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A tree fell across my driveway and I can't get my car out — what should I do?

Answered for Avon, Hendricks County.

Primarily an access and egress problem rather than a structural one. The tree has already done the thing you were afraid of. The hazard that remains is stored energy in the wood — trunk sections under bind, and spring poles among the bent saplings underneath — which is a cutting hazard, not a falling one. In Avon — Avon Heights, Beechwood Farms and Harvest Ridge included, that's normally a storm damage cleanup job at $400–$4,000. Within days.

Why this comes up in Avon

Median year built is 2005 — a decade newer than Greenwood. Of Avon's 8,993 housing units, 87.5% were built in 1990 or later and nearly 40% since 2010 (ACS 2019-2023); Avon wasn't incorporated until 1995, so practically nothing here has a tree older than the house it shades.

Avon's canopy

Overwhelmingly young, nursery-planted stock: only 3.4% of Avon's housing predates 1960, so the typical "big tree" here is a 20-to-30-year-old subdivision planting rather than a legacy shade tree, with exceptions in the White Lick Creek bottomland and the fencerow remnants left when farm fields were platted. Ash is gone, and Avon's street tree ordinance actively steers right-of-way planting toward tall shade-producing species, reserving ornamentals for spots where space genuinely prevents a large tree.

Hendricks County rules

Avon is the outlier: it has a real street tree ordinance (Town Code Article 14, Sec. 6-196). No permit is needed for a tree entirely on private property, but you may not remove — or trim more than one-fifth of — a tree in the public right-of-way without written permission from the Tree Advisory Committee and Staff Project Coordinator. The permit is free to property owners and valid 30 days. Topping a right-of-way tree is flatly unlawful except for storm-damaged trees or utility-line situations approved by the committee. Fines run $500 for unpermitted removal, $100 for trimming, planting or damaging, and $50 for attaching objects, plus up to $3,000 per tree in damages. Town departments and utilities and their contractors are exempt.

The tree lawn in Avon

The ordinance defines the "Tree Lawn" — the strip between curb or pavement edge and the property line — as public property. But Section 6 makes the abutting property owner ultimately responsible for planting, removal, and keeping right-of-way vegetation from becoming a hazard, and the Town Council can call on the owner to do it. The town may also plant, prune or remove there itself, and must give the underlying owner two weeks' written notice before removing a right-of-way tree unless it's an immediate hazard. Vegetation over the street must be cleared to 14 feet above the curb.

Crews near Avon

Sorted by distance
Sharper Image Tree Service, photo 1 of 3

Sharper Image Tree Service

4883 Gibbs Rd, Plainfield, IN 46168

5.0298
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +2

If you’re looking for a reliable and efficient tree service, Sharper Image Tree Service truly stands out. From the moment I reached out, their team…

Sammy Smith · 4 months ago · Google
OLIVOS TREE SERVICES PLUS LANDSCAPING LLC, photo 1 of 3Photo author: Elizabeth Hoalt

OLIVOS TREE SERVICES PLUS LANDSCAPING LLC

278 N East St, Plainfield, IN 46168

5.030
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +1

I had an excellent experience with Olivos Tree Services Plus Landscaping LLC! They cleared several trees in my backyard that were close to power…

Alyssa Wiegand · 5 months ago · Google
Cummins Tree Care LLC, photo 1 of 3Photo author: STEPHEN DONAHUE

Cummins Tree Care LLC

240 Old North Salem Rd, Danville, IN 46122

5.067
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +3

Paul is high energy and an expert in his field. When I first reached out for a quote, he was responsive and came over to assess the work the same…

James Gillespie · 12 months ago · Google
Bowman Boys Stump Removal, photo 1 of 3Photo author: Diane Allen

Bowman Boys Stump Removal

1078 IN-236, Danville, IN 46122

5.086
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +1

These guys saved our bacon! Our job was complicated to put it mildly, and an emergency. We had a tree stump growing around an actively leaking water…

Jacob Sharp · a year ago · Google
Condados tree service, photo 1 of 3Photo author: Pedro condado

Condados tree service

5150 Mecca St, Indianapolis, IN 46241

5.021
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +2

Condados Tree Service was able to come out and give me a free quote and put me in their calendar immediately to get an extremely large tree removed…

Ashe Amos · a year ago · Google
MTZ Stump Grinding LLc, photo 1 of 3

MTZ Stump Grinding LLc

7059 Eagle Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46278

5.022
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +1

I was looking for some sidewalk repair and Mr. Martinez was recommended. Absolutely top-quality work at a very reasonable cost. Ruben is a consummate…

Clint Collins · 2 years ago · Google

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