Tree Removal in Depew, NY

Tree Removal in Depew starts with knowing which side of the village line you are on, because Depew straddles two towns. The western half sits in Cheektowaga and the eastern half in Lancaster, with Transit Road running north-south through the middle. The village has its own Department of Public Works and its own pickup rules, and those are what matter for tree debris, but the town you are in can matter for permits. On the Cheektowaga side, the town's tree removal law applies to larger trees on bigger lots.

Why the houses and trees look the way they do

The village is named for Chauncey Depew, and it exists because the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad chose the site for its shops; ground was broken in May 1892 and the village incorporated on July 23, 1894. Railroad-era homes near the old shops sit on small lots, and later neighborhoods filled in around them as the population climbed to a peak of 22,158 in 1970. Today about 15,178 people live on 5.08 square miles in 7,270 housing units. Big trees in those yards are usually close to the house, garage or a neighbor.

Two of the region's heaviest snowfalls

In the October 2006 storm, the National Weather Service listed Depew among the communities with 24 inches, the highest total in its table, all of it heavy and wet on leafed-out trees. In November 2014, the 4 to 5 foot band that buried Lancaster and South Cheektowaga sat on both sides of the village. And on January 25-26, 1990, gusts of 50 to 60 mph blew down a building wall at a Depew shopping plaza. Trees that lived through that history are often the ones with old, decayed breaks high in the crown.

The village's brush rules are generous

Depew collects branches up to 10 inches in diameter and 8 feet long, with cut ends facing the street. Stumps and root balls go in a separate pile, and you call the Department of Public Works at 716-683-5700 to arrange their pickup. Leaves go to the right-of-way in fall, not in garbage bags or in the street. That means a homeowner can, in many cases, have us fell and buck a tree and leave the pieces cut to village size. It is often cheaper than full hauling. We will price both ways so you can decide.

Utility lines

Depending on your street, your electric service may come from National Grid or NYSEG. Either way, the service wire to the house is the owner's responsibility for tree clearance, and the utility needs notice to drop or cover it before we cut near it.

On the estimate visit

We measure the tree, note which town your lot is in, check for wires and access, and write up what we would do and what it costs. If your lot is on the Cheektowaga side and the tree is large, we will flag whether the town's permit rule might apply. Get a free estimate