Most Puget Sound windstorms arrive between November and February, when the ground is already saturated and our evergreens are still carrying a full crown to catch the wind. That combination is why a gust that would bend a tree in August can tip one over in December.
We’ve written about what to check before the first storm. This is the other half: a tree is already down — on the house, the car, the fence or across the driveway — and you need to know what to do, in what order.
1. Before anything else, look for power lines
Trace every line from the pole to your house before you walk toward the tree. A line can be pinned under branches, draped over a fence, or lying in wet grass where you can’t see it.
Treat any downed or sagging line as live. Stay at least 30 feet away — the distance both Seattle City Light and Snohomish County PUD give — and keep kids and pets inside. If a line is sparking, burning, or touching a car with someone in it, call 911.
Then report it to your utility:
| Utility | Outages and downed lines |
|---|---|
| Puget Sound Energy | 1-888-225-5773, or 911 for a downed line |
| Seattle City Light | Outages (206) 684-3000 · downed lines 911 |
| Tacoma Power | Outages 253-502-8602 · downed lines 911 |
| Snohomish County PUD | 425-783-1001, 24 hours · 911 if life-threatening |
If a tree is resting on a line — even the single service line to your house — nobody should start cutting until the utility has made it safe. That includes ordinary tree crews: work close to energized lines is reserved for utility-qualified line-clearance crews.
2. If it hit the house, get everyone out of that part of it
A trunk through a roof can keep settling for hours as framing gives way, and rain getting in adds weight to the ceilings below. Close off the rooms underneath and stay out of them.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 from outside. If water is coming in and you can reach it safely from inside, buckets and plastic sheeting are fine — limiting further damage is exactly what your insurer expects. Don’t go up on the roof to tarp around a tree that’s still lying on it.
3. Photograph everything before anything moves
Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner advises calling your insurer or agent as soon as possible, taking photos or video of the damage, and not making permanent repairs until the insurer has seen the property and you’ve agreed on the work. Keep receipts for anything temporary.
From the tree side, a few shots are worth getting while the scene is untouched:
- Wide shots from several angles showing the tree, what it hit, and where the property line is.
- Where it failed. A snapped trunk, a root plate torn out of the ground and a limb ripped off the stem each tell a different story — and the broken wood can show decay that was there long before the storm.
- Whose tree it was, if it came from a neighbor’s lot or a street planting strip.
Once cleanup starts, that evidence is gone.
4. What insurance usually covers — and what it usually doesn’t
Policies differ, so read yours or ask your agent. The Insurance Commissioner describes the usual picture like this:
| Situation | Usually |
|---|---|
| A tree damages your house or another covered structure | Covered — falling trees are a standard peril |
| Removing a tree that fell on your home, garage or car | Usually covered |
| Removing a tree that came down without hitting anything | Usually not covered |
| Your neighbor’s tree lands on your house | Your own insurer often pays, minus your deductible |
On the neighbor question, the Commissioner notes that your insurer may pursue the neighbor’s insurer if the neighbor was at fault — but that it “can be hard to prove.” That’s another reason the photos of where the tree failed matter.
It also notes that filing a claim can raise your premium, and that an insurer may decline to renew after claims, even small ones. For a minor fence repair, it’s worth a conversation with your agent before you file.
This is general information from Washington’s insurance regulator, not insurance or legal advice. Your policy’s wording decides what’s covered.
5. Don’t start the chainsaw on a tree that’s resting on something
This is where storm injuries happen. A tree lying across a roof, a fence or another tree is almost never simply lying there. Parts of it are bent under load, and whatever it landed on may be what’s holding it up.
- Cut the wrong piece and the load lets go. A section under tension can spring sideways, and the trunk can roll or drop onto whatever is below — including the person holding the saw.
- Uprooted trees can stand back up. When a tree tips over, the root plate is still attached to the trunk. Cut the trunk free and the weight of that root plate can rock it back toward its hole.
- Watch for hangers. Broken limbs caught in the crown of a standing tree can fall without warning, especially in the wind that often follows a storm.
Small branches on the lawn are fine to pick up. Anything on a structure, under tension or overhead is a job for a crew with the rigging to lower it in controlled pieces.
6. In Seattle, emergency removal has its own rules
Seattle regulates trees on private property more tightly than its neighbors, and those rules still apply in an emergency. From SDCI’s Tip 242B (updated October 2025):
- You can act before getting approval on a Tier 1, 2 or 3 tree that has an extreme risk of imminent failure — but you must notify SDCI before the work begins.
- File within 10 calendar days. A Tree Removal and Vegetation Restoration application is due within ten calendar days of the emergency action, and SDCI’s arborists rely on the photos you submit to confirm the risk.
- A registered tree service provider has to do the work, emergency or not. Seattle requires all commercial tree work on private property to be done by a provider on its registry.
- For a damaged tree that’s still standing, SDCI approves removal as a hazard tree only with an ISA Basic Tree Risk Assessment by a certified arborist who holds the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ). A clearly dead tree doesn’t need the form.
SDCI’s tree staff can be reached at (206) 233-5185 or sdci-trees@seattle.gov. Other cities set their own rules — our city-by-city permit guide covers Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Tacoma and Everett. When in doubt about a damaged tree that’s still standing, call the city before it comes down.
7. Check the registration before you hire anyone
Storm damage draws unregistered contractors, and the Insurance Commissioner’s advice is to make sure anyone you hire is registered with the state. Labor & Industries makes that a two-minute job: its Verify a Contractor tool shows whether a registration is active, whether there are claims against the bond, whether workers’ comp is paid up, and any safety or construction violations.
Ask for the registration number before anyone starts work, and look it up yourself. Ours is SOUNDPL826DZ.
Utility numbers, insurance guidance and Seattle’s rules verified against official sources in October 2026. Codes and phone numbers change — confirm with the agency if anything here doesn’t match what you’re told.
Tree Down? Call Us Day or Night.
Devoted handles storm-damaged and fallen trees across the Puget Sound, 24/7, with ISA Certified Arborists on the team — including a TRAQ-qualified arborist for hazard assessments. See our emergency tree service and storm cleanup pages, or call now.