Storm cleanup in Sioux Falls follows a pattern. A derecho or a tornado line comes through, as it did on September 10, 2019, May 12 and July 5, 2022, July 28, 2025 and July 25, 2026, or an ice storm loads the canopy, as in April 2013 and April 2019. Branches snap, trunks split, and some trees go over. The City's role is specific. City Forestry removes trees that fall from public property, including the stump, at no cost. It clears debris from privately planted trees only where it blocks the right-of-way, and it doesn't take private trees that owners cut and pile on the boulevard. Branches under 6 inches across, at any length, are the owner's to collect and dispose of. Everything else on private property is the owner's job, and the City recommends hiring a City-licensed arborist.
We start with the dangerous part: hangers, the broken limbs lodged in the canopy that come down on their own days later, and split or leaning trunks that won't stand another storm. Those come down first. Then we cut up and chip what's on the ground, haul it, and leave the yard raked. When a tree is damaged but standing, we look at whether it's worth keeping. A clean break on a healthy maple can often be pruned back properly. A split crotch on an old cottonwood or a storm-battered ash usually can't.
Disposal is part of the job. At the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill near Hartford, yard debris and wood waste cost $3 per car load or $6 per pickup or small trailer, and $11 per ton for big loads in 2026. Limbs and branches are ground into mulch there. After big storms the City has sometimes opened temporary wood-debris sites and waived tipping fees, as it did in July 2022. The free fall leaf and branch drop sites are for residents only. Commercial crews must use the landfill, and our price includes it.
What's included
Hangers first
Broken limbs lodged in the canopy cut down before anyone works under them.
Split and leaning trunks
Assessed and removed or reduced before the next storm finishes the job.
Cut, chipped and hauled
Everything on the ground cleared and taken to the landfill's wood pile.
Save-or-remove calls
Damaged trees that can recover pruned properly; the rest priced for removal.
Insurance documentation
Dated photos and an itemized invoice for your claim.
Raked and clean
The yard left raked, with no piles on the boulevard for the City to refuse.
Storm cleanup cost in Sioux Falls, SD
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yard cleanup, limbs only | $300 – $1,500 | Depends on volume |
| Hanger removal | $150 – $500 per tree | Bucket or climb |
| Split or storm-damaged tree removal | $500 – $3,000 | See tree removal |
| Storm pruning on a tree worth saving | $300 – $1,200 | Clean cuts back to sound wood |
| Landfill tipping for wood waste | Included | $11 per ton for big loads, 2026 rate |
| Insurance photo report | Included | With any storm job |
These are 2026 Sioux Falls ranges to help you budget. Your written price is itemized (climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time) and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about storm cleanup
Will the City pick up my storm branches?
Only if they came from a public tree, or if debris from a private tree is blocking the right-of-way. The City doesn't take private trees cut and piled on the boulevard. Branches under 6 inches across are the owner's to collect and dispose of.
Where can I take branches myself?
The landfill near Hartford takes yard debris year-round for $3 a car load or $6 a pickup in 2026. In fall, the City runs free leaf and branch drop sites for residents. After big storms it sometimes opens temporary sites.
Is storm cleanup covered by insurance?
Removing a tree that hit a covered structure usually is. Cleanup of limbs that fell in the yard without damaging anything often isn't. Check your policy; we provide the photos and invoice either way.
Should I take down a tree that lost a big limb?
Not automatically. A healthy tree with a clean break can often be pruned and kept. A split trunk, a broken leader on an old cottonwood or a declining ash is usually better removed. We'll look and tell you.
How soon after a storm can you come?
Emergencies on houses get dispatched first, the same night. Yard cleanups are scheduled in the days after, in order of the calls.
Can you burn the brush?
We don't burn it. It goes to the landfill's wood pile, where it's ground into mulch, or gets chipped on site.