
Most storm damage cleanup jobs around Indianapolis land between $400 and $4,000, with the average near $1,100. 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.
Volume — one limb versus a yard full of debris. Hangers still up in the canopy, which are climbing work not ground work. Whether anything is on a structure. Documentation for an insurance claim. How soon after the storm — the week after costs more than the month after.
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.