Tree Removal Cost Calculator

Tree height
60 ft
What is underneath
Condition
The stump
Your ZIP code

Showing the national average. Enter your ZIP code for local cost estimates.

Low $1,150
Typical $1,400
High $1,750

National average

Where these figures come from
  • Landscaping services, United States: $28.78/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES6056173003)
  • Saws, chipper, rigging and truck: $4.00 per foot of tree height (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)

Tree Removal costs $1,150 to $1,750 for a typical 60 ft job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $1,400. Labor runs 12.8 crew hours at $28.78 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.

What makes up the price

Labor $516 12.8 hours at $28.78/hour, 40% burden, 1.00x regional
Saws, chipper, rigging and truck $240 60 foot of tree height at $4.00 each
Haul-away and disposal $150
Stump: grind $0 1.15x on the work above
Contractor overhead and profit $365 35% applied to the work above
Typical total $1,400 $1,150 to $1,750 depending on contractor

Cost by size

National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.

Tree height Feet of height Typical Range
35 ft 35 $975 $800 to $1,200
50 ft 50 $1,225 $1,000 to $1,525
60 ft 60 $1,400 $1,150 to $1,750
80 ft 80 $1,750 $1,450 to $2,175
100 ft 100 $2,100 $1,725 to $2,600

What a tree crew is actually pricing

Height is the number on the quote. Risk is the thing being charged for, and you can assess most of it yourself by standing in the yard and looking up.

A tree with room to fall

If there is a clear space the full height of the tree, it can be felled in one piece or taken down in large sections dropped to the ground. A crew of two does a 60 foot tree in most of a day.

A tree beside something

Anything within falling distance of a house, a fence, a shed or a neighbor's yard has to come down in pieces small enough to control, each lowered on ropes. That is roughly 35% more, and it is where most residential removals sit.

A tree over something

A tree overhanging a roof, a driveway or a service line is dismantled from a bucket or a crane, with every piece rigged before it is cut. Around 80% more, and it is the one case where the cheap quote should worry you rather than please you.

A dead tree costs more, not less

This surprises people. A dead or heavily leaning tree cannot be climbed safely and nothing in it can be trusted to take a rigging load, so it needs a bucket or a crane where a sound tree of the same size would not. Add about 25%.

Insurance, which is the section that matters

Tree work has one of the highest injury rates of any trade, and the way that reaches a homeowner is specific.

If an uninsured climber is hurt in your yard, you can be the one who pays. Not the company — you. Homeowner's liability is the policy that gets reached, and the claim can exceed the coverage.

Before anyone climbs:

A crew that cannot produce this in an afternoon is quoting low for a reason. This is the single most important paragraph on this page, and it is worth more than the price estimate above it.

Does the tree actually need removing

The honest answer is that many quoted removals are avoidable, and nobody selling a removal will say so.

Worth removing:

Usually not worth removing:

A consulting arborist charges $150 to $400 for an assessment and has no stake in the answer, which a removal company does. On a mature, healthy tree that somebody has recommended taking down, that is money well spent — a mature shade tree is worth real money to a property and cannot be replaced in a lifetime.

The stump

Almost always quoted separately, which is why the removal price and the final bill differ.

Grinding does not remove the root system — it removes the stump. Roots decay in place over several years, and the ground will settle a little as they do. For a lawn that is fine; for a patio or a new structure, the roots have to come out.

Timing

Questions worth asking

Common questions

How much does tree removal cost?

Around $1,400 for a 60 foot tree in an open yard with the stump ground, with most jobs falling between $1,150 and $1,750. A 30 foot tree is closer to $775 and an 80 foot one around $1,750. Overhanging a roof or a service line adds about 80%.

Why is one tree quote so much higher than another?

Usually what is underneath the tree. A tree with room to fall is dropped in large pieces; one beside a building comes down piece by piece on ropes, which is about 35% more; and one over a roof or wires is dismantled from a bucket or crane with every cut rigged, which is around 80% more. The other possibility is that the cheap quote is uninsured.

Why does a dead tree cost more to remove?

Because it cannot be climbed safely and nothing in it can be trusted to hold a rigging load, so it needs a bucket or a crane where a sound tree of the same size would not. Add about 25%. A dead tree is more dangerous work, not less.

What insurance should a tree company have?

General liability and workers' compensation, as separate coverages, with a certificate sent directly by the insurer rather than handed over as a photocopy. This matters more here than on any other trade: if an uninsured climber is injured in your yard, your homeowner's liability is what gets reached, and the claim can exceed your coverage.

Does tree removal include the stump?

Usually not — it is quoted separately, which is why a removal price and a final bill often differ. Grinding 6 to 12 inches below grade adds around 15%; grinding deep and backfilling so the ground can be planted or built on adds about 30%. Cutting flush and leaving the stump costs nothing extra.

Does stump grinding remove the roots?

No. It removes the stump, and the root system stays in the ground and decays over several years, during which the ground settles a little. That is fine for a lawn. If a patio, a wall or a new structure is going there, the roots have to come out, which is a different and more expensive job.

Does my tree actually need to be removed?

Often not, and nobody selling a removal will say so. Removal is justified for a dead tree, a canopy more than half dead, a lean that has developed recently, extensive trunk decay, or roots lifting a foundation. It is not justified because a tree drops leaves, is close to the house but healthy, or has a few dead branches. A consulting arborist charges $150 to $400, has no stake in the answer, and a mature shade tree cannot be replaced in a lifetime.

When is the cheapest time to remove a tree?

Winter, in most of the country — no leaves to handle, firm ground for equipment, and quieter crews. The worst time is immediately after a storm, when prices rise, schedules stretch and a notable share of the crews knocking on doors are not local and not insured.

Do I need a permit to remove a tree?

Sometimes, and it is worth checking before rather than after. Many jurisdictions protect trees over a certain trunk diameter, and most HOAs have rules about mature trees. Removing a protected tree can bring a fine that exceeds the cost of the removal.

What happens if the tree damages something during removal?

That is what the contractor's general liability covers, which is why the certificate matters. Agree in advance what happens to the lawn as well — a chipper truck leaves ruts, and whether that is repaired or accepted is better settled before the work than after.

Where these numbers come from

Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.