Tree service in Kyle

Tree service in Kyle, in short

Send the form and a local tree pro calls you back. Before removing a tree 12 inches or wider in Kyle, check with the city's Planning Department (512-262-3959). And any wound on an oak in the city that exposes sapwood has to be painted within 30 minutes (Sec. 54-12).

Kyle's tree rules

Kyle is the second largest city in Hays County (City of Kyle). Its tree rules are in Sec. 54-12 of the city code, on eCode360. What the code says:

• Protected trees, 12 inches across up to just under 25: removal "must be specifically requested by the applicant, and approved in writing by the director of planning and community development" before any work. "Removal of any such trees without city approval is expressly prohibited."
• Specimen trees, about 24 inches and up for most native shade trees, such as live oak, cedar elm, Texas red oak and pecan, and 8 inches for Texas persimmon, Texas redbud and Texas mountain laurel. Removing one needs a vote of the Planning and Zoning Commission first.
• Dead or dangerous trees: the planning director can approve removal without the commission, with "a report from an ISA Certified Arborist" and "dated photo documentation." The same path is open for dead, hazardous or storm-damaged protected trees.
• How it's measured: 4½ ft above the ground, from the high side on a slope. On a multi-trunk tree, the largest trunk plus half of each other trunk.
• No replacement owed for hackberry, Ashe juniper and eastern red cedar, chinaberry, ligustrum, Arizona ash or cottonwood. Big cedars are the exception: 25 caliper inches or more follow the specimen tree process, "for the purpose of preserving Golden Cheeked Warbler habitat."
• Fines: up to $2,000 per offense, and "each day the violation exists shall constitute a separate offense."

Source: Kyle code, Sec. 54-12 (eCode360, laws through September 15, 2026).

State law also says a city "may not prohibit the removal of" a tree that is diseased or dead, or "poses an imminent or immediate threat to persons or property" (Local Government Code 212.905).

At an existing home

Many of the code's removal steps are tied to building permits and development sites, so it isn't clear how they apply to a tree in your yard. Before removing a tree 12 inches or wider, check with the city's Planning Department: 512-262-3959, 8 am to 5 pm. Applications go through the city's Citizen Self-Serve portal (City: Planning Services). What the rules set out for homes:

• "Existing platted lots used for one or two family residential are subject to a replacement value at one-half the standard value" (Sec. 54-12).
• If replacement is owed, the fee schedule's tree replacement fee is $300 per inch for a protected tree and $450 for a specimen tree, "Maximum $2,000 per single family or duplex dwelling unit" (Kyle Fee Schedule).
• If the tree is one the builder had to plant, ask the city whether you need to replace it (Sec. 54-10).

Oaks and oak wilt in Kyle

• Paint within 30 minutes, citywide: "All pruned limbs or wounds to the trunk, limbs and root system of oak trees in the city that expose sapwood shall be painted within 30 minutes of the wound." Ask the tree pro how they'll do it.
• Report it in 48 hours: "When Oak wilt infection is suspected or found, the director shall be contacted within 48 hours to obtain aid from the Texas Forest Service." The owner pays for control, but may choose "the least expensive measures approved by the Texas Forest Service."
• Firewood: "Firewood from Oak wilt infected trees shall not be brought into the city at any time." The code also recommends not stacking firewood near oaks, and burning it within a year.

Source: Sec. 54-12(d)(8).

The code sets no pruning season, so follow the Texas A&M Forest Service: no cuts on oaks from February through June, with late fall and winter the best time (texasoakwilt.org). Its Austin Region covers Hays County (TFS contacts). Our oak wilt guide.

Trees near power lines

The city's own answer to "who do I contact?" for trees near or touching power lines: "Contact Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) at 888-554-4732 Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to schedule a service order" (City FAQ). PEC may take the tree: fast-growing or invasive trees like hackberry, chinaberry and Chinese tallow "will be removed when necessary," and so will trees that are dead, dying or diseased. Its outage line is 888-883-3379 (PEC). On the edge of town, check your electric bill to see which co-op serves you.

Brush pickup and the landfill

• Twice a year, Kyle utility customers can book TDS for "bundled brush of up to 3 cubic yards" at no extra charge: bundles tied, 4 ft lengths, under 35 lbs, limbs no more than 4 inches across. TDS: 1-800-375-8375.
• Green cart, every other week, plus up to 10 brown paper yard-waste bags next to it. Tree trimmings, branches and brush are allowed.
• A free landfill trip each month: up to 5 cubic yards per household at the TDS Landfill Gatehouse, 3016 FM 1327, Creedmoor, on Saturdays from 7 am to 7 pm or sunset. Brush is accepted; secure the load, and bring a utility bill and driver's license that match.

Source: City of Kyle: Solid Waste Services.

The free landfill trip "will exclude commercial generated trash/yard waste" (TDS agreement, 2020), so if a tree company does the work, get haul-off in the quote.

Burning, and limbs over the street

• No backyard brush fires. Kyle issues open burning permits only for land-management fires: "Parcels must be in excess of 40 acres and zoned Agricultural for permits to be issued," and any burn must be at least 300 ft from a structure (Kyle fire code amendments). Check Hays County's burn ban status too.
• Over the street: after 30 days' written notice, owners must prune trees to the face of the curb, at least 13½ ft above the street. Owners also trim the trees between the front property line and the paved city right-of-way (Sec. 54-12).

What tree work costs

Ballpark figures only: we have no Kyle average, so these are LawnStarter's averages for San Marcos, the nearest city we have its figures for: $399 for a small tree, $848 for a medium one, $1,938 for a large one, and $260 to grind a stump (October 2026). What moves the price.

Questions people ask

Nearby

We also connect homeowners in Buda and San Marcos with local tree pros. See the Hill Country overview.