Tree Removal in Hills, MN | Reliable Tree Service
Hills is the southwesternmost city in Minnesota. It sits just a few miles from both South Dakota and Iowa. It lists Tree City USA as its motto. In a town that values its trees, taking one out is a choice worth getting right. Sioux Falls Elite Tree Care offers steady, sound tree service. You get honest advice, careful work, and follow-through you can count on long after the crew leaves.
We help you sort out if a tree truly needs to come down. We help you sort out if it sits on your property or the city's. We can talk about what might make a good replacement tree, if you want one. Each job gets the same standards. That holds for a single declining tree in town. It holds for several trees on a property at the edge of the fields. Request a quote, and we will make the short drive over to take a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does tree removal cost?
Most single removals land between $250 and $2,000. A typical mid-size tree, about 45 feet, runs about $495 to $788 with standard access. Small trees cost less. Large trees near a house or power lines cost more. We give you a firm price in writing before we start.
Do you grind the stump too?
Yes. We can grind the stump on the same visit or on a later day. Grinding cuts the stump about 12 inches below the ground. Most single stumps cost $120 to $400 based on size.
How long does a tree job take?
A small removal takes a few hours. A mid-size removal takes half a day to one full day. Trimming most homes takes half a day. We clean up and haul debris the same day.
Will you try to save my tree first?
Yes. If a tree can be trimmed, pruned, or braced and stay safe, we will tell you. We only push removal when the tree is dead, split, or a real risk to your home.
What should I do after a storm?
Stay clear of hung limbs and downed lines. Take photos from a safe spot. Then send us the estimate form. We handle storm cleanup and can take down split or leaning trees fast.
Do you clean up when you finish?
Yes. We haul limbs, wood, and brush. We rake the work area. Your yard should look clean when we leave.
What Does My Tree Project Cost?
Tree work is priced per tree, by size — removal and trimming by height, stump grinding by the inch of stump width. Here are the ranges we see on real jobs around Sioux Falls, and a calculator built on the same numbers.
Tree Removal
A typical mid-size tree — about 45 feet — runs about $495–$788 around Sioux Falls with standard access; most single removals land between $250 and $2,000. A tree that has to be roped down in pieces over a roof runs higher, and a crane day adds $500 to $2,500 that no online range can fold in sight unseen — crane jobs are priced in person from this range as the base. Stump grinding is priced separately — see Stump Grinding.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
A typical 45-foot shade tree runs about $405–$720 to trim around Sioux Falls; most trimming visits land between $150 and $1,200. Shrubs and small ornamental trees are priced with the visit at the in-person estimate — they ride along on trimming jobs rather than pricing as their own service.
Stump Grinding
Most single stumps run $120–$400 around Sioux Falls — there's a minimum charge to bring the grinder out, and past about 30 inches the price follows the diameter. Below that size the minimum, not the inches, is most of the price; that's how published stump pricing works, not a calculator error. Extra stumps on one visit are usually discounted per stump in person. Grindings are left in the hole unless haul-off is arranged at the estimate.
Emergency & Storm-Damage Removal
A storm-damaged mid-size tree that can't wait runs about $765–$1,260 around Sioux Falls on a priority daytime response; a tree on the house is priced on site. Two cases route differently. A tree already down in an open yard that hit nothing is not an emergency job. It prices at or below the Tree Removal range. A tree on a house that needs a crane is quoted on its own. This range is the starting point for that quote, not the quote itself.
Lot Clearing & Brush Removal
Clearing a typical half-acre building lot with moderate growth runs about $1,150–$1,950 around Sioux Falls; per acre, figure $1,100–$7,000 depending on what's growing. The base price figures trees and brush cut and mulched or chipped on site, stumps cut flush — not ground out — and no grading, excavation, or permits.
What Moves the Price
- Height. Removal and trimming price by the foot of height — a 70-foot oak is more wood, more rigging, and more crew hours per foot than a 25-foot ornamental, and the per-foot rate rises with the tree.
- What's under the tree. A tree in the open drops in big pieces. The same tree over a roof, fence, or dock comes down roped, one piece at a time — published estimating practice puts rigged work at 1.3 to 2 times the ground labor.
- Dead or storm-damaged wood. A dead, leaning, or split tree can't always be climbed safely and cuts unpredictably — hazard work runs 20 to 50 percent over a healthy tree of the same size.
- The stump is its own job. Grinding prices per inch of diameter with a minimum charge to bring the grinder out, which is why a small stump costs close to a medium one — and why grinding is quoted separately from removal.
- Season. Summer and fall storm season is peak demand; the same removal can run 10 to 20 percent higher then than in winter.
Where these numbers come from. Published national cost guides — Angi, HomeGuide, and Lawn Love project data — guide these numbers. We adjusted them to Sioux Falls with Bureau of Economic Analysis price levels. The Sioux Falls metro runs about 7% under the Charlotte metro. We also used BLS wage data for South Dakota tree trimmers. We checked the results against Sioux Falls marketplace averages. They're planning ranges, not a quote.
A note on how the work gets done. These ranges figure a tree taken down by a climber or a bucket truck — whichever can reach it — with the brush chipped and hauled away and the stump left cut flush at the ground. Two things can move you within the range, or a little past it. The first is the tree itself: a thick hardwood like oak or hickory is heavier, harder on saws and grinders, and slower to haul than a pine the same height, and a trunk much over two feet across prices like a bigger tree than its height suggests. The second is the method. A tree may be dead, split, or boxed in over a roof. It can't be climbed or reached by a bucket. A tree like that may need a crane. A crane day adds $500 to $2,500. No online range can fold that in sight unseen. Leaving the trunk wood for firewood instead of hauling it can bring the price down. Tell us what's standing and what's under it, and we'll confirm the method and the exact price at the in-person estimate, before any work starts.
Estimate Your Project
Best guess is fine — measure the shadow on a sunny day or compare to the house (about 10 ft per story).
Several trees in one visit usually price lower per tree in person — this estimate doesn't take that discount.
Stump grinding is priced separately — see Stump Grinding.
Shrubs and small ornamentals price with the visit at the in-person estimate.
Measure across the widest point at ground level, including the root flare where the trunk spreads into the ground.
Grindings are left in the hole unless haul-off is arranged at the estimate.
If the tree is already down in an open yard and hit nothing, price it under Tree Removal instead — down trees cost less, not more.
A typical building lot is a quarter to a half acre.
Stumps are cut flush, not ground out; grading and permits are separate.
Free — no obligation. Your calculator numbers ride along with the request.
Send Your Project to Sioux Falls Elite Tree Care
Your estimate is attached automatically. Add your info and — if you can — a few photos of the tree or lot. Photos help us price the job before we ever set foot in the yard.
Safe, Efficient, and Precise Tree Extraction
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Why Hills Residents Rely on Us
Sioux Falls Elite Tree Care is based in Sioux Falls, about 20 minutes from Hills. Steady work is the standard we hold each job to. That means the same careful work on a small tree or a large one. It means advice that does not change based on who asks. It means follow-through after the crew leaves. If we say we will check back on a tree, we do. If we say we will get you an answer later, we do.
A Railroad Junction at Minnesota's Southwest Corner
Hills was platted in 1889. It took its name from Frederick C. Hills. He was president of the Sioux City and Northern Railroad. The town grew up at the junction of that line and the Cherokee and Sioux Falls Railroad. A post office opened in 1890. Hills incorporated in 1904. For all its name, the town was not named for any landform. The land around it is mostly flat, with a few gently rolling hills. It sits about four miles from the South Dakota border and two miles from Iowa. It is the southwesternmost city in Minnesota. Corn and soybean fields surround it. They drive the local economy.
The town's size has grown slowly and steadily. It went from 398 residents in 1910 to 686 in 2020. Residents enjoy Jacobson Park and the Rez. The Rez is a man-made reservoir with swimming, fishing, a gravel walking path, campsites, a cabin, and a disc golf course. The town gathers each June for Friendship Days. Hills shares a strong school tradition with Beaver Creek. Their Hills-Beaver Creek district formed in 1965. Its schools have earned National Blue Ribbon honors. The Patriots won the 2025 9-Player state football championship. They won the 2026 Class A boys basketball state title. The town's motto, Tree City USA, says a lot about how much this community values its trees.
Tree Work in a Tree City USA Community
Tree City USA is a program from the Arbor Day Foundation. Towns that take part commit to four standards. They keep a tree board or department. They hold a tree care ordinance for public trees. They keep a yearly community forestry budget. They hold an Arbor Day observance each year. For homeowners, the key point is simple. Trees on public land may be handled in a different way than trees in your yard. The boulevard between the sidewalk and the street is one case. If you are not sure if a tree sits on your lot or on city property, check with Hills City Hall first. Do that before you book a removal. We are happy to hold the job until you confirm who is responsible for the tree.
Taking a tree out with care also means thinking about what comes next. Community foresters often follow a diversity rule known as the 10-20-30 rule. No more than 10 percent of a community's trees should come from one species. No more than 20 percent should come from one genus. No more than 30 percent should come from one family. The idea comes from hard lessons. Dutch elm disease wiped out elm-lined streets across the Midwest in the last century. Emerald ash borer has done the same to ash in many cities. If you want to replace a tree you take out, pick a tree that is less common in your area. That helps keep the local canopy healthier for the long run.
Reliable Care for the Trees You Keep
Not every tree that worries you needs to come down this year. A tree with a minor defect can often be watched. The same holds for a slow decline or a small crack. Someone just has to keep an eye on it. A simple way to do that is to take a photo of the tree from the same spot each spring and fall. Set those photos side by side. You can spot a thinning crown far more easily. You can spot a lean that is getting worse. You can spot dead branches spreading through the canopy. That beats trying to recall how the tree looked a year ago.
Steady service means the advice stays the same over time. When we look at a tree you have chosen to keep, we tell you what to watch for. We tell you roughly when it is worth a fresh check. You get the same honest answer on the second visit that you got on the first. It also helps to keep a short record of each tree on your property. Note the species. Note any problems you spot. Note the work that has been done. That record makes future choices faster and clearer, no matter who you end up talking to.
Our Reliable Removal Process
Step 1: Start the Request
Share what's going on with the tree and where it sits on the property.
Step 2: Confirm Ownership
We help you check whether the tree is yours or the city's before anything is scheduled.
Step 3: Honest Assessment
We look at the tree's condition and tell you whether removal is truly needed.
Step 4: A Scope You Can Count On
Your written quote spells out the full job so nothing falls through the cracks.
Step 5: Dependable Crew Day
The crew arrives as scheduled and follows the same careful standards every time.
Step 6: Replacement Advice
If you want a new tree, we suggest species that add diversity to the local canopy.
Step 7: Follow-Through
We clean up, review the work with you, and note anything worth watching later.
Request a Quote From Sioux Falls Elite Tree Care
A leaning tree near the house, a dead limb hanging over the fence, or a fast-growing tree that has outgrown its spot is easier to handle before it turns into a bigger problem. We'll come out, look at the tree in person, and explain your options before anything goes on the schedule.
Request a quote and we'll set a time to walk the property with you. If a tree has already come down or looks ready to, check availability and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.