Frequently Asked Questions

Usually not for a house lot. Frisco's tree preservation rules require a removal permit for most trees in the city but exempt trees on single-family or two-family lots within a recorded plat. If the tree was one the city required when the house was built, or it is a street tree, the code calls for a replacement of at least 3-inch caliper (3.5-inch for street trees), so ask the city if you are unsure.

Plan routine oak pruning for July through January. The Texas A&M Forest Service advises against pruning or wounding oaks from February through June, when sap beetles that spread oak wilt are most active, and recommends painting every oak wound right away in any season. Storm-damaged limbs that are a hazard are the exception and get cut and painted promptly.

Only in small amounts. Curbside yard waste is collected on your trash day, up to 10 bags or bundles a week, with limbs cut to 3-foot lengths, tied with compostable twine and no heavier than 30 pounds. The city does not remove whole trees or large sections, so hauling should be part of any tree service quote.

Frisco neighborhoods are served by either Oncor or CoServ. The utility clears its own primary lines; Oncor says no part of a tree should be within 10 feet of a distribution line. For the service drop running to your house, the tree work is yours to hire, and Oncor can temporarily disconnect the line if you call 888-313-6862 with at least three days' notice. CoServ members can submit a tree maintenance request online.

Not right away. Live oaks often drop damaged leaves after a severe freeze and push new growth in spring. Waiting until late spring shows which branches are truly dead, and then we can prune out deadwood, which on an oak should be done outside February through June unless it is a hazard.

It depends on the tree's size, species, condition and access. National cost guides put trimming at about $400 to $900 per tree and removal at about $400 to $1,200 on average, with large trees, backyard access through narrow gates and work near lines costing more. We give you a free written estimate after seeing the tree, and that estimate is the price.

Ask any tree company you call whether they know Frisco's permit exemption for house lots, oak wilt timing and how they will handle the wood under the city's yard-waste limits. A good answer to those three questions tells you a lot. We cover all three in every estimate.

Yes, in most cases. The tree is cut into pieces small enough to carry or chip through the gate. Sometimes a fence panel is removed and replaced, or a crane lifts sections over the house; your quote will say which approach we plan to use.

For red oaks, usually yes. The Texas A&M Forest Service recommends cutting infected red oaks soon after discovery and burning, burying or chipping them so fungal mats do not form. Live oaks are less susceptible and some can be treated, which a licensed applicator would handle, so a symptomatic live oak is worth a closer look before deciding.

It depends on your policy. Insurers often cover removing a tree that falls on a covered structure, but not taking down a healthy or dead tree that has not caused damage. If a tree has hit your house, take photos and call your insurer before the tree is moved.

Whatever you choose and we write down: chipped and hauled away, chips left for mulch, logs cut to firewood length and stacked, or rounds left for you. Frisco's curbside yard-waste service takes only limbs cut to 3 feet in bundles under 30 pounds, so most removals include hauling.

Young trees benefit from structural pruning every few years while they are establishing their shape. Mature trees typically need pruning less often, mainly to remove deadwood and keep clearance from the roof and lines. A tree that has been through a hard freeze or a storm should be looked at that season.

In Texas, homeowners can generally trim branches that cross onto their property, up to the property line, as long as the work does not kill or seriously damage the tree. It is courteous, and often easier, to talk with your neighbor first. If the tree is an oak, the February through June oak wilt caution applies to your side too.

Yes. Cutting back to the same stubs every year produces clusters of weak sprouts and knobby swelling on the trunks. Crape myrtles flower on new growth whether or not they are topped, so thinning out crossing, rubbing and inward-growing stems keeps them healthier and better looking.

Not near primary lines; Oncor and CoServ handle those, and Oncor allows only line-clearance-certified workers within 6 feet of high-voltage lines. For limbs around the service drop to your house, Oncor can temporarily disconnect the line so the work can be done safely, and we help you schedule that.

No. Frisco lists tree stumps and roots as material that does not go out with curbside yard waste; they go to the 121 Regional Disposal Facility in Melissa. Grinding the stump in place avoids having to haul it at all.

Not exactly. Grinding chews the stump into chips below ground and leaves most of the root system to decay in the soil. Full stump removal digs out the stump and main roots, which leaves a much bigger hole and is rarely needed in a residential yard unless something will be built on the spot.

Right away, and it is often done the same day as the removal. Old stumps can be ground years later too, though very old, partly rotted stumps sometimes break up unevenly.

Some species, such as cedar elm, hackberry and crape myrtle, can send up sprouts from remaining roots for a season. Mowing or clipping them repeatedly usually exhausts the roots. Grinding deeper and taking out large surface roots reduces sprouting.

The utility deals with the line first. Call Oncor at 888-313-4747 or CoServ at 855-938-3496, and 911 if there is fire or sparking. Once the line is safe, the tree itself is the homeowner's responsibility, according to Oncor, and a tree company removes it.

Often when a tree damages a covered structure such as your house or garage, though coverage and limits vary by policy. A tree that falls in the yard without hitting anything may not be covered. Photograph everything before work starts and call your insurer.

Sometimes. If the split is in a smaller limb, pruning back to a clean cut may be enough. A split through the main trunk or a fork that carries much of the crown usually means removal, because the tree is likely to fail again. We look at it and tell you which.

You can call (469) 750-3092 at any hour to leave your address, what happened and photos if you have them. We call back as soon as we can and schedule work in order of danger.

Not for routine work. March falls in the February through June window when the Texas A&M Forest Service advises against pruning or wounding oaks. If a limb is broken or hazardous, it should be cut cleanly and the wound painted right away; everything else can wait until July.

For oaks in Texas, yes. Wound dressing is not recommended on most trees, but the Forest Service specifically advises painting all oak wounds immediately in any season because the paint blocks the beetles that carry oak wilt spores from reaching fresh wood.

It is better not to. Diseased red oak wood can form spore mats, and the Forest Service recommends burning, burying or chipping infected red oaks and avoiding moving firewood. If you keep oak firewood from a healthy tree, let it season before moving it.

Possibly. The fungus spreads through connected roots at about 75 feet a year on average, mainly between live oaks, and beetles can carry spores farther. The Forest Service describes trenching at least 4 feet deep and 100 feet beyond symptomatic trees to break root connections, and fungicide injections to protect healthy oaks nearby.

It has been confirmed in both counties Frisco sits in. The Texas A&M Forest Service announced the Collin County confirmation in June 2024, and Denton County is also on its list of affected counties. That does not mean every ash is infested, but any ash in Frisco is at risk.

Ash trees have compound leaves with several leaflets arranged in opposite pairs along a stem, and branches that also grow opposite each other. Mature bark often has a diamond-shaped ridge pattern. If you are not sure, we can identify it when we visit.

You can burn it on your own property, but do not move it. Collin County is under a state quarantine that restricts moving ash wood out of the county, and the Forest Service warns that the borer can survive in wood for up to two years.

Treatment with emamectin benzoate can protect a healthy ash for two to three years per application, which suits a large, well-placed tree you want to keep. A tree that already has major dieback, or one you would not miss, is usually better removed before it becomes brittle.