Storm-Ready, Based in Great Falls
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No Permit for a Tree on Your Own Lot
A cottonwood limb the length of a flatbed on the garage after a chinook, a boxelder whose two trunks lean further apart with every wet snow, a boulevard elm that Dutch elm disease finished last summer. Electric City Tree Co. rigs it, takes it down in sections and has the chips loaded before the afternoon wind comes up.
We are a crew of four based in Great Falls, Montana. A tree on your own lot needs no City approval; the rules that apply cover boulevard trees and dead or diseased wood. A tree on a roof, across a driveway or hung in a service drop goes first.
Where We Work
Plus Malmstrom Air Force Base housing, Floweree, Raynesford, Geyser and the ranches along I-15, US-87, US-89 and MT-200. See all the areas we serve →
The Siberian elm heaving the front walk, the spruce planted six feet from the foundation, the boxelder filling the gutters with seed. On your own lot there is no City paperwork: a written price, a date usually inside a week, and saws only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. under the noise code (8.53.060).
Chinooks and straight-line winds come in any month, and wet snow on leafed-out trees breaks cottonwood, boxelder and Siberian elm by the truckload. A tree on the carport, or one split and still standing, goes to the top of the list; after dark we make it safe and finish at first light.
Under 8.52 a dead or diseased tree is a nuisance, and bark-on elm must be debarked or destroyed (8.52.060); we haul it under the Park and Recreation permit (8.52.090). A dead ash turns brittle fast, so it comes down from the bucket, never by climbing. Unsure? Try the Tree Diagnosis tool.
Trees in the strip between your property line and the street are the City's. Under 12.15.010 you apply to Park and Recreation and the City Manager decides; the City Forester cuts or supervises (12.15.030), and you tend a 2-inch replacement for two years. Cutting without approval is unlawful (12.14.030). Often a trim is cheaper.
Cost Planning
| Tree size | Typical cost range |
|---|---|
| Small tree (under 30 ft) | $300–$700 |
| Medium (30–60 ft) | $700–$1,500 |
| Large (60 ft+) | $1,500–$3,500 |
| Storm / emergency removal | Priced on-site after the hazard is assessed |
Ranges are typical for central Montana based on published industry cost guides; your written estimate reflects your specific tree and site.
Height sets the start. Nearness to the house or service drop, whether it drops whole or is lowered in pieces, and any boulevard application move it. Dead elm and ash cost more because they come down slowly from the bucket.
Get a Free EstimatePrice It in the CalculatorRead the Cost Guide
Cole grew up outside Belt, spent four seasons on line clearance and three winters on storm cleanup, then started the company in 2015. On the lines he learned how a loaded limb moves, and to set the rope before any cut.
Great Falls does not license tree crews as a trade, so the company's own insurance is your only protection. Our certificate comes to every estimate unasked.
The number is on paper before the first cut, with no add-ons afterward and no pressure to sign. If the tree can stay, we say so and leave.
Trunk, limbs and brush leave on our truck the same day; burning is banned in town (8.8.170) and a county pile needs a permit. Bark-on elm moves under a Park and Recreation permit we handle. Want the ash bucked for the stove? Say so.
How It Works
A tree on a house, a driveway or a service line gets a same-week, often same-day response, ahead of routine work. After a windstorm we take the worst first. Overnight we make it safe and cut from 8 a.m.
Not for a tree on your own lot. A boulevard tree needs a Park and Recreation application and the City Manager's approval, the City Forester supervises the cut, and a 2-inch replacement follows (12.15). Belt, Cascade, Fort Benton, Dutton and Fairfield have their own town offices. See our permits guide.
Yes, carefully. Wood in the utility's primary lines belongs to the utility crew, and we will tell you so. Near a house service drop we add rigging and sometimes have the line dropped first. After a windstorm, treat every downed wire as live.
Call or ask for a free estimate and we will come take a look.
Type your town or ZIP, say Belt or 59405, and see whether the Electric City truck runs there.