full removal with the roots
Source: How much does stump grinding cost?, Lawn Love, published 2025-12, read 2026-11.
Lawn Love's rate. The same page's table falls below this rate and its own minimum, so we use the rate and the minimum.
STUMP_MINIMUM
Modelled from published dataLeast most companies charge to grind a stump
Applies to: Grinding one stump
Source: How much does stump grinding cost?, Lawn Love, published 2025-12, read 2026-11.
Lawn Love says most companies charge a minimum fee of $100.
HAUL_AWAY
Modelled from published dataHauling the wood away, low and high
- 0
- 50
- 1
- 200
Applies to: One tree
Source: How much does tree removal cost?, LawnStarter, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
Also from: How much does tree removal cost?, Lawn Love, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
LawnStarter says $50 to $90 and Lawn Love says $100 to $200, so the range runs from one's low to the other's high.
What the labels mean
- Modelled from published data:
- derived rather than measured, calibrated against the source named beside it.
If a figure here looks wrong, it may be. Tell us what you found and we will check it against the source and publish a correction if it needs one. How constants are chosen and how often they are reviewed is set out in our methodology.
How to use the tree removal cost calculator
- 1
Estimate the tree's height from a safe distance
- 2
Say if it stands near a house or lines
- 3
Choose whether you want the stump ground
- 4
Choose whether you want the wood hauled away
- 5
Get several written quotes, and ask what each one includes
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate here rests on the assumptions below. Where your job differs from one of them, the figure will differ too.
- Height sets the band, as no source we read puts a dollar figure on trunk size
- Being near a house or lines moves the high end by up to 50 percent, and that is the only figure we could source
- The stump and the hauling are usually billed separately, so they are added only if you ask
- No regional factor, since no source we read gives one
Pro tips
- Get several written quotes, and ask what each includes
- Ask to see proof of insurance before anyone climbs
- Keep the wood if you can use it: the firewood calculator tells you what you have