Act now
A fallen tree is blocking my driveway
If the tree is touching any wires, stay back and call the utility. If it's blocking a public street, report it to your city or county road department (often through 311). If it's on your property and only blocking your driveway, clearing it is your responsibility. Call a tree service unless it's small, on the ground, not under tension, and you're experienced with a chainsaw.
What to do and what not to do
What to do
- Look for wires in or under the tree before approaching.
- If anyone needs to get out urgently (medical need), call 911.
- Report trees blocking public roads to the city or county.
- Photograph it for insurance, especially if a car, fence or gate was damaged.
What not to do
- Don't drive over or around a tree tangled in wires.
- Don't cut wood that's bent, pinned or holding weight. It can spring back violently.
- Don't use a chainsaw if you haven't been trained; chainsaw injuries spike after storms.
Who's responsible?
Touching power, phone or cable lines
- Who usually handles it
- The utility (call them first)
Blocking a public street
- Who usually handles it
- City, county or state road crew
On your property, blocking your driveway
- Who usually handles it
- You, typically by hiring a tree service
Your neighbor's tree, fallen onto your driveway
- Who usually handles it
- Usually you or your insurer for cleanup; talk to your neighbor
When you can clear it yourself, and when you shouldn't
A small tree or limb lying flat on the ground, not touching wires, not pinned under anything and not bent under tension, can be cut up by someone experienced with a chainsaw and wearing protective gear. Stop and call a professional if the trunk is bigger than you'd normally cut, if any part is suspended or bent, if it's resting on a car or fence, or if there are broken branches still hanging in trees overhead.
If you need to get out right away
If there's a medical need or a real danger in staying, call 911. Emergency responders can help clear a path or get you out. For a non-urgent blocked driveway, a tree service can usually cut a vehicle-wide opening first and do the full cleanup afterward, which can be quicker to schedule after a storm.
Whose call is it? A quick sorting table
Responsibility follows where the tree grew and what it touches, not where it landed:
Across a public street
- Who usually clears it
- The city or county
- What to do
- Report it to the non-emergency line or 311; don't cut it
Across your driveway, from your yard
- Who usually clears it
- You, through a tree service
- What to do
- Call a tree service; clear only small limbs yourself
Across your driveway, from a neighbor's yard
- Who usually clears it
- Usually you, for the part on your property
- What to do
- Talk to the neighbor and both insurers; photograph first
Tangled in wires
- Who usually clears it
- The electric utility first
- What to do
- Stay back; nobody cuts until the line is safe
Blocking the only exit with someone needing medical care
- Who usually clears it
- Emergency services
- What to do
- Call 911
Common questions
Does homeowners insurance cover removing a tree from my driveway?
Some policies include limited coverage for debris removal when a tree blocks a driveway or a ramp for a disabled person, even without structural damage. Check your policy wording.
Can I cut a fallen tree off my driveway myself?
Small limbs, yes. Large trunks lying across a driveway are often under tension or compression and can spring or roll when cut, which is how most chainsaw injuries in storm cleanup happen. Leave trunks bigger than you can lift, and anything touching a wire or a car, to a tree service.
