Questions Sioux Falls homeowners ask us
Licensing, prices, ash, boulevard trees, clearance, wood, stumps, insurance and storms: the short answers. Anything we missed, call and ask.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Sioux Falls Code § 94.060 requires a City arborist's license and general liability insurance for anyone paid to trim or remove trees in the city. The crews that work through us hold the license and carry liability and workers' comp. Ask for the certificate before anyone climbs.
How much does tree removal cost?
Most residential removals run $700 to $1,800 for a medium tree. The City put a typical ash removal at about $800 to $1,000 in 2024. Big cottonwoods and crane jobs run more. Stump grinding is a separate $120 to $400.
Should I treat or remove my ash?
Treat it if it's healthy, well placed and has lost less than about 30 percent of its canopy. SDSU Extension says about 40 percent decline is too late. Remove it if it's declining, poorly placed or you wouldn't miss it.
When can ash be cut?
From Labor Day to Memorial Day. The City says not to prune or remove ash from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and moving ash wood is prohibited then.
Do you charge for estimates?
No. An estimator walks the property and leaves a written price good for 30 days.
Do you require a deposit?
Not until you've approved the written price and we've scheduled the work. Most jobs are paid on completion.
Who is responsible for the tree between the curb and sidewalk?
The abutting property owner, from planting through removal, under City ordinance. Removing one needs a free City permit. Parking-strip ash are the exception: the City removes them free unless you treat them.
What clearance do trees need over streets and sidewalks?
Ten feet over sidewalks, 12 feet over streets and 16 feet over arterial and collector streets, under Code § 94.041.
Where does the wood go?
Chipped on site or hauled to the Sioux Falls landfill's wood pile, where it's ground into mulch. Ash never leaves the quarantine counties.
Can I keep ash for firewood?
At home inside the quarantine counties, yes, and that includes all of Minnehaha and Lincoln. It can't leave the quarantine without a state permit or go to state parks.
Do you grind stumps?
Yes, below grade, with an 811 locate first. Boulevard stumps go 6 to 8 inches below grade as the code requires.
Will insurance pay for a fallen tree?
Usually, if it damaged a covered structure. A tree that fell in the yard without hitting anything often isn't covered. We provide dated photos and an itemized invoice.
My spruce is dying from the bottom up. Why?
Most often Cytospora canker or needlecast, both worse in crowded rows and drought. SDSU Extension calls Cytospora on Colorado spruce a serious problem in Sioux Falls.
Do you serve Brandon, Harrisburg and Tea?
Yes, and Hartford, Dell Rapids, Canton, Lennox, Crooks and Renner, plus all of Sioux Falls.
Do you really answer at night?
Yes, 24 hours a day, every day. An estimator calls back the next business morning for non-emergencies.