Service guide for owners
Selling storm cleanup: a guide for tree company owners
After a storm, the work comes to you. The hard part is answering fast, pricing fairly and keeping your crew safe while the phone rings non-stop. This guide covers what customers search for, how to describe storm cleanup online, how to build the price from your own costs, and what to ask on the first call.
By Umair Nawaz, Lirevon. Last reviewed: October 2026. General information, not legal or insurance advice.
What customers search for
Storm customers do not search for "storm cleanup services" in tidy words. They type what they see: a tree on the house, a limb hanging over the driveway. Match your words to theirs. Here are common search phrases and what the person usually needs.
| What they type | What they usually need |
|---|---|
| storm tree cleanup near me | Wants a crew soon. Often a tree or big limbs are down but nothing is on the house. |
| tree fell on house | Urgent and stressed. Needs to hear "we can come" and "stay away from wires" first. |
| emergency tree removal | Something is blocking a driveway, road or roof. Speed matters more than price. |
| fallen tree removal cost | Not urgent yet. Comparing options and checking what insurance may cover. |
| storm debris removal / brush haul away | Wants branches and logs gone. A good fit for a lower-cost cleanup crew. |
Want the exact phrases for your towns? The local keyword planner builds a list from your services and service area.
How to describe it on your website and Google profile
A good storm cleanup description answers four questions in the first few lines: what you do, where, how fast, and how to reach you right now. Put safety advice near the top.
Example service description (edit it to fit your company)
Storm cleanup in [your county]. When wind or ice brings a tree down on your home, car or driveway, our crew removes it safely and clears the mess. We start with the urgent part, getting the tree off what it is damaging, then cut, chip and haul the rest. Send us photos by text and we will reply with a time window. We give a written estimate before we start, and we take photos you can share with your insurance company. Stay away from downed power lines and call your utility first. Fully insured; certificate on request.
- Website: give storm cleanup its own page, with your towns, a photo-by-text option and a clear phone number. The service page outline builder gives you headings and sections in a few clicks.
- Google Business Profile: add the service with a short version of the text above, post an update after each storm, and keep hours honest. The Google Business Profile builder helps you write it. More in the Google Business Profile guide.
- Do not overpromise: only say "24/7" or "same day" if it is true. A missed call after a big storm is a lost job, so plan who answers before you advertise it.
How to structure the price
We do not publish market prices, because they change by town, by storm and by job. What you can control is how you build the number. Start from your own costs, and split the job into parts so the urgent bill stays small and clear.
Crew time
Crew size times hours times your loaded hourly cost (wages plus payroll taxes, workers comp and benefits). Employer FICA alone is 7.65% of wages. Storm work often runs into overtime, so plan for it.
Equipment time
An hourly or day rate for each machine: bucket truck, chipper, loader or grapple, crane. For outside rentals, use the real rental bill plus your handling time.
Disposal
Dump or green-waste fees, plus the drive to get there. After a big storm, drop sites may be full or far away, so check before you quote.
Travel
Drive time and fuel to the job. Many storm jobs pull you outside your normal service area.
Risk
A tree under tension or lying on a roof needs more rigging, more time and more care. Name the reason in the estimate, such as "trunk resting on roof, rigging needed."
Overhead and profit
Your share of insurance, office, phone and marketing, plus a profit margin you choose. Use the same margin you use every week.
Sell it in three parts
| Part | What it covers | How to price it |
|---|---|---|
| Make-safe | Remove what is on the house, car or driveway. Cut hanging limbs. Leave wood in a safe pile. | Crew hours + equipment + risk, quoted first and kept short |
| Cleanup | Cut wood to length, chip brush, rake the area, haul debris. | Crew hours + chipper + disposal + travel |
| Finish | Stump grinding, leaning tree removal, wood splitting or firewood stacking. | Quoted as separate line items, often on a later day |
Work out your numbers with the crew day rate calculator, the disposal cost calculator, the chip volume calculator and, for big jobs, the crane job cost calculator. For fair emergency rates and price-gouging rules, read pricing storm work fairly. Tool results are estimates.
Photos to take
Photos protect you, support your price and help the homeowner with their claim.
- A wide shot of the whole scene from a safe place, before you touch anything.
- Close shots of where the tree or limb touches the roof, fence, car or wires (from a safe distance; never go near downed lines).
- The root plate or break point, so the customer and insurer see why it failed.
- The finished site from the same spots as the before shots.
- Any damage you found that you did not cause, noted with the time.
The job photo checklist turns this into a printable list for each truck.
Questions to ask on the call
Keep storm calls short: safety first, then the facts you need to give a time window.
- Is anyone hurt, and are any power lines down or touching the tree? (If yes: stay away, call 911 and the utility first.)
- Is the tree on the house, a car, a fence or the driveway, or only in the yard?
- Can you send two or three photos from a safe spot?
- Is there any part of the tree still standing or hanging?
- Can a truck reach it, or is it in a backyard behind a fence?
- Do you want the wood hauled away, left in rounds or cut for firewood?
- Are you filing an insurance claim? (Your contract is still with the homeowner.)
- What is the best number to text you updates and the estimate?
Turn these into a script with the call script builder. For the whole storm plan, see the storm response checklist, the storm capacity planner and the storm season guide.
Upsells that make sense
A storm job is often your first visit to that property. Offer the next useful step once, in writing, and let the customer decide.
Stump grinding
Most storm-felled trees leave a stump or root plate. Offer it on the same visit or book it for the next slow week.
Inspection of the other trees
After one tree fails, owners worry about the rest. A short walk-around can find cracked limbs or leaners. Price it plainly and do not scare people.
Pruning to cut storm risk
Removing dead wood and reducing heavy limbs over the house before next season. Book it for your slower months.
Firewood or wood chips
Some customers want the wood split and stacked. Others are happy to keep a pile of chips for their beds.
Related guides: selling stump grinding, selling tree trimming and emergency tree service.
Safety and insurance notes
Wood under tension, root plates that can tip back, hidden hangers and tired crews all add risk. These are general notes, not legal or insurance advice.
- Treat every downed or touching line as live. Only qualified line-clearance workers may work near energized lines. Call the utility.
- Hold a short job briefing before each storm job: hazards, escape routes, who does what. The job site safety guide covers this.
- Watch crew fatigue. Long storm days cause mistakes. Plan breaks and stop work in the dark if you cannot light the site well.
- Check that your liability and workers comp cover storm work and any out-of-area jobs. Have certificates ready; see the insurance certificate checklist and the insurance guide.
- Never offer to cover a customer's deductible or negotiate their claim. In many states that is only for the homeowner, a licensed public adjuster or a lawyer.
Homeowners reading about this can see our plain guide on what to do after a storm.
Storm work is won on the first reply
About 27% of calls to home-service businesses go unanswered (Invoca), and after a storm your phone is busiest. If you are up a tree, the caller moves on. Read the missed calls guide and the local SEO guide, see our services, check pricing or ask for a free audit. Lirevon is new and has no tree-service clients yet; first case studies are planned for December 2026.
Common questions
Should I charge more for storm cleanup than normal work?
Only when your real costs or risk go up, such as overtime, night work, rentals or a tree under tension. Many states limit price increases after a declared emergency. Write a storm rate sheet before the season and use it for everyone. Short explanation, not legal advice.
How do I price a storm job I cannot see yet?
Ask for photos, then give a range for the make-safe step only, based on your crew and equipment rates. Confirm the final price in writing once you are on site and before the saw starts.
Should storm cleanup have its own page on my website?
Yes. People search for it by name and in a hurry. A page that says what you do, where you work, how fast you can come and how to send photos helps both Google and the caller.
What should my Google Business Profile say about storm work?
Add storm cleanup or emergency tree service as a service with a short description, post updates after storms, and keep your hours and phone correct. Only say 24/7 if someone really answers.
Who pays on an insurance job?
In most cases the homeowner pays you, and their insurer may pay them back. Say this in your estimate. Do not promise that insurance will cover it, and never offer to cover the deductible.
Can I work near downed power lines?
No, unless you are a qualified line-clearance crew working with the utility. Treat every downed line as live. Tell customers to stay away and call the utility and 911.
How do I sort storm calls when the phone will not stop?
Danger first: trees on homes, blocking roads or on people. Then blocked driveways. Then trees in the yard. Text every caller an honest wait time so they do not give up and call someone else.
Is it worth taking a deposit on storm work?
A reasonable deposit is common when you rent a crane or other equipment for the job. Explain what it covers and give a receipt. Some states have rules on contractor deposits, so check yours.
This page is general information, not legal, insurance or safety training. Rules differ by state and city. Follow your own safety program and talk to your insurer and a local lawyer about your business.
Be ready before the next storm
A clear storm page, an honest Google profile and fast replies win this work. Get a free audit, see the services or check pricing.