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Last reviewed 2026-10-19

Colorado Tree Removal Cost and Rules

Colorado tree bids depend on which side of the foothills you're on. HomeGuide's February 2026 national figures put most removals at $400 to $1,200; on the plains the work is mostly aging ash, elm, cottonwood and silver maple in yards, while above the hogback it's ponderosa, lodgepole and Douglas-fir thinned for wildfire, on slopes where rigging and haul-off drive the price.

Wildfire and flood shape the work statewide. FEMA's declarations data list 25 weather-related major disasters for Colorado, including 13 floods and 7 fire declarations; recent ones include the December 2021 wildfires and straight-line winds, the August 2023 storms, flooding and tornadoes, and the wildfires, flooding and mudslides declared September 1, 2026.

Below are the rules most Coloradans share. The Jefferson County and Larimer County pages go deeper into local fees, burn limits, soils and storm history.

Cost at a glance

Colorado tree removal cost at a glance
Item	Typical cost	Source
Typical single tree	$400-$1,200	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Pine	$250-$1,600	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Ash	$650-$2,000	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Land clearing, per acre	$1,200-$8,000	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Jefferson County SLASH load	$24	Jefferson County
Larimer County Landfill green waste, pickup	$16	Larimer County 2026 fees
Jefferson County burn permit	$80	Jefferson County Public Health

Permits

No state permit is needed to cut a tree on your own land. Burning the debris is a different matter: open burning is regulated statewide by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment under Air Quality Control Commission Regulation Number 9, and county health departments issue the permits. In Larimer County, most outdoor burning needs a permit from both the local fire department and the county health department, and unpermitted burning can bring fines of up to $10,000 per day.

Elevation decides a lot. Jefferson County Public Health issues burn permits only at 6,400 feet or higher, for an $80 fee; below that, slash is treated as household rubbish. Larimer County limits mountain pile burns above 6,000 feet to October 1 through April 30, with at least 3 inches of snow around each pile. Both counties stop issuing permits during fire restrictions and bans.

Haul-off is usually the cheaper path. Jefferson County's SLASH sites charge $24 per six-cubic-yard load in season, and the Larimer County Landfill takes green waste for $9 a car, $16 a pickup or $13 per cubic yard by trailer.

Step 1: check your elevation and the county's current fire restriction level. Step 2: choose chipping, a slash or green waste site, or a permitted pile burn. Step 3: look at the fall zone and any power lines. Step 4: compare itemized written bids. Step 5: call Colorado 811 before stump grinding.

Local conditions

Rock along the foothills: NRCS soil survey data show bedrock within about 39 inches on 66.1% of the Golden Area (CO641) in the Jefferson County foothills and 57.8% of the Larimer County Area (CO644), with 15%-plus slopes on 57.6% and 44.5%; foothill trees west of the plains often grow out of rock.

Mountain forest: the Forest Service's 2023 FIA evaluation counts about 289,700 forested acres in Jefferson County and 886,800 in Larimer County, dominated by ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine, the fuels behind most defensible-space thinning jobs.

Floods: more than half of the state's weather-related FEMA declarations are floods, including the September 2013 floods along the Front Range creeks and rivers.

Wind and snow: downslope gusts and wet spring snow break brittle plains trees such as Siberian elm and silver maple most years.

What drives local prices

Species: in HomeGuide's species table, ash (common in older Front Range yards) is the dearest at $650-$2,000, with maple at $600-$1,200 and pine at $250-$1,600.
Height: a mid-size tree between 30 and 60 ft falls in HomeGuide's $500-$1,500 band; a plains cottonwood over 80 ft can pass $2,500.
Acreage: thinning a mountain lot gets priced by the acre, and HomeGuide's land clearing rate runs $1,200-$8,000 per acre.
Disposal: county haul-off is cheap ($24 per Jeffco SLASH load; $9-$16 per vehicle at the Larimer County Landfill), but stumps are often refused.
Slope and rock: on steep, rocky foothill lots west of Denver, expect the top end of HomeGuide's ranges, $100-$400+ per crew hour and $100-$500+ to grind out a stump.
Method: every species, height, acreage, hourly and stump number above is a HomeGuide national range dated Feb 4, 2026, not a bid from a Colorado crew. Burn rules are taken from CDPHE, Jefferson County Public Health and the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, and the disposal fees from Jefferson County's and Larimer County's own fee pages. Reviewed October 19, 2026.

Common jobs

Ash, elm and cottonwood removal on the plains
Ponderosa, lodgepole and Douglas-fir thinning for defensible space
Snow and wind damage cleanup
Slash and green waste haul-off

Service area

County pages on the site: Jefferson County (Lakewood, Arvada, Golden, Evergreen, Conifer) and Larimer County (Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Estes Park). The two counties don't border each other; Boulder County lies between them along the Front Range.

If your county isn't listed, the state burn rules still apply; ask your county health department's Air Quality office or your local Fire district about permits, and your city Forestry or Planning office about street trees.

Want a price for a Colorado tree? Fill out the free form below with the species, rough height and what's underneath. We reply by email, usually with a short list of insured Colorado crews; Electric Utilities crews handle anything touching a power line.

Communities: Lakewood, Arvada, Golden, Evergreen, Conifer, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Estes Park

When something can’t wait

When wind or heavy snow brings a tree down onto a power line, stay well back and call the utility or 911 before anything else. HomeGuide puts storm callouts at 2 to 3 times normal rates, so take photos of the damage before cleanup starts.

Questions about Colorado

How much does tree removal cost in Colorado?

Going by HomeGuide's 2026 figures, an ordinary Colorado tree runs $400 to $1,200; big plains cottonwoods and steep mountain lots land above that.

Do I need a permit to burn slash in Colorado?

Usually yes. Open burning falls under CDPHE Regulation Number 9, and county health departments issue the permits, often alongside the local fire department.

When can I burn piles in the mountains?

It depends on the county. Larimer limits piles above 6,000 feet to October 1 through April 30 with snow on the ground; Jefferson issues permits only at 6,400 feet or higher.

Is hauling cheaper than burning?

Often. Jefferson County SLASH sites charge $24 per six-yard load and the Larimer County Landfill takes a pickup of green waste for $16.

Do I need a permit to cut a tree?

Not from the state. Cities may regulate street trees, and HOAs often have their own rules.

Sources

County pages in Colorado

Tree problems

Local fees and rules change. Confirm with the county or state office named above before you clear. For published price ranges, see land clearing cost per acre or follow the worked estimate. Estimate your clearing cost.