Lebanon · Mason · Springboro · Warren County
Tree Service in Lebanon & Mason, OH
Need tree service in Lebanon, Mason or somewhere else in Warren County, Ohio? A dead ash behind the back fence, a maple leaning toward the house, limbs scraping the roof, a stump in the lawn or a trunk across the drive after a storm: tell us what you're looking at. One independent contractor who works in the area gets your request, comes to see the tree, and gives you a price in writing. This site does no tree work itself.
- Each request reaches one contractor
- Lebanon, Mason, Springboro, South Lebanon, Morrow and the townships around them
The day the wind came through Lebanon
On September 14, 2008, what was left of Hurricane Ike tore across southwest Ohio. A weather service paper on the storm counts 12 deaths across the region, mostly from tree branches that fell during the storm or the cleanup. The Associated Press reported the next day that about half of Warren County's residents had no power.
Unofficial gust reported in Lebanon during the Ike windstorm, Sept 14, 2008 (NWS Wilmington storm reports)
Ohio deaths in that storm, with 8 injuries, from NOAA's Storm Data for September 2008 as cited in the NWS paper
Nearly that many Ohio customers lost power, the most ever for the Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton areas (NWS paper, Sept 2008 event)
Sources: the NWS Wilmington storm reports for Sept 14, 2008; Stoppkotte and others, "14 September 2008 Ohio Valley High Wind Event Associated with the Remnants of Hurricane Ike" (National Weather Service); and the AP report of Sept 15, 2008. The same paper puts Ohio's damage at nearly one billion dollars, second only to the 1974 Xenia tornado. More on storm and emergency removal.
Storms on the Warren County record
Most of what breaks trees around Lebanon and Mason is wind. On June 29, 2012, a derecho crossed the Wilmington forecast area in under four hours, leaving widespread, significant wind damage across most of it. Warren County's reports that day were mostly downed trees and limbs, and Ohio's outages peaked at 915,366 customers, according to the federal service assessment of the storm.
On May 7, 2024, southwest of Lebanon, a small EF0 tornado snapped or uprooted 10 to 15 trees at a single home in the Hillcrest area east of US 42, the weather service found.
| When | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Feb 13–14, 2007 | Ice storm: a half inch to an inch of ice from the northern Cincinnati suburbs to Wilmington, with significant tree damage (NWS Wilmington) |
| Sept 14, 2008 | Ike windstorm: 78 mph unofficial gust in Lebanon; about half of Warren County without power (NWS; AP) |
| June 29, 2012 | Derecho: estimated gusts of about 58 to 60 mph reported near Franklin, Mason, Loveland Park and Maineville, mostly downed trees and limbs (NOAA Storm Data) |
| June 13, 2022 | Windstorm: two days later, 1,730 Duke Energy customers in Warren County were still out (Journal-News) |
| May 7, 2024 | Five tornadoes in the county (FOX19); EF1 near South Lebanon with extensive tree damage (NWS Wilmington) |
Sources: NWS Wilmington, NOAA Storm Data (June 2012), the NWS derecho assessment, the AP, the Journal-News and FOX19.
How it works
Describe the job
Call or fill in the form with your street or town, the kind of tree if you know it, what it stands over, and what you'd like done with it.
One contractor hears about it
Just one independent contractor working in Warren County receives it, and no one else.
They come and look
The contractor contacts you, walks the yard, checks what's under the crown and how equipment gets in, then writes down the work and the price.
You decide
Hire them or don't. Scheduling, any city permit, payment and where the wood goes are settled between you and the contractor.
Tree work around Lebanon and Mason
Each guide is written for homes in Warren County, and every price on them shows its source and the date it was checked.
Tree removal
In Lebanon, work on a public tree needs a right-of-way permit from the Director of Service first, and the code counts the tree lawn between the sidewalk and the curb as part of the street (Chapter 907, checked Nov 10, 2026). The guide covers that, how a crew takes a tree apart next to a house, what each city hauls from the curb, and national prices.
Tree trimming
Lebanon's code has owners along a street keep branches clear of street lights, signs, walkers and traffic, and Mason sets 5 feet over sidewalks and 14 feet over streets (both checked Nov 10, 2026). The page also covers the service wire to your house, which the utilities leave to you, and trimming prices by height.
Stump grinding
Ohio law calls for notice to OHIO811 at least two working days before digging, not counting the day you call, and some private lines never get marked (checked Nov 10, 2026). The guide covers the ticket, the lines Lebanon Electric won't locate, what fills the hole, and grinding prices by stump width.
Storm and emergency work
Who to call when a tree pulls down a line, what to photograph for the insurance claim, what city crews leave behind after a storm, and Ohio's three-day right to cancel a door-to-door sale. There's also the emergency exception, which only applies when you sign a separate handwritten statement giving that right up.
Dead or leaning trees
Half a crown gone bare, a new lean with the lawn cracking at the base, a Callery pear torn at a narrow fork, or an ash shedding bark. The guide covers the warning signs and the city orders that can follow: Lebanon allows 30 days after written notice, Mason 60 (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Dead and dying ash
Emerald ash borer had turned up in Warren County by 2006, and Ohio State University's Joe Boggs warns that dead ash trees "can snap at any time without warning." The page covers the signs of the beetle, when treatment stops being worth it, the city rules, and what to plant where the ash stood.
Before the work starts
Permits, lines and burning
Lebanon's Chapter 907, Mason's Chapter 939, and Springboro's permit for protected trees, which costs $25 for up to 10 trees (checked Nov 10, 2026). Plus Lebanon Electric's service-line shutoff, OHIO811, Ohio's daytime burning ban in spring and fall outside city and village limits, and brush pickup rules city by city.
Published prices
Thumbtack's national tree removal guide, last updated March 24, 2026, gives an average of $450 to $1,450 for one tree with the stump left in place (checked Nov 10, 2026). The page lays out removal by trunk diameter and canopy size, trimming by height and grinding by diameter, each with its source and date.
Warren County trees
Before the borer, Ohio had nearly 4 billion ash trees, roughly one tree in ten, according to Ohio State. This guide covers ash, maples, oaks and Callery pear, the brown silt loam over clay of Miamian, Ohio's state soil, the insects moving through southwest Ohio, and the trees Mason won't accept along its streets.
Hiring a tree service
The questions that decide how a tree job turns out: where the pieces will land, who calls the utility, what happens to the wood and the stump, and when the bill is due. Also the Ohio Attorney General's warning about crews who travel to storm-hit towns and go door to door.
Why so many ash trees are dying here
The emerald ash borer was first identified in Ohio in 2003. A 2006 survey found it south of I-70 in Warren County, and that fall the state quarantine was widened to the whole county. An infested ash usually dies in less than five years, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
It isn't over. Ohio State University Extension reported in 2023 that in southwest Ohio "the beetles didn't completely disappear nor did the trees," and yard ash that stopped being treated are showing signs of infestation again. A July 2026 update says the borer is still attacking young ash seedlings.
Standing dead ash is the part that hurts people. ODNR's state forester has said the limbs and trunks turn brittle and can break or blow over easily. Ohio State's Amy Stone puts it simply: "The longer the tree stands dead, the increased chance of it falling." Mason's landscape code lists "All Ash Trees" among the trees it won't accept along its streets.
If an ash is still alive and mostly leafed out, treatment may be an option. Extension guidance says treatment works best early; once roughly 30% of the canopy is gone it becomes less effective, and past about half the canopy it's usually too late. (Ohio State, July 2026; Extension bulletin, April 2019; checked Nov 10, 2026.) The ash tree guide covers the signs, the rules and what to plant next.
What sets the price
Thumbtack's national guide to removing a tree, last updated March 24, 2026, gives an average of $450 to $1,450 for one tree with the stump left behind, and $884 to $1,627 when the stump comes out too (checked Nov 10, 2026). Its trimming guide, updated October 23, 2026, gives a national average of $402 to $1,158 (checked Nov 10, 2026). Those are national averages, not Lebanon or Mason prices, and this site gathered no prices from local contractors. What you'll actually pay is the number the contractor puts in writing once they've seen the tree.
Putting it off has a cost of its own. The Insurance Information Institute said in 2010 that a standard homeowners policy covers damage when a tree falls on the house, with debris removal generally limited to about $500 to $1,000, and generally pays nothing to clear a tree that comes down without hitting an insured structure.
| What changes | How it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Trunk and canopy | Thumbtack's ranges run from $226–$596 for a trunk under 12 inches with a canopy under 30 feet to $1,562–$4,117 for a 24 to 36 inch trunk over 30 feet (checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| What's below | A roof, deck, fence, car or service wire under the crown means pieces get lowered on ropes instead of dropped |
| Getting in | A fenced backyard with one narrow gate keeps big machines out and adds hand work |
| A lift | Thumbtack notes that delivering a 4x4 tree lift reaching 120 to 150 feet is sometimes around $450 by itself (checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| The wood | Hauled off, chipped on site or left in rounds. Mason's curb pickup won't take branches over 4 inches thick (checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| The stump | Thumbtack's grinding guide, updated Oct 23, 2026, gives a national average of $230 to $593 (checked Nov 10, 2026) |
| Storm urgency | Thumbtack says emergency storm work can sometimes run as high as $250 an hour (checked Nov 10, 2026) |
City rules, in short
Each of the three cities writes its own tree rules, and trees in the tree lawn or on other city land are where permits come in. The full rundown is in the permits and rules guide.
Lebanon
Any work on a public tree needs a right-of-way permit from the Director of Service. The city can also order an owner to remove a tree it designates as dead, dying, diseased or hazardous, with 30 days to do it. Service Department: (513) 933-7200. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
Mason
Existing single- and two-family lots in the R-1 to R-7 districts are exempt from the landscaping chapter, except lots approved as part of a new subdivision. Planting, pruning or removing a tree on city property needs the City Manager's approval first. Public Works: 513-229-8580. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
Springboro
Taking down a "protected tree" takes a city permit, $25 for up to 10 trees. Diseased trees and trees that threaten public health or safety don't need one. Call the city at 937-748-4343 before removing a healthy tree. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
Areas served
The area served covers much of Warren County, a county of about 256,000 people by the Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 estimate (via citypopulation.de, checked Nov 10, 2026). Which office answers a tree question depends on which side of a city line the tree stands.
Lebanon
The county seat, laid out in 1802, with about 22,000 residents in the 2024 Census estimate (checked Nov 10, 2026). The city runs its own electric department, which sets the line rules for homes it serves.
Mason, Kings Mills and Landen
Mason counted about 36,000 people in the same 2024 estimate (checked Nov 10, 2026) and picks up brush with its own crews, one quarter of the city each week. Kings Mills and Landen are part of the area served too.
Springboro, South Lebanon, Morrow and beyond
Springboro has its own Tree Authority. South Lebanon, Morrow, Maineville and Waynesville are served too, along with Deerfield, Turtlecreek, Hamilton and Union townships. Ask your local government office before cutting near a road.
Questions people ask
Does Lebanon require a permit to take down a yard tree?
Lebanon's Chapter 907 requires a right-of-way permit from the Director of Service before anyone works on a public tree, and the code counts the tree lawn as part of the street. The chapter's permit section is written around public trees, so for a tree well inside your lot, call the Service Department at (513) 933-7200 to confirm before work starts (checked Nov 10, 2026). Mason and Springboro work differently; see the rules guide.
My ash tree is dead. How soon does it need to come down?
There's no set clock, but Ohio State University Extension says dead ash can snap at any time without warning, and the chance of a fall grows the longer it stands dead. A dead ash over a house, driveway or play area shouldn't wait for the next storm.
Will Lebanon Electric clear the tree near the wire to my house?
No. The city says keeping the service line clear is the property owner's job. To make the work safer, it will temporarily shut off power to your service line during normal business hours if you call (513) 228-3210 at least two business days ahead (checked Nov 10, 2026). AES Ohio's line crews also leave the service line to the owner.
Can I burn the brush after a tree comes down?
Inside a city or village, Ohio EPA's rules don't list yard waste among the fires allowed. Outside city and village limits, state law bans open burning of brush from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in March, April, May, October and November. Where Ohio EPA's restrictions don't apply, the fire must be at least 1,000 feet from any inhabited building that isn't on your property (checked Nov 10, 2026). The burning rules explain which areas are restricted.
Who actually does the work?
An independent contractor who works in Warren County. This site only passes your request along and has no crews, trucks or saws; the price, schedule, permits and cleanup are between you and the contractor.
A tree that's dying, leaning or simply in the way?
Call or send the short form. Your request goes to one independent contractor who works around Lebanon and Mason. They look at the tree in person and put their own price in writing.