IS THERE FREE
TREE REMOVAL?

If you have a large tree on your property, it may be causing problems for your home. This can be in terms of blocking light, growing into your neighbor’s yard, or the roots may be damaging your underground pipe network. Either way, when it comes time to remove a tree, you can be liable to get a large bill. Hiring a tree cutting service can be expensive as you’re paying trained experts to safely and securely cut down and remove your tree.

However, while it may sound too good to be true, in some circumstances, there are ways you can have a tree removed from your property for free. Although it doesn’t apply in all cases, there are ways that you can contact the right people and have them take care of the tree for you at no cost to yourself.

This guide will walk you through the different options involved, and how you may be able to get your tree removed for free.

POWER
COMPANIES

The most likely chance you have of a tree being removed for free is from a power company.

Tree contact with transmission lines is a major cause of electrical power outages. These power outages can have a major widespread impact. In August 2003, a tree caused a regional power outage that left 50 million people without power in the Northeastern United States and Canada. As such, power companies have a vested interest to remove potentially dangerous trees near their power lines. This is usually your best bet for getting a tree removed for free.

Power Companies’ Responsibilities

Power companies have very clear responsibilities when it comes to trees near the power lines. If a tree is within touching distance of an overhead power line, the company may cut it down for free. On top of this, electrical utility companies are responsible for trimming all trees near power lines. This is enshrined in the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), which is applicable in most states.

For more information on whether your state does or not, see the link (https://standards.ieee.org/content/dam/ieee-standards/standards/web/documents/other/2017-nesc-state-adoption-reference-survey.pdf).

Power companies usually take their responsibilities to trim trees near power lines very seriously, as falling limbs can very easily lead to deaths from electrocution (particularly if they happen during storms).

Once the weight of the trees becomes too much for the power lines – or the force is too great due to snow, ice, or storms, the tree falling will bring down the power line.

If the power line is on the ground, it usually knocks out the power to the area. On top of this, a live power line on the ground presents a major electrocution hazard. 

If you have a tree that overhangs a power line, you should call your city or local power company and inform them.
If they fail to respond, a letter or email will demonstrate in writing that they are aware of the tree. Usually, however, power companies are proactive, and will at least send someone out to look at the tree to determine whether it presents a hazard for the power lines.

The Law Governing Power Companies

Once the power company has assessed your tree, they will be governed by local and state laws as to the next course of action. Generally, however, most state governments have comprehensive laws on the statute compelling power companies to not only be reactive in fixing problems but proactive in anticipating and addressing problems before they occur. 

Power companies are therefore legally obligated to ‘use reasonable means and inspection schedules to find deficiencies in their systems.’ This includes trees and branches.

Again, the NESC is fairly clear on the law relating to trees (although you’ll need to confirm whether your state has adopted the NESC into its state regulations).

The ‘Vegetation Management Rule’

in NESC’s 2017 Edition states, “Vegetation management should be performed around supply and communication lines as experience has shown to be necessary. Vegetation that may damage ungrounded supply conductors should be pruned or removed.” (Rule 218 A.1, NESC 2017). This shows that the laws regulating the power company’s actions are fairly clear.
If you want them to remove a tree from your property, you will need to demonstrate, therefore, not only that it presents a danger to overhead power lines but – if you want the full tree to be removed – that removing certain branches will not suffice. Generally, if you communicate with the power company and tell them that you are willing for the tree to be removed in its entirety they will oblige.

Otherwise, you will need to show that the tree will continue to grow and present a risk to the power lines or the company will be under no legal obligation to remove it.

PROPERTY
OWNERS'
RESPONSIBILITY

It’s worth considering what the responsibilities of the property owner are when it comes to tree removal after a power company has cut down or trimmed a tree.
Generally, the property owner will be responsible for the cleanup (which will usually involve cleaning up the area around the tree – i.e. on the property owner’s property). Generally, this is something you can do yourself without the need for specialist equipment or knowledge.
One of the complicating factors here is the issue known as ‘Prescriptive Easement’ – which is a law stating that utility companies can enter onto private property in order to access power lines.

They can do this without the owners’ consent, so there’s really nothing you can do to prevent property companies from accessing the power lines. The implications of this when it comes to trees is fairly large. It means that utility companies are not only compelled to trim branches and trees that may damage power lines, but that you (the property owner) are compelled to allow them access.

The gray area lies in precisely who is responsible for cleaning up after the trees or branches have been cut.
Naturally, there can be a lot of debris if a power company is doing serious cleanup work – the debris can include foliage, branches, to full trees, and much of this will fall onto your property.
In most cases, the tree cutting service used by the utility company will dispose of the debris, although they may also send you a bill for this service at a later date.

The ultimate answer for who is responsible for clearing the debris is down to your local city and state laws, so be sure to check with them in advance of any work taking place, or you could be left with a nasty surprise.

ADDITIONAL
OPTIONS FOR FREE
TREE REMOVAL

Here are some other ways one might get a tree removed from your property for free.

If getting into a legal wrangling match with a utility company doesn’t seem to be a viable way for you to get free tree clearance, then all is not lost; there are still ways to remove a tree from your land for free. 

THESE WAYS INCLUDE:

Do the work yourself

This is obviously the most straightforward way to remove a tree without having to pay someone else to do it for you. However, there are some limitations to this tactic, especially if you have limited knowledge, equipment, or expertise in the area. Generally, removing a tree is a dangerous job, so unless you’re absolutely sure, it’s best not to choose this option.

Contacting the city

In some cases, the local government has procedures in place to help with the removal of trees. You will need to speak to your most local civic government to confirm whether that is the case where you live. Most governments do have some form of help with tree removal although it varies greatly depending on your circumstances and the conditions that require the tree’s removal. If the tree is unsafe, they usually will, although you may struggle if the reason is purely aesthetic.

The 2003 blackout was a watershed moment when it came to forcing utility companies to take care of power lines.

The federal government designated an Electric Reliability Organization, which had the responsibility to develop and enforce standards to ensure the reliability of power throughout the country. Part of this is the role of vegetation management and tree trimming.

As such, the fact that there is effectively a federal agency mandated to remove trees suggests there is a strong chance you’ll be able to get your tree removed on Uncle Sam’s dime.