Service guide for owners
Selling emergency tree service: be the company that answers
Emergency work is different from every other tree service. The customer is scared, the clock is running, and they will hire whoever picks up first. This guide covers what people search for when a tree comes down, how to describe emergency service honestly, how to price it from your costs, and what to ask on the call.
By Umair Nawaz, Lirevon. Last reviewed: October 2026. General information, not legal, insurance or safety advice.
What customers search for
Emergency searches are short, urgent and local. Most happen on a phone, often at night or right after a storm. The searcher taps "call" on the first result that looks real. These are the kinds of phrases to plan for; check your own towns with the local keyword planner.
| Search phrase | What the searcher wants |
|---|---|
| emergency tree service near me | Something just happened. They will call the first company that answers. |
| tree fell on house | Fear and damage. They also need to know about insurance and what to do first. |
| 24 hour tree service | It is night or a weekend. Only promise 24/7 if someone really answers. |
| tree blocking driveway | They cannot get out. Speed matters more than a full removal today. |
| storm tree removal [city] | Many people search at once after a storm. Your profile and page must be ready before the storm. |
| tree on power line who to call | This is the utility’s job first. Say so clearly on your page. |
Plan your pages before storm season, not during it. The local SEO guide and the storm season guide explain how.
How to describe it on your website and Google profile
An emergency page has one job: get the call. Put your phone number at the top as a tap-to-call link. Say your real hours for emergency calls. Tell people what to do first if there is danger. Then explain what you do when you arrive.
A simple page outline
- A heading like "Emergency tree service in [city]" and a large call button.
- Your real emergency hours, for example "We answer 24/7" only if that is true.
- A safety box: downed lines, call the utility; danger to people, call 911.
- What happens when you call: we ask a few questions, give an arrival time, make it safe, then plan the cleanup.
- Help with insurance: photos and an itemized invoice.
- Your service area, insurance proof, real photos and common questions.
Build the full outline with the free service page outline builder.
Example service description
Example only. Change the hours and claims to match what your company really does.
Emergency tree service in [city]. Tree on your house, car or driveway? Call or text us. We answer [your real hours] and will give you an honest arrival time. First we make it safe: we get the tree off the roof, tarp where we can and open your driveway. Then we plan the full cleanup with you. We take photos and give you an itemized invoice for your insurance company. If a tree is on a power line, stay away and call the utility first. If anyone is in danger, call 911.
On your Google Business Profile, add emergency tree service as a service, keep your hours accurate (including any special hours during storms) and post photos of your own emergency jobs. The Google Business Profile builder helps you write it.
Answering the phone is the service
About 27% of calls to home-service businesses go unanswered, and under 3% of those callers leave a voicemail (Invoca). An emergency caller is the least likely of all to wait. If you are in a tree with a saw running, that call goes to the next company on the list.
Three fixes help. A text that goes out within seconds of a missed call, so the caller knows you are real. A plan for who answers after hours. And a short script so whoever answers asks the right questions. See how many calls you might be losing with the missed call season calculator, plan your cover with the after-hours coverage planner, and write the first text with the text-back script tool. The missed calls guide goes deeper.
How to structure the price
We do not list market prices for emergency work. Build each price from your own costs, using the same method as normal work, with the real extras that emergencies bring.
| Part | What to count | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Call-out or first visit | Your cost to send a person or crew at short notice: travel time, fuel and the job you had to leave. | Say in writing if it is folded into the job price. |
| Crew time | Every person, every hour, at a loaded hourly cost. Add overtime where it applies. | Federal law requires 1.5x pay for non-exempt employees over 40 hours in a workweek; state rules can add more. |
| Equipment | Saw, chipper, trucks, loader, lights for night work, each at its hourly cost. | Night work needs lights and slows the crew. |
| Hired help | A crane or extra crew, from a written quote. | Storm-week rates and minimums can be different; ask. |
| Disposal | Loads times your fee per load. | Dump sites can get busy after storms. |
| Make-safe vs full job | Price the urgent part (off the roof, open the drive) separately from the cleanup. | Lets the customer say yes fast. |
| Overhead and profit | Your normal margin, added on top. | Same method as normal work; see the note on price gouging below. |
The formula, in plain words
Price = call-out cost + crew hours x loaded crew rate (with overtime where it applies) + equipment hours x equipment rates + hired help + disposal, then add overhead and profit. Every number is yours.
A note on price gouging
Many states have price gouging laws that apply during declared emergencies, and they can cover tree work. Short explanation, not legal advice: check your state’s rules before storm season, and keep records of the real costs behind your prices.
Estimate jobs with the tree job estimator and plan how many storm jobs you can take with the storm capacity planner. Tool results are estimates based on your numbers. For more, read pricing storm work.
Photos to take
Emergency photos protect you and help the customer with their insurance claim. Take them from a safe spot only.
- The scene as you arrive, before you touch anything, from several angles.
- Where the tree touches the house, car, fence or roof, close up.
- The broken point: the snapped trunk, torn roots or failed limb.
- Any lines involved, from a safe distance only.
- Each stage of the work: tree off the roof, roof tarped, area cleared.
- The finished site. Ask the customer before you post photos of their home.
Use the printable job photo checklist so every crew takes the same shots.
Questions to ask on the call
Safety questions come first, every time. Then the questions that let you plan the crew and the arrival time. Keep the call short; text the rest.
- Is anyone hurt, or is anyone in danger right now? If yes, call 911 first.
- Is the tree touching or near any power line? If yes, stay away and call the utility; we cannot work near it until the utility makes it safe.
- What is it on or blocking: the house, a car, the driveway, the road?
- Is water getting into the house through the roof?
- What is the address, and is there a clear way for a truck to reach the tree?
- Have you called your home insurance company yet? They may want photos before work starts.
- Do you need it made safe now and cleaned up later, or all at once?
- What is the best number to text you updates and our arrival time?
Turn this into a script with the call script builder, or into an after-hours answering script with the AI receptionist script builder. For storm days, use the storm response checklist.
Upsells and follow-on work
Do not push extras while the customer is scared. Fix the urgent problem first. Then, once things are calm, offer the next steps as clear, separate lines.
Full cleanup after the make-safe
Most emergency calls start with the urgent part. Book the cleanup and haul-off before you leave.
Stump grinding
Offer it as a separate line once the dust settles.
Inspection of the trees that remain
After one tree fails, owners worry about the next one. Offer a calm walk of the yard.
Pruning or cabling of at-risk trees
Where a tree can be kept, offer pruning or support. See the cabling and bracing guide.
A storm-season plan
Offer to put the customer on a list for a check before next storm season. It is honest repeat work.
See the storm cleanup guide, the crane removal guide for trees on roofs, and the cabling and bracing guide. After the job, ask for a review with the review request builder.
Safety and insurance notes
Storm-damaged trees are some of the most dangerous work in the trade. This is a short overview, not training or legal advice.
- Lines are the utility’s job. Treat every line as live. Only qualified line-clearance workers should work near lines, and only when the utility says so.
- Loaded wood. Trees and limbs under tension can spring when cut. Read the load before every cut.
- Tired crews. Long storm days cause mistakes. Plan breaks and know when to stop for the night.
- Keep people back. Homeowners and neighbors want to watch. Set a clear zone.
- Insurance. Check that your policy covers the work you do, including any hired crane or subcontractor. The insurance certificate checklist helps.
Read the job site safety guide and the insurance guide. Point homeowners to what to do in a tree emergency.
Common questions
Should I offer 24/7 emergency tree service?
Only if you can really answer and respond at night and on weekends. If not, say what you do offer, for example "same-day emergency service, 7 am to 9 pm". A false 24/7 claim loses the customer and can earn bad reviews.
How do I show up on Google when a storm hits?
Get ready before the storm: an emergency service page on your website, emergency tree service listed in your Google Business Profile, correct hours, and real photos. During the storm, keep your hours accurate and post updates. The local SEO guide explains the basics.
Can I charge more for emergency work?
You can charge for your real extra costs: overtime, night work, short-notice travel and equipment. Many states have price gouging laws that apply during declared emergencies. Short explanation, not legal advice: check your state’s rules before storm season.
Should I price emergency jobs by the hour or as a fixed price?
Many owners give a fixed price for the urgent make-safe part once they see it, and a separate quote for cleanup. Hourly can work too, but explain it in writing with an estimate of hours.
Do I need a deposit on emergency jobs?
Some owners take one, some bill at the end. Whatever you choose, write it down and tell the customer on the call. The job deposit calculator helps you set an amount from your costs.
What do I say about home insurance?
Tell the customer to call their insurer and take photos before work starts if it is safe. You can give them an itemized invoice and photos. Do not promise what insurance will pay. Short explanation, not insurance advice.
Should I work on a tree touching a power line?
Not unless you are qualified for line-clearance work and the utility says it is safe. Tell the customer to call the utility. Keep your crew and the customer away from the line.
How do I handle 50 calls in one storm day?
Have a plan before it happens: a short call script, a way to log every caller, a priority order (danger first, then homes, then driveways, then yards) and a text to tell people when you can come. The storm response checklist helps you set this up.
General information, not legal, insurance or safety advice. Your costs and your state’s rules decide your prices.
The emergency call goes to whoever answers
Lirevon does not do tree work. We set up missed-call text-back and an AI receptionist so tree companies catch the calls they miss while they work. Lirevon is new and has no tree-service clients yet; first case studies are planned for December 2026. Get a free audit, see the services or check pricing.