Sunset Valley, Texas · Travis County
Tree removal in Sunset Valley
A one-square-mile city that has taken its tree canopy seriously for decades.
In Sunset Valley, a tree of about 10 inches in diameter or more is where the city gets involved. Below that you are generally clear to take it down.
About 28 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 Sunset Valley actually regulates
Small city, big trees, tight lots. Nearly everything here is a rigging job — there's no room to drop anything, so limbs come down on ropes, piece by piece, over a fence or a roof. That's slower, and it's what the price reflects.
24 inches in diameter and up
Needs a hearing or council approval
Ancestral Tree — the top tier, and still not a dead end.
At 24 inches or more (15 for a high-value small species), Sunset Valley classes this as an Ancestral Tree. Removal is only approved for a narrow set of reasons — the tree is dead, diseased beyond recovery, or a genuine falling hazard — but that route exists and the city arborist can confirm which one applies before you file anything.
10 inches in diameter and up
Permit needed
Protected Tree, 10 inches or more — a permit is required.
Sunset Valley requires a tree removal permit before any Protected, Heritage or Ancestral tree comes down. The Director of Public Works, on the City Arborist's recommendation, signs off — typically inside 15 working days. A dead, diseased or hazardous tree can be removed without replacement once that's confirmed, but the permit step still applies.
Under the threshold
Not regulated
Under 10 inches — below Sunset Valley's protected threshold.
Sunset Valley's protected-tree provisions start at 10 inches diameter for most species (5 inches for a short list of high-value small species). A handful of invasive species — Chinaberry, Chinese Tallow, Japanese Ligustrum, Tree of Heaven and Callery Pear — aren't protected at any size.
The ordinance, in its own words
It is unlawful for any person to remove any protected, heritage or ancestral tree without first securing a tree removal permit.
Source: City of Sunset Valley Code of Ordinances, Ch. 150 §§150.770–150.788 — Tree Preservation. This is a reading of the code, not legal advice and not the city’s own determination. Ordinances change.
Everything else the Sunset Valley code attaches
- If it's not construction-related
- Apply for a tree removal permit; typical turnaround is inside 15 working days.
- Species rules
- Texas Persimmon, Texas Mountain Laurel, Eve's Necklace, Silk Tassel and Big Tooth Maple are protected starting at 5 inches instead of 10. Chinaberry, Chinese Tallow, Japanese Ligustrum, Tree of Heaven and Callery Pear aren't protected at any size.
- How it's measured
- Diameter measured 4.5 feet above natural grade. Protected starts at 10 inches (5 for listed small species); Heritage at 24 (10 for small species); Ancestral at 30 (15 for small species).
- Replanting / mitigation owed
- Protected Trees are replaced 1-to-1, caliper inch for caliper inch. Heritage and Ancestral trees are removed only for the narrower reasons above, not routinely.
- If you skip the permit
- Removing a protected tree without a permit is a misdemeanor, fined up to $1,000 per offense with each day treated as a separate offense — worth getting the permit first rather than after.
- Dead, diseased or hazardous trees
- A protected tree that's dead, diseased beyond recovery, or a genuine falling hazard can be removed without mitigation once the City Arborist confirms it — but the permit itself is still required first.
- Who to call
- City of Sunset Valley Director of Public Works and Environmental Services, on the City Arborist's recommendation
Check your own tree against Sunset Valley’s rule
Permit checker
Measure it, then check it
Pick Sunset Valley, 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 Sunset Valley
This is the tightest work in Travis County apart from Westlake. There is essentially no drop zone anywhere — limbs come down on ropes, piece by piece, over a fence or a roof. That's slow, skilled work and the price reflects it. If you've had a quote that seems low for a Sunset Valley removal, ask how they plan to get it down. This is a rigging town. There is essentially nowhere to drop anything, so limbs come down on ropes one piece at a time, over a fence or a structure. That's several times slower than an open-yard job and the quote reflects the method, not the tree.
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
Mature live oak and cedar elm on small lots inside a one-square-mile city that has protected its canopy for decades. Big trees, close houses. A one-square-mile city with a canopy it has protected deliberately for decades, which means mature trees on lots that were never planned around them getting this big. Most of the work is reducing end weight on limbs that now reach across a property line or over a roof.
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 Sunset Valley.
Questions I get asked
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Sunset Valley?
It depends on the trunk size. It is unlawful for any person to remove any protected, heritage or ancestral tree without first securing a tree removal permit. That is City of Sunset Valley Code of Ordinances, Ch. 150 §§150.770–150.788 — Tree Preservation, and it is quoted in full further down this page.
How do I measure my tree for Sunset Valley'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. Sunset Valley 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?
A protected tree that's dead, diseased beyond recovery, or a genuine falling hazard can be removed without mitigation once the City Arborist confirms it — but the permit itself is still required first.
How much does tree removal cost in Sunset Valley?
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 Sunset Valley 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.