Emergency Tree Service in Memphis, TN: Trees on Houses, Cars and Power Lines
Emergency tree service is the urgent removal or securing of a tree that is on a building, a car, a road or a power line. 18 Primos Solutions does this work in Memphis, Shelby County and 13 nearby towns. We take the weight off your home or car, make hanging and split wood safe, and open up the way out.
- Free estimates
- Our own team answers the phone
- Open 7 days a week
- Hauling is normally part of the job
Call us at (901) 389-2360. Our own team answers Monday to Saturday 7am to 9pm and Sunday 6am to 8pm. A downed or sparking wire is a job for MLGW, and an injury is a job for 911, and both can be called any time, day or night. Below you’ll find the emergency calls we handle, what to do before you call, a table of who to call for what, the insurance basics, what emergency work costs, what not to do, the storms that cause this damage in Memphis, what happens after the emergency, and what happens when you call us.
Which emergency calls do we handle?
We handle six kinds of emergency calls, all of them trees or limbs that are down, split or hanging where they can hurt someone or do more damage. Tree service in Memphis is our whole job, and these are the calls that can’t wait.
- Trees and limbs on houses, garages, carports and sheds
- Trees on cars and across driveways
- Split or uprooted trees leaning toward a house
- Hanging limbs caught up in the canopy
- Trees blocking a private drive or the only way out
- Trees on a power line, after you call the power company first
That last one needs the utility before it needs us. A tree touching a live line can carry power into the tree, the ground and anything nearby. Once MLGW or your power company makes the line safe, we can take the tree off. If your call fits any of these, the next step is what to do before you pick up the phone.
Sources: MLGW downed power lines.
What should you do before you call us?
Get everyone away from the tree, stay clear of every wire, and call MLGW at (901) 528-4465 if a line is down or 911 if anyone is hurt. Then call us.
The order matters. A wire on the ground can be live even when your lights are out, and the ground near it can carry current too. MLGW asks people to treat its (901) 528-4465 line like 911, for downed wires or gas leaks only, and it’s answered 24 hours a day. If you smell gas, leave and call from outside.
When people are safe, take photos from a safe spot before anything moves. Then call us and tell us what fell, what it’s on and whether any lines are down. If the tree is on your roof, read a tree fell on a house for the full steps, including when to leave the house.
Sources: MLGW downed power lines, MLGW, storm notice with emergency and outage numbers, UConn StormWise, dealing with storm damaged trees.
Who do you call for what?
This table shows who to call for each storm situation and the number to use. Save it where you can find it in the dark.
| Situation | Who to call | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Someone is hurt or trapped, or there is fire | 911 | 911 |
| Downed or sparking wire, or a gas smell (Memphis and Shelby County) | MLGW emergency line, 24 hours | (901) 528-4465 |
| Power is out but no wire is down | MLGW outage line | (901) 544-6500 |
| Downed line or outage in DeSoto County | Entergy or Northcentral Electric | 1-800-968-8243 (Entergy), (662) 895-2151 (Northcentral) |
| Downed line or outage in West Memphis | West Memphis Utilities | (870) 735-3355, option 2 |
| Tree on a house, car or driveway | 18 Primos Solutions | (901) 389-2360 |
One number to keep off this list is MLGW’s Customer Care Center at (901) 544-6549. It’s for billing and service requests, not emergencies. Once the right people have been called, the next question for most homeowners is insurance.
Sources: MLGW downed power lines, MLGW outage reporting, MLGW, storm notice with emergency and outage numbers, Entergy storm center, Northcentral Electric outage reporting, Local Memphis, West Memphis storm prep.
What about insurance and storm damage?
Take photos before anything moves, make the area safe, get a written estimate, and let your insurer tell you what your policy covers.
Photos first
Photograph and film the tree, the damage and the wider scene from a safe spot. Do it before anything is moved.
Make it safe
Keep people away and stop more damage where you safely can. If there’s a hole in the roof, ask your insurer and your contractor how to get it covered.
Written estimate
Ask any tree crew, us included, to put the estimate in writing. Your insurer may want to see it.
Keep receipts
Keep every receipt for emergency work in one folder with your photos.
Call your agent early, because adjusters get busy fast after a big Memphis storm. Every policy handles tree damage and insurance claims its own way, so we don’t tell anyone what theirs will pay. Ask your insurer before you agree to big repairs. With the paperwork started, the next thing people want to know is the price.
Sources: Bob Vila, what to do if a tree falls on your house.
What does emergency tree removal cost?
Published guides say emergency removal can cost up to about $5,000 for the hardest jobs, and urgent work usually costs more than a planned removal. Those are guide figures, not our prices.
HomeAdvisor puts emergency removal at up to $5,000. NerdWallet says urgent removal typically costs more than a planned job, and HomeBlue’s Memphis guide says emergency rates may be higher.
The emergency tree removal cost on any one job comes down to the tree’s size, how it’s resting, whether lines or a roof are under it, and whether a crane is needed. We price each job after we see it, estimates are free, and we talk through the price before we start. Ask any crew whether an emergency or after-hours rate applies, and get the answer before the saws come out. For the planned side, read what tree removal costs.
Sources: HomeAdvisor (updated 16 Apr 2024), NerdWallet (updated 22 Apr 2026), HomeBlue Memphis guide (dated 5 Mar 2025).
What should you not do when a tree is down?
There are four things not to do when a tree is down, and each one gets people hurt or costs them money.
- Don’t touch anything in contact with a line. MLGW says never go near a downed line or anything touching it. That includes the tree, a fence or a car.
- Don’t cut a loaded limb. Wood that is bent, split or pinned is under tension and can spring when cut.
- Don’t stand under a hanging limb. A broken limb caught in the crown can drop without warning. Keep people and cars out from under it.
- Don’t hire a door knocker. The Tennessee Attorney General warns about door-to-door offers, pressure to sign now and big payments up front after storms.
Leave the cutting to a crew and find that crew yourself. Our guide on how to hire a tree service shows what to ask. Knowing what to avoid helps, and so does knowing what kind of storm you’re dealing with.
Sources: MLGW downed power lines, UConn StormWise, dealing with storm damaged trees, Tennessee Attorney General, tree trimming and removal scam alert (Feb 2026).
Which storms cause the damage in Memphis?
Wind, ice, lightning and tornadoes cause most of the tree damage in Memphis, and strong straight-line wind is behind the biggest events.
The ground plays a part too. Most tree roots in our area grow in the top 18 inches of soil. When that soil is soaked, a big tree in full leaf can tip over in a strong wind.
For what to do with a damaged tree once the weather clears, read what to do after a storm. Whatever the storm, the emergency part ends when the danger is gone.
Sources: MLGW on the 2003 windstorm, Daily Memphian, August 2026 storm, MLGW Winter Storm Landon report, Action News 5, trees most likely to fall in a Tennessee ice storm, Alabama Extension, caring for lightning struck trees, National Weather Service, March 31 2023 tornadoes, Memphis Area Master Gardeners on tree roots.
What happens after the emergency work?
After the emergency work, the rest is planned work: cleanup, a removal visit for what’s left of the tree, and stump grinding if you want the stump gone.
On the emergency visit we get the weight off, make the dangerous wood safe and clear the way out. What’s left standing can wait for a calm day. We come back to take it down properly, the same way we’d do any tree removal in Memphis, and grind the stump if you ask.
Hauling is normally part of the job, so the wood we cut doesn’t end up at your curb. If you’re clearing smaller limbs yourself, the City of Memphis won’t collect limbs or logs over 13 inches across or 5 feet long. Piles should sit within 3 feet of the street, away from mailboxes, cars and fences. The last piece is the simplest: what happens when you call us.
What happens when you call?
Our own team answers, asks a few quick questions, and then we talk through the job and the price before anyone starts cutting.
- We ask about the treeWhat fell, what it’s on, how big it is, and whether anyone is hurt or lines are down. Photos help us plan.
- We talk through the priceEstimates are free. We talk through the price before we start, so there are no surprises.
- We take the weight offClimbers lower the tree in pieces, or a crane lifts them clear, so the damage doesn’t get worse.
- We secure what’s leftHanging limbs and split trunks that could still fall are cut down or made safe.
- We clear the wayDriveways and walkways are opened up. Hauling is normally part of the job, and the rest of the cleanup can follow later.
Tree down right now?
Mon to Sat 7am to 9pm, Sun 6am to 8pm. Our own team answers.