The Tennessee Valley's storm season runs March to May and comes back in November, and every year some corner of Madison County wakes up to limbs across the yard, a fence on the ground and shingles in the flower beds. Here is the order of operations that saves money.
First hour
- Photograph everything before anyone touches it, for the insurance claim.
- Downed line anywhere near the debris: call the utility, touch nothing.
- A tree on the house or a car: that is a tree crew job first, then hauling.
What Huntsville and Madison County will pick up
After a declared storm the city and the county run debris passes: vegetation cut to length and stacked at the curb, separate from household garbage and from construction debris. On an ordinary week the city takes limbs cut to five feet or shorter on your route day. The schedule after a big storm is announced on the city's page and can take weeks to reach every street. Fence panels, roofing, shed pieces and anything mixed with household junk are excluded, and that is what a crew takes.
What a junk crew does
Cuts limbs down to size, loads fence panels, roofing and shed pieces, hauls the pile that the pickup will not take, and comes the same week instead of the third week. We tell you on the quote what part of your pile the city will take for free, so you are not paying us for it.
Before the next one
Clear the dead limbs over the roof in the dry season, anchor the shed, and keep the photos of the house as it stands now. Every storm since 2011 has taught this county the same lesson.
Useful links
- City of Huntsville – sanitation schedules, what the city collects at the curb, storm debris pickups
- Madison County, Alabama – county services and household hazardous-waste drop-off information
Questions on this
Will the city take my storm debris?
Vegetation cut to length and stacked at the curb, after a declared storm, on its schedule. Fences, roofing and mixed piles usually not.
Do I need a permit to remove a fallen tree?
No. A fallen tree is cleanup, not removal.
How much does storm debris removal cost in Huntsville?
Priced by the load like any pickup: a quarter truck $225 to $325, a half $375 to $500, a full truck $625 to $800, with cutting and loading inside the number. We say on the quote which part of the pile the city would take for free.
Can a junk crew take a tree that fell on the house?
No. A tree on a structure is a tree crew's job first; we haul the limbs, the fence and the roofing afterwards.
How quickly can a crew reach storm damage in Madison County?
Single loads usually within the week; the morning-after calls get the first slots, and a fence and limb pile is often gone in one visit.