Round Rock, Texas · Williamson County
Tree removal in Round Rock
I-35 runs along the line where the Hill Country stops and the blackland starts, and Round Rock sits on that seam.
In Round Rock, a tree of about 20 inches in diameter or more is where the city gets involved. Below that you are generally clear to take it down.
About 45 minutes from me in Kyle. Whatever the answer turns out to be, it is a form and a measurement rather than a refusal — these get approved all the time. Call me and I’ll tell you where you stand.
What Round Rock actually regulates
That's not trivia, it's practical. A tree on the west side of town is growing in shallow rocky limestone soil, and one a few miles east is in deep black clay. Same species, different root architecture, different watering, different failure modes. Williamson County contains three ecosystems and Round Rock touches two.
20 inches in diameter and up
Permit needed
20 inches or more — protected on an undeveloped lot, but check which you are.
Round Rock is unusual and it works in your favour if your house is already built. On an ALREADY-DEVELOPED lot in a single-family residential district, only “Monarch” trees are protected — ordinary protected-size trees are not. On an UNDEVELOPED residential lot, anything 20 inches or more is protected and needs a removal permit. Same tree, same size, different answer depending on whether the lot is built on.
8 inches in diameter and up
In the 8-to-20 inch band — depends on your lot and zoning.
Round Rock groups trees at 8 to 19.99 inches, 20 inches and above, and a separate “Monarch” category. On a developed single-family lot only Monarch trees are protected. Elsewhere the 8-inch band can be. Worth one call to confirm which applies to your address before you cut.
Under the threshold
Not regulated
Under 8 inches — not a protected tree.
Round Rock does not protect trees under eight inches in diameter.
The ordinance, in its own words
Trees less than eight inches in diameter are not protected trees. On developed lots in residential zoning districts, only monarch trees are protected trees. On undeveloped lots in these same residential districts, and on undeveloped lots smaller than 15,000 square feet in other districts, trees having a diameter of 20 inches or more are protected trees. It is unlawful for any person to remove any protected tree without first securing a tree removal permit.
Source: City of Round Rock Code § 8-17 — Sizes and types of protected trees. This is a reading of the code, not legal advice and not the city’s own determination. Ordinances change.
Everything else the Round Rock code attaches
- What the ordinance covers
- Chapter 8, Article III (formerly Section 3.1100, rewritten 2004). The rules turn on whether the lot is developed or undeveloped and on the zoning district — SF-1, SF-2, SF-3, SF-D, MH, TF and MU-L are the residential ones where only Monarch trees are protected once built on.
- How it's measured
- Diameter. Three bands: 8 to 19.99 inches, 20 inches and over, plus the separate Monarch classification.
- If you skip the permit
- It is unlawful to remove a protected tree without first obtaining a tree removal permit.
- Who to call
- City of Round Rock Planning and Development Services
Check your own tree against Round Rock’s rule
Permit checker
Measure it, then check it
Pick Round Rock, put the trunk measurement in, and it will show you exactly which band you are in and what the code says about it.
How a removal actually goes in Round Rock
Ordinary suburban access on both sides of town. Forty-five minutes, batched with other north-side work.
Everything gets hauled away and the ground raked off behind us. Want the logs kept for firewood? Say so before we start and my crew will cut them to length and stack them rather than running them through the chipper.
The trees I get called about here
Both sides of the seam. West of I-35 it's live oak and ashe juniper in shallow rocky limestone soil; a few miles east it's cedar elm, post oak and pecan in deep black clay, with big hardwoods along Brushy Creek. Same species on either side behave differently — different root architecture, different watering, different failure modes.
Before you decide to remove it
A mature live oak took fifty years to reach that size and I can take it down in a morning. Neither of us can put it back. So the first thing I want to know is whether it actually needs to go — a tree that looks finished is quite often a tree that needs the deadwood out of it and nothing more. Here’s how to tell the difference, and here’s the risk check if you want to work it through yourself.
If it does need to come out, the permit side is the easy part. The rules for every town I’ve read are here, and here’s everything else I do in Round Rock.
Questions I get asked
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Round Rock?
It depends on the trunk size. Trees less than eight inches in diameter are not protected trees. On developed lots in residential zoning districts, only monarch trees are protected trees. On undeveloped lots in these same residential districts, and on undeveloped lots sm… That is City of Round Rock Code § 8-17 — Sizes and types of protected trees, and it is quoted in full further down this page.
How do I measure my tree for Round Rock's rules?
Put a tape around the trunk 4.5 feet above the ground to get the circumference, then divide by 3.14 for the diameter. Round Rock writes its rule in inches in diameter. If the trunk splits into several stems below 4.5 feet, measure below the split — that usually puts you in a higher bracket than you expected.
What if the tree is dead or dangerous?
Most ordinances around here treat a dead, diseased or genuinely hazardous tree differently from a healthy one somebody would simply rather not have, and a written assessment from a Certified Arborist is usually what the city wants to see. There is one on my crew. Get the condition documented before you file anything, not after.
How much does tree removal cost in Round Rock?
Access is the biggest driver, ahead of size — whether there is a drop zone or whether every piece has to be roped out over a roof is the difference between a morning and a full day. Then trunk diameter, then lean and deadwood. Send me a photo and the circumference and I can usually price it from that.
Got a tree in Round Rock you’re not sure about?
Text me a photo and the measurement round the trunk. I’ll tell you which side of the line it’s on and what it takes to get it done.
Same-day callback on estimates
Call or text before 5pm on a weekday and you'll hear back from me the same day. Not an answering service — me.