If a tree or limb is touching a power line, or someone is hurt, call 911 first. Stay well away from any downed line and treat it as live. Report it to PG&E. Don’t touch the tree, or anything the tree is touching.
What counts as an emergency
- A tree or large limb has fallen on a house, garage, vehicle or fence.
- A tree is blocking a driveway or the only way out.
- A trunk has split, or a large limb is cracked and hanging over a place people use.
- A tree has suddenly started to lean, with soil lifting at the base.
In the form, choose Emergency or storm damage and describe what happened, so the request is read as urgent.
What to do right now
- Keep people and pets away. A broken tree can shift again without warning. Stay out from under hanging limbs.
- Don’t cut wood that’s under tension. Bent and pinned limbs can spring back violently when cut. This is how many storm-cleanup injuries happen.
- If the tree hit the house, stay out of the damaged rooms. If you smell gas, leave and call 911.
- Take photos of the tree and the damage from a safe distance, before anything is moved.
- Call your insurer. Ask what’s covered and whether they need to see the damage before removal starts.
What an emergency crew does
The first visit is about making the site safe: taking weight off the building, removing hanging limbs and clearing access. Crews often use a crane or rigging so the tree is lifted off the structure instead of dragged across it. Hauling the wood and grinding the stump can follow on a normal schedule, which keeps the urgent part of the bill smaller.
Why trees fail here
- Wind. Strong gusts break overextended limbs and uproot trees with shallow or damaged roots.
- Summer limb drop. On hot, still afternoons, mature trees sometimes shed a large, healthy-looking limb with no warning. Eucalyptus, elms and oaks are among the species known for it.
- Drought stress and root damage. Trees that have gone short of water, or had roots cut for a trench, driveway or pool, decline for years before they fail.
- Old topping cuts. Regrowth from topped limbs is weakly attached and breaks out as it gets heavy.
Regular pruning that removes dead and weak limbs is the cheapest way to avoid the emergency call.
Insurance
Homeowners policies often help pay for removing a tree that has fallen on a covered structure, and for repairing the damage. They usually don’t pay for a tree that fell without hitting anything. Keep your photos, the written estimate and the receipt, and ask the tree service to describe the work clearly on the invoice.
Common questions
Does emergency tree work cost more?
Usually, yes. After-hours call-outs, hazardous conditions and crane work all add to the price. Splitting the job into an urgent make-safe visit and a later cleanup can reduce it.
Is someone available at night or on weekends?
Availability depends on the local tree service and how busy they are, especially after a windstorm. Mark your request as an emergency so it’s read first. For anything involving power lines or injuries, call 911 without waiting.
A neighbor’s tree fell on my property. Who pays?
In most cases you claim on your own homeowners policy for damage to your property, wherever the tree came from. It can be different if the owner had been warned the tree was dangerous. Your insurer can tell you how it applies to you. This is general information, not legal advice.