A tree is an emergency when it threatens people or a building right now, or when it’s touching power lines. If neither applies, you can book a daytime visit, which is also safer for the crew.
Call now:
| What you see | First call |
|---|---|
| Tree or limb on power lines, or lines down | 911 and your electric utility. Stay away |
| Tree on a house with people inside, or gas smell | 911. Get everyone out |
| Tree blocking a road or an ambulance's route | 911 or the local non-emergency line |
| Tree actively cracking, leaning further, soil lifting at the base | Move people and cars away, then call an emergency tree service |
Book a daytime visit instead:
- A dead tree that has stood for months.
- A lean that hasn’t changed in years.
- High dead limbs with nothing beneath them, after you’ve blocked off the area.
- A fallen tree lying in open yard, touching nothing.
Emergency work costs more. Angi’s 2026 guide says emergency removal “commands a premium” after storms and can reach up to $5,000 depending on the circumstances. It doesn’t give a Georgia rate, so ask for the after-hours price before the crew starts, unless life or a building is at stake.
If you do wait for morning, photograph the tree tonight from a safe distance. Your insurer may want to see it before anything is moved. In the City of Atlanta, dead, dying, or hazardous trees still run through the Arborist Division, so a crew removing a standing tree there should tell you how it’s handling the permit.