300+ Reviews across the web
Clear recommendations, safe execution, and tree care built around your property.
ISA Member
Certified Arborist – TX4602A
Texas Oak Wilt Certified – #TOWQ-436
TRAQ Certified
Member of the Texas ISA
Pesticide Applicator License – #0967351
Texas Dept. Of Agriculture
Happy Tree Service of Austin provides professional tree service in West Lake Hills, TX, and the greater Westlake community. West Lake Hills is a Travis County city just west of Austin, often called “Westlake” locally, not the North Texas community by the same name. Our ISA-certified arborists handle tree trimming, pruning, removal, emergency service, and tree healthcare for residential properties throughout the area. You get a team that knows West Lake Hills vegetation removal permits and oak wilt pruning restrictions, and every estimate is free. Call 512-212-0010 to get started.
Mature live oaks and cedar elms line the hillsides along Bee Cave Road, Loop 360, and the neighborhoods branching off Redbud Trail and Westbank Drive. Many of these trees sit on steep, rocky lots where root systems compete with limestone and shallow soil. Their canopies stretch over rooflines, patios, pools, and stonework. Central Texas drought and summer heat compound that stress, and it shows as thinning crowns, deadwood accumulation, and canopy dieback. When a heavy limb hangs over your deck or your live oak starts dropping leaves in October, you need answers.
That is exactly why professional, arborist-led tree care matters here. Storm risk reduction, long-term canopy health, and oak wilt prevention all require someone who understands what is happening inside the tree. West Lake Hills also requires permits for tree and vegetation removal, so working with us keeps your project on track. Whether your property backs up to Lake Austin or sits on a quiet street off Westbank Drive in Travis County, your trees deserve more than guesswork.
Choosing the right tree service starts with understanding what credentials, practices, and local knowledge actually protect your property and your trees.
When you work with us, every decision starts with an arborist and every recommendation is built around the long-term health of your trees. We have ISA Certified Arborists on staff, including Evan Peter (TX-4602A) and Lewis Heye (TX-3510A). Every recommendation is grounded in tree biology and ANSI A300 standards. We also factor in the specific conditions of your property before we suggest any course of action. You can learn more about what that certification means and how it shapes our work on our ISA Certified Arborist in Austin page. 
That means careful, methodical work around your home, pool, stonework, and landscaping. We are licensed and insured, we provide written estimates before any work begins, and we communicate clearly at every stage of the process. Our crews follow clean jobsite protocols with full debris haul-off. The International Society of Arboriculture sets the bar for arborist credentials, and that’s the standard we hold ourselves to on every job.
What our clients say lines up with what you’ll see on your property: clear communication, careful property protection, and a clean yard when we leave. We keep our client list intentional so we can give every property the attention it deserves. When you call us back three years from now about a different tree, we will already know your property.
Here is what that looks like across the services we provide in West Lake Hills.
We provide residential tree services in West Lake Hills and Westlake, all under ISA-certified arborist oversight.
Here is the scope of what we offer:
Here is what each of these services involves and when West Lake Hills homeowners typically need them.
When we trim or prune your trees, the work can include deadwood removal, clearance pruning, crown thinning, crown raising, crown reduction, and structural pruning. The goal is to improve long-term form and reduce limb failure risk. Trimming addresses immediate clearance and hazard reduction, while structural pruning shapes the tree’s architecture over time for stronger growth and lower risk. We follow ANSI A300 standards on every pruning job, the industry standard governing pruning technique. In West Lake Hills, the city restricts pruning of live oaks and red oaks to July 1 through January 31 and requires immediate sealing of all cuts with commercial pruning paint to reduce the chance of infection from Ceratocystis fagacearum, the fungus behind oak wilt. Safety-driven pruning for storm damage or an immediate hazard can fall outside that window, but an ISA-certified arborist should make that call. Learn more about our approach on our tree trimming and pruning services page.
Removal becomes the safest path when your tree shows structural failure risk, advanced disease, severe root compromise near your home’s foundation, or irreversible storm damage that leaves it unstable. Before any removal decision, an ISA-certified arborist evaluates the tree on-site. That assessment covers structure, health, soil conditions, and proximity to your home. In West Lake Hills, steep slopes, rocky terrain, and structures in tight proximity require careful rigging, sectional dismantling, and detailed safety planning. We handle full debris haul-off, site restoration, and property protection throughout the process, so your yard is clean and secure when we leave. Learn more on our tree removal services page.
Yes. We provide oak wilt support, tree healthcare plans, and specialized arborist services across West Lake Hills and the Westlake area.
For oak wilt, we provide evaluation, prevention planning, and treatment context for live oaks and red oaks, guided by Texas Oak Wilt Partnership recommendations and the City of West Lake Hills’ own oak wilt guidance. Learn more on our oak wilt treatment services page.
We start with an arborist-led inspection. We assess structure, disease, pest activity, and soil conditions, then build a care plan around what your trees actually need. For trees with co-dominant stems or heavy lateral limbs that pose a split risk, we offer cabling and bracing to add structural support.
We also handle root zone work. Deep root fertilization puts nutrients below the turf layer, right where your feeder roots can use them. Air spading addresses compacted soils, root collar excavation, and soil decompaction. We also handle emergency tree service in Austin, including fallen limb removal, hanging branch removal, and storm damage cleanup. Call us to discuss your situation and response timing.
Before scheduling any tree work in West Lake Hills, you should understand the city’s vegetation removal rules and seasonal oak wilt restrictions.
West Lake Hills has specific rules governing tree and vegetation removal, oak pruning timing, and work near power lines. Knowing them ahead of time keeps your project on track. 
If you need to remove a tree or clear vegetation, the City of West Lake Hills requires a permit in most cases. There are limited exceptions: common household gardening, pruning a single live tree, and removing dead branches or dead brush piles. You submit your permit application through MGO Connect, the city’s online portal. There are also no-fee permit scenarios: removal of a single living tree under 10 inches in diameter once per year, understory vegetation removal, and work within a fire safety buffer zone. Before you remove any dead wood or live trees, the city asks that you contact the city inspector to confirm what applies. We know these requirements and walk you through the compliance process before any work begins.
You can prune red oaks and live oaks from July 1 through January 31. The city prohibits oak pruning from February 1 through June 30, except when public safety requires immediate action. All cuts on oaks must be sealed immediately with commercial pruning paint to prevent exposure to the oak wilt fungus. The City of West Lake Hills oak wilt page and the Texas Oak Wilt Partnership both have more detail on the rules. We follow these rules on every job and help you find the right timing for any oak-related work.
The City of West Lake Hills also directs residents not to attempt trimming trees within 10 feet of power lines and to contact Austin Energy instead. We can assess the situation and advise you on next steps, but you should never attempt this work on your own.
With those rules in mind, here is how the process works when you call us.
Here is how it works when you call us for tree service in West Lake Hills.
Call us or request an estimate online, and we’ll schedule an on-site visit. Most estimates are scheduled within a few business days depending on the season, though urgent situations move to the front of the line. The estimate is free and includes an arborist-led assessment of your trees, your property, and your goals.
Yes. Every job in West Lake Hills begins with an evaluation led by an ISA Certified Arborist or an arborist-supervised team lead. The arborist looks at tree structure, health indicators, disease risk, soil conditions, and proximity to structures. Your goals for the property factor into every recommendation. The arborist gives you specific recommendations and explains the reasoning behind each one, whether that’s pruning, cabling, treatment, or removal, so you have the full picture before any work starts.
If you are ready to schedule tree service or want to talk through what your trees need, here is how to reach us.
We are a locally owned tree care company serving West Lake Hills (78746) and surrounding communities including Rollingwood, Bee Cave, and Lakeway, with ISA-certified arborists on staff who specialize in long-term tree health. We help you evaluate tree health, plan and execute trimming or removal, work through vegetation removal permits and oak wilt restrictions, and develop long-term care strategies for your trees. We are licensed, insured, backed by over 30 years of experience, and a reputation built on long-term client relationships and honest work.
Call 512-212-0010 today to schedule a free estimate or talk with one of our ISA-certified arborists about your trees.
