Tree Service in Forney, TX
Need a tree taken down, trimmed back or ground out at your Forney, Texas home? Call or send the short form below, and your tree service or tree removal request goes to one independent local contractor, who comes out to see the tree and gives you a price for the work.
If your house sits on a lot zoned single-family, Forney's tree permit rule doesn't apply to your yard; the box below quotes the line that says so.
Send a short request
More to say about the tree, like its height or how soon you need it done? The full request form has room for it.
Does Forney's tree ordinance reach the yard of a house that's already built?
Not if the lot is zoned single-family. Forney's tree preservation rules are Section 39a of the city's zoning ordinance (the 2026 edition the city posted on Apr. 9, 2026), and Sec. 39a.2.B.3 says:
"Developed property which is zoned in a single family residential classification and where an existing residence is located shall not be subject to this section."
The section still applies to vacant and undeveloped land, to property being redeveloped, and to the required yard and landscape areas of other developed property. On that kind of land, a protected tree (one on the city's approved plant list measuring 6 inches or more in caliper) needs city approval first: a Tree Removal Permit when no construction is planned, or approval with the site plan, plat or building plans when it is (checked Nov 14, 2026).
After a storm: Sec. 39a.2.C.3.b lets broken limbs, and protected trees that were uprooted or snapped at the trunk, be cleared without applying for a permit, as long as the work is done before the 15th calendar day after the damage. That period may be extended after widespread and extensive storm damage (checked Nov 14, 2026).
A subdivision plat or HOA rules can still carry their own tree conditions, separate from the ordinance. Read the whole Forney rule, section by section.
What does tree removal run around Forney?
National cost guides put a typical removal anywhere from about $150 to $2,700, and most of that spread comes from the tree's height and what it could land on. All four figures below were checked Nov 14, 2026.
Average removal
$906 to $1,150
This Old House average (page updated Mar. 5, 2026; its summary box shows $960) and HomeGuide's national average.
By tree height
$150 to $2,700
HomeGuide's low bracket is a tree shorter than 30 feet ($150 to $500); past 80 feet it tops out at $1,200 to $2,700.
Stump grinding
$2 to $6 an inch
HomeGuide, measured across the stump. Angi's 2026 figure is $2 to $5 an inch.
Storm or emergency work
$150 to $250 an hour
HomeGuide's storm rate. A crane adds $500 to $2,500 a day.
These are national ranges, not Forney prices; no guide publishes a price list for Forney. What counts is the written price the contractor gives you after looking at your tree. See the full price tables and what moves them.
Which kinds of tree work can you ask for here?
Tree removal
Taking a whole tree down, from the first limb to the last round of trunk. At a Forney house the job usually turns on what sits under the tree: the roof, a fence, the neighbor's yard or a service line. The removal guide covers when the city rule applies, the six-foot power line law, 811 and what happens to the wood.
Tree removal cost
National guides, each dated, broken down by tree height, plus the extras that show up on a written price: crane time, storm-hour rates, stump grinding by the inch and dump trips for the wood. None of them lists Forney prices, and the page says so after the numbers, along with what tends to push a price up or down.
Tree trimming
Lifting limbs off a roof or driveway, cutting out dead or ice-cracked wood, and thinning a heavy crown. Timing matters for oaks: the Texas A&M Forest Service advises against pruning them from February through June and says to paint fresh oak wounds right away (checked Nov 14, 2026). The page also covers limbs near lines and elm leaf beetles.
Stump grinding
Grinding a fresh stump below the grass after a removal, or finally dealing with an old one. Texas law treats powered digging 16 inches or deeper as excavation, so a locate request to 811 has to go in at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends and holidays (checked Nov 14, 2026). The stump page lists per-inch prices.
Storm tree removal
Limbs on the roof, a tree across the driveway, a trunk split by ice. Forney's ordinance lets storm-broken trees be cleared without a permit if the work is done before the 15th calendar day after the damage, and Kaufman County was in FEMA's declarations for the 2021 winter storm and the spring 2024 storms. The storm page covers first steps, claims and door-knockers.
Dead and dying trees
Oaks with bark falling away in patches, trees that never leafed out after a freeze, and yard trees that began failing a few years after the house went up. The page walks through hypoxylon canker, freeze and drought damage, root injury from construction, and why the owner of the land carries the risk when a tree falls.
Ash trees and emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borer is confirmed in Dallas and Rockwall counties, among others, but had not been confirmed in Kaufman County as of the Texas A&M Forest Service's June 2026 county list (checked Nov 14, 2026). The ash page covers the warning signs on the trunk and crown, the firewood advice, and when an ash is worth taking down.
Which storms have torn up trees around Forney?
These are the events on record in National Weather Service surveys, FEMA declarations and, where marked, news reports.
- March 4, 2004A downburst ran from about 3 miles west of Kaufman to the southeastern edge of Terrell, with winds estimated at 70 to 75 mph near Post Oak Bend, where several trees were heavily damaged (NWS).
- April 11, 2011An EF1 tornado (a preliminary rating) touched down on Forney's north side near FM 740 and Lovers Lane, with 100 to 105 mph winds; five homes had roof damage (NWS).
- April 3, 2012An EF-3 tornado with estimated 150 mph winds touched down near Forney, southwest of Highway 80, and ran about 8 miles. Two homes in the Diamond Creek subdivision were destroyed and several others heavily damaged (NWS).
- May 29, 2019An EF2 tornado with winds estimated at 120 mph crossed Cedar Creek Reservoir between Kemp and Mabank, uprooting and snapping large hardwood trees along its 4-mile track; one home was significantly damaged and one person had a minor injury (NWS, NOAA Storm Events Database).
- February 2021Winter Storm Uri. Kaufman County was in FEMA's major disaster declaration DR-4586.
- April 5, 2022Straight-line winds of 70 to 75 mph left a swath of tree damage from near Scurry to US 175 north of Kemp (NWS).
- April 26 to June 5, 2024Storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding. FEMA's DR-4781 named Kaufman County for individual assistance to homeowners.
Where do requests come from?
Forney first. The city grew from about 23,300 residents in 2020 to about 41,700 in 2025, and the Census Bureau ranked it 8th among the fastest-growing U.S. cities of 20,000 or more from 2024 to 2025 (checked Nov 14, 2026). Requests also come from the rest of Kaufman County, where 106,822 of the county's 209,235 residents, about 51%, live outside any city limits in the Census Bureau's 2025 figures (checked Nov 14, 2026).
- Forney
- Talty
- Crandall
- Terrell
- Kaufman
- Kemp
- the Mabank side
- the Combine side
- Post Oak Bend
- Oak Ridge
- the Heartland community
- unincorporated Kaufman County
Questions Forney homeowners ask before calling
Do I need a City of Forney permit to cut down a tree in my backyard?
Not on developed property zoned single-family with a house on it: Sec. 39a.2.B.3 takes those lots out of the city's tree preservation section (checked Nov 14, 2026). Vacant lots, redevelopment and other kinds of property are covered. If you aren't sure how your lot is zoned, the City of Forney Community Development office is at (972) 552-6549 (checked Nov 14, 2026).
Can a Texas city stop me from removing a dead tree?
Generally, no. Texas Local Government Code ยง212.905(h) says a city may not prohibit removing a tree that is diseased or dead, or one that poses an imminent or immediate threat to people or property, and may not charge a tree mitigation fee for it. The section doesn't apply within five miles of a federal military base that was active on Dec. 1, 2017 (checked Nov 14, 2026).
Who shows up when I call the number on this site?
One independent local contractor who works in Forney and Kaufman County. This site has no crews or equipment of its own. The contractor looks at the tree, sets the price, does the work and handles any permit the job needs.
Has emerald ash borer reached Kaufman County?
Not as of the Texas A&M Forest Service's June 2026 county list, which shows it in Dallas, Rockwall, Ellis and Navarro counties among 40 Texas counties (checked Nov 14, 2026). What that means for an ash in your yard.
Does grinding a stump in Forney need an 811 call?
If the grinder will disturb soil 16 inches deep or more, Texas Utilities Code Chapter 251 treats it as excavation, and notice has to go to 811 at least 48 hours before, not counting weekends and legal holidays (checked Nov 14, 2026). More on stump grinding.
A storm dropped a limb on the wires. What first?
Stay away from it. The Texas A&M Forest Service's storm advice says not to remove limbs on or near power lines, so call the electric company that serves your home before anyone touches the tree. First steps after a storm.
Sources: City of Forney Zoning Ordinance, 2026 edition, Sec. 39a (posted Apr. 9, 2026; checked Nov 14, 2026); Forney EDC, development process (Community Development phone); HomeGuide tree removal cost, HomeGuide stump grinding cost, This Old House, Angi stump removal cost; Tex. Local Gov't Code ch. 212; Tex. Utilities Code ch. 251; Texas A&M Forest Service, EAB; TFS, cold and ice damage; NWS Fort Worth surveys for 2004, 2011, 2012 and 2022; NOAA Storm Events Database, May 29, 2019; FEMA DR-4586 and DR-4781; Census Bureau Vintage 2025 release and Texas city file. All checked Nov 14, 2026.
A tree in your Forney yard you want gone, cut back or looked at?
Call or send the short request form. Either one reaches a single independent contractor who works across Kaufman County. That contractor sets up a time to see the tree and gives you a price; you decide from there.