24-Hour Emergency Tree Service in Katy, TX

If a tree is on your house, on your car, on a power line, or blocking your driveway right now, call us: 281-373-1472. We pick up after hours, after midnight, on holidays, and during storms. If we can’t get to you ourselves we’ll tell you who can — straight, no run-around.

What follows is what you should expect when you call us with a downed tree or a storm-damaged tree in Katy or anywhere in our greater service area. It’s worth a two-minute read because the steps you take in the first hour matter.

What counts as a tree emergency

Tree emergencies in Katy and the surrounding area generally fall into one of these categories:

• A tree is down on a structure — your roof, garage, fence, or shed. The longer it sits, the more interior damage from rain, the more your insurance situation gets complicated. This is the most common emergency we get called for in the Cinco Ranch / Cross Creek Ranch / Fulshear / Katy area after a storm.
• A tree is leaning hard toward a structure and you can see fresh root upheaval at the base — soil cracking, the trunk listing, the top moving in light wind. That’s a tree about to come the rest of the way down. Don’t wait.
• A large limb has dropped or is hanging — pecans famously do this on calm days, oaks do it after wind events. A “widow-maker” limb half-broken and dangling is exactly the kind of thing we get out for at 11 PM on a weeknight.
• A tree is across a driveway, road, or sidewalk blocking access. We can get you cleared and reopened typically within a couple hours of the call.
• A tree contacted a power line. Read the next section first — the response order on this matters.

Some things people call us for that aren’t strictly emergencies but feel like ones — a few broken branches scattered in the yard, a single small limb that fell, a tree that looks unhealthy. Those are next-day visits, not 2-AM call-outs. We’ll still help you, just on the regular schedule.

If a tree is on a power line — call CenterPoint first

This is the one situation where we are not the first call. If a tree is on or near an active power line in Katy or anywhere in the CenterPoint Energy service area, the order is:

1. Get clear. Stay 30 feet back. Don’t touch the tree. Don’t touch anything the tree is touching. Energized lines can ground through soil, fences, and standing water.
2. Call CenterPoint Energy: 1-800-332-7143. They’ll send a utility crew to de-energize the line. We can’t legally cut a tree off a hot line — that’s a utility-licensed crew’s job, and that’s a hard rule, not a soft one.
3. Then call us at 281-373-1472. We’ll come out as soon as the line is safe and clear the tree off your property. If the line crew is going to be a while, call us early so we can be staged and ready to go the moment they release the scene.

What to do in the first hour after a tree comes down

If the immediate situation is safe, here’s the punch list:

1. Photograph everything before anything moves. Wide shot, mid shot, close-up. The roof, the tree, the surrounding yard. Your insurance carrier will want all of this. Cell phone is fine.
2. Tarp anything exposed to the sky. A torn shingle area, a punctured ceiling, a broken window — temporary tarp now saves you 10x in interior water damage later. We bring tarps and can do a temporary cover when we arrive if you don’t have one.
3. Call your insurance carrier. Open the claim. Get the claim number. Most carriers have a 24-hour claims hotline. Ask if they want you to wait for an adjuster before any work happens (some do, most don’t for emergency mitigation).
4. Call us. We can usually be on-site within 1 to 4 hours in the Katy area, depending on what else is hitting at the same time. We’ll bring what we need to make the property safe — chainsaws, ropes, the chipper if access allows, a crane if the size of the tree warrants it.

What we’ll do when we arrive

The first thing we do at any emergency call is walk the property and assess. We’re looking for hazards beyond the obvious — half-broken limbs still hanging, root upheaval on adjacent trees, downed lines you might have missed, structural damage to a roof or wall. The goal of the first hour is to get the property safe, not to finish the whole job.

From there, the work usually proceeds in this order:

1. Make the immediate hazard safe. Cut and lower any limbs hanging over occupied space. Stabilize anything that could fall further.
2. Tarp any roof opening. If there’s a hole, we cover it before anything else. Rain doesn’t wait for the rest of the job.
3. Remove the tree from the structure. This is usually the longest part. Depending on where the tree fell and how much weight is on what, we may rope sections down, use a crane to lift weight off the structure, or cut piece by piece from the top. We take pictures throughout — for your records and for your insurance carrier.
4. Clear the debris. Brush goes through the chipper. Larger trunk sections either get hauled or stacked at your direction. Driveways, walkways, and fence lines get raked clean.
5. Decide on follow-up. Stump grinding, structural assessment of remaining trees, and any landscape repair are usually scheduled separately on the regular calendar. Insurance often covers all of it.

Working with your homeowner’s insurance

Almost every tree-on-house claim in Texas is covered under a standard homeowner’s policy, but the details matter. Here’s what we’ve learned from working alongside adjusters across hundreds of claims:

• Most policies cover removal and repair if the tree damaged a covered structure. If the tree fell in your yard but didn’t hit anything, removal is usually not covered (with some exceptions — a few carriers will cover removal of a tree that fell across a driveway and is blocking access).
• The deductible applies. If your deductible is $2,500 and the total claim is $4,000, the carrier pays $1,500. We can structure the work so you understand exactly what your out-of-pocket will be before we start.
• Document everything. Photos before, during, and after. We do this as a matter of course on every emergency job because it makes claims smoother.
• The adjuster doesn’t always have to come first. Most policies have a “reasonable steps to mitigate further damage” provision that allows you (and us) to do safety work before the adjuster shows up — they just want documentation. If your carrier insists on inspection before any work, we can stabilize without removing and come back.
• We’re used to billing carriers directly on assignment-of-benefits claims, or invoicing the homeowner who then submits for reimbursement. Either way, we provide the itemized documentation the adjuster needs.

Our Katy-area emergency coverage

We respond across the greater Katy service area, including:

• Katy proper (north, central, and south)
• Cinco Ranch
• Cross Creek Ranch
• Fulshear
• Cane Island
• Firethorne
• Seven Meadows
• Cinco Ranch West
• Cinco Ranch Southwest
• Katy Lakes

For neighborhoods adjacent to Katy — Cypress, Fulshear, Brookshire, Pattison, parts of Sugar Land — we cover those too, with a slightly longer response window in some cases depending on traffic and which crew is closest.

How fast we can be there

Daytime, non-storm: typically 1 to 3 hours from the call to a crew on-site in Katy.

Overnight, single emergency: 1 to 2 hours typically. We have crews that take rotating after-hours calls.

During an active storm or right after: we triage by severity. A tree on a house with people displaced gets priority over a tree across a driveway. We’ll give you an honest ETA when you call — including telling you if we’re slammed and you’d be better off calling someone else (which has happened a handful of times during major events, and we’d rather you get help than wait for us).

Why proper emergency tree work matters

The temptation in an emergency is to take whoever shows up first. There’s a reason that’s usually a mistake. After-hours storm work attracts a particular kind of operator — out-of-state crews driving down for the storm work, uninsured local guys with chainsaws and trucks, and folks who do tree work as a side hustle. Some are legitimate. Many are not.

What goes wrong:

• Cuts on a tree under tension can spring back violently. A storm-damaged tree often has wood under enormous load — release it wrong and the trunk whips. A 4-inch limb under tension can break a forearm or a windshield. We’ve seen the aftermath of homeowner attempts that ended in ER visits and wrecked cars.
• Improper rigging drops trees on what’s left of the roof. A 2,000-pound oak section unhooked at the wrong moment can finish what the storm started. Proper crane work, proper rigging, and proper communication between the climber and the ground crew prevents that.
• Uninsured operators leave the homeowner holding the bag. If a piece of your tree damages your neighbor’s property during the removal, your insurance might not cover it — but the operator’s would, if they had any. Always ask for proof of insurance before work starts.
• “Storm chaser” crews disappear. If the work was done badly or there’s follow-up needed, the crew that drove in from Louisiana for the storm is back in Louisiana by the time you notice the issue.

Sticks has been working Katy and the surrounding area for decades. We’re here next month and next year if anything needs follow-up. Our work is bonded, our crews are insured, and the trucks have been on the same Houston-area roads long enough that the same drivers know which Katy back-streets are passable in flooding.

Common Katy emergencies we see

Katy’s tree mix is dominated by live oak, post oak, southern magnolia, water oak, and a fair number of pecans in older neighborhoods. The recurring emergencies in this specific area:

• Hurricane and tropical storm wind events tend to drop water oaks first — they’re shallow-rooted and Katy’s heavy clay holds water, which softens the anchorage. Live oaks generally hold up better but lose lower limbs.
• February ice events overload pecans and magnolias. The ice load on a wide pecan canopy can crack the trunk. We get calls for the next two weeks pulling broken limbs and assessing trees that look intact but have hidden cracks.
• Spring straight-line wind events drop trees with poor pruning history. Trees that have been “topped” in past years often fail at the topped point — the regrowth attaches weakly to the old cut.
• Drought-stressed oaks falling in calm weather. A drought-summer in Katy can crack roots invisibly. The tree looks fine all summer, then comes down in October during normal weather. We get a handful of these every fall.

What it costs

Emergency tree work in Katy typically falls in these ranges:

• Tree on a fence or in the yard, no structure damage: $700 – $2,500. Depends on size, access, and whether it’s an active emergency or a next-morning job.
• Tree on a roof, manageable size, no crane needed: $2,500 – $6,000. Most fall in the $3,000–$4,500 range.
• Tree on a roof, large, crane required: $6,000 – $15,000. The crane is a significant share of the cost — they bill by the half-day minimum.
• Tree blocking driveway, no structure damage: $500 – $1,500.
• After-hours surcharge: we charge a modest after-hours premium for true overnight calls (after 9 PM, before 6 AM). It’s a real cost — overtime, trucks running on minimal sleep — and we keep it reasonable. It’s spelled out in the quote before any work starts.

If your homeowner’s policy is involved, your out-of-pocket is the deductible. We’ll itemize the bill the way the adjuster needs to see it.

Frequently asked questions

Can you really come out at 2 AM?

Yes — for genuine emergencies. The phone is answered around the clock. If a tree is on your house at 2 AM, call us. We’d rather be woken up than have you sit with rain coming through the ceiling.

How fast can you get to Katy?

Usually 1 to 3 hours, depending on what’s hitting at the same time and which crew is closest. We’ll give you a real ETA when you call.

Will my insurance pay for this?

If a tree damaged a covered structure (your house, garage, fence, or vehicle in some policies), almost always yes — minus your deductible. If a tree fell in your yard but didn’t hit anything, removal is usually not covered. Best move is to call your carrier as soon as the situation is safe and let them open the claim while we’re driving over.

Should I tarp the roof myself before you get there?

If you can do it safely from inside the attic or from a ladder you’re sure of, yes — temporary tarp now is huge for limiting interior damage. If you’re not sure you can do it safely, leave it. Our crew tarps as part of the emergency response.

What if the tree is on the power line?

Stay 30 feet back, do not touch anything, call CenterPoint Energy at 1-800-332-7143 first. We come after the line is de-energized. We can’t legally cut a hot line — only the utility crew can clear that.

Do you bring a crane?

If the tree is large or its position requires lifting weight off a structure, yes — we either bring our own or coordinate with a Houston-area crane operator we work with regularly. The crane shows up in the quote as a separate line item.

Are you insured?

Yes — general liability, worker’s comp, and an umbrella policy. Certificate of insurance available before work starts on request. Always ask any tree-service operator for proof. If they hedge, walk away.

Will you work with my insurance company directly?

Yes. We’ve billed most major Texas carriers and we can do assignment-of-benefits if your policy allows it. Either way you get an itemized invoice in the format adjusters want to see.

Do you cover Cinco Ranch and Fulshear?

Yes — both are in our regular Katy-area service zone. More on our Katy service work.

Call us

If you have a tree emergency right now in Katy or the surrounding area, the number is 281-373-1472. The phone is on. Stay safe, stay back from any line that might be hot, and we’ll be on the way.

Sticks Tree Service Inc. — emergency response across Katy, Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Cypress, Tomball, Houston, and the broader Houston metro. Bonded. Insured. Same crew, same trucks.