Emergency storm tree work in central New Jersey

When you need this

• A tree or limb is on the roof, a car or a fence.
• A fallen tree blocks your driveway or the street.
• A cracked limb is hanging and could drop on the next gust.

What happens

1. Make sure everyone is safe and away from the tree. If a wire is down or in the tree, call 911 and your utility before anything else.
2. Take photos of the damage from a safe distance for your insurer, and call or send a request. Ask for a written price before cutting if you can.
3. The crew cuts the tree off the structure in controlled pieces. A tree resting on a roof or car is slower and riskier than one lying on open ground.
4. They clear the driveway or access. Some companies will tarp the damaged roof, and some leave that to a roofer. Ask.
5. Full cleanup, stump work and permanent repairs often come later, as separate jobs.

What affects the quote

• Night, weekend and storm rates. Cost guides say emergency work runs well above a scheduled job.
• Whether the tree is resting on a structure, which makes the cut slower and riskier.
• How many other homes are calling at the same time after a regional storm.
• Whether the tree is touching wires, which may bring in the utility before the crew can start.
• Whether your homeowners policy covers removal. Several guides say it can when a covered storm drops a tree on a structure. Read your own policy and call your insurer.

We set no prices. For published national cost ranges and where they come from, see the pricing guide. A real price needs someone to look at the job.

Questions to ask the company

• How soon can a crew be here, and will you give me a written price before cutting?
• Can you tarp the roof, or should I call a roofer separately?
• Can I have photos and an invoice for my insurer?
• Does the price cover cleanup, or only making it safe?

We are a referral site, not the tree company, so we cannot answer these for the company that calls you. Ask them.

Permits

A permit is rarely the first concern when a tree is on your house. We have not confirmed how each town handles emergency removals, so ask the company and your town afterward whether anything needs to be filed, and keep the invoice. Each town page has a permit note.

Choose your town to see its permit note.

Other services

• Tree removal
• Tree trimming and pruning
• Stump grinding
• Lot clearing