
Most emergency tree service jobs around Indianapolis land between $500 and $3,500, with the average near $1,200. The spread is that wide because height and access move the number more than anything else — a site that a truck can back up to and one where everything is carried by hand are the same tree and not the same job.
Time of day — night and weekend rates run well above daytime. Whether the tree is loaded against a structure, which turns it into a rigging job. Crane or bucket needed to take weight off before anything is cut. Traffic control or a utility standby if a road or line is involved. Whether it's clear-access-now and finish-later, or all in one visit.
Book off-season — winter is quieter and cheaper than the week after a storm. Keep the wood and the chips instead of paying for haul-off. Clear the access so the truck gets close. Bundle the stump into the same visit rather than booking it twice.
Hiring the crew without insurance, or the one that won't put the scope in writing. Both cost more later, and the second is how a $400 removal becomes $1,200 once the stump and the debris turn out not to have been included.