First 48 hours: document, then clear
- Photograph everything before touching it — the fence line, the roof, the interior damage, the tree on the shed. Claims run on evidence.
- Get the adjuster's visit (or written OK) before removal where the damage is claim-relevant.
- Don't let wet things wait. Soaked carpet and furniture grow mold on a timeline measured in days — clearing them fast, with an itemized receipt for the claim, beats preserving the scene for weeks.
Two streams, two systems
| Debris | City brush week (free) | Flat-price haul |
|---|---|---|
| Tree limbs ≤8" diameter, ≤10 ft | ✅ Within your 10 cu yd monthly limit | $88/cu yd when volume or timing exceeds the program |
| Bagged leaves & small branches | ✅ Same limits | Included in yard-waste rate |
| Fence sections & posts | 🚫 Never — building materials | $120/cu yd, loaded from where they fell |
| Roofing & shingles | 🚫 Never | $120/cu yd (contractor tear-offs should be the contractor's haul) |
| Water-ruined carpet | Carpet is accepted — but weeks away | $68 rolled, gone before mold |
| Ruined furniture & mattresses | Accepted — same timing problem | Standard flat rates: sofa $126, mattress from $111 |
| Mixed storm pile | Depends what's in it | $82 / $129 / $208 by pile size |
City rules per Dallas Sanitation. After major declared storms the city sometimes announces special debris collections — check their site after a big event rather than assuming one is coming.
The insurance angle
Debris removal is commonly a covered line in property claims — which makes the paperwork the point. Every JunkRabbit pickup produces an itemized receipt: what was hauled, from where, at what flat rate. That's the document your adjuster wants, and it's automatic. (What we can't do: bill your insurer directly, or advise on your specific policy — that's between you and your adjuster.)
The timing math
Your monthly bulk week might be three weeks out; the storm didn't check the calendar. The free week is the right destination for compliant limbs that can wait at the curb legally (Thursday–Sunday before your week, not before). Everything else — the fence blocking the driveway, the carpet growing science projects, the furniture under the tarp — prices flat from a photo and leaves this week, receipt in hand.
Frequently asked questions
Will Dallas pick up storm debris for free?
The vegetative part, within the normal rules: your monthly brush-and-bulky week accepts tree limbs up to 8 inches in diameter and 10 feet long, bagged leaves and clippings, up to your 10-cubic-yard monthly limit. What the program never accepts — storm or no storm — is the man-made wreckage: fence sections and building materials, roofing and shingles, and anything a contractor's job generates. After major declared events the city sometimes announces special collections; check dallascityhall.com after a big storm rather than assuming.
Who hauls away a blown-down fence in Dallas?
Not the city — fence panels are building materials, banned from bulk collection. Flat-price hauling handles it as construction debris at $120 per cubic yard, loaded from the yard where it fell. If a contractor is rebuilding the fence, their quote should include debris; when it doesn't (or you're doing it yourself), that's the number.
What does post-storm cleanup cost in Dallas?
By what fell: yard waste beyond city limits hauls at $88 per cubic yard, construction and fencing debris at $120 per cubic yard, water-ruined rolled carpet $68, ruined furniture at standard flat rates (sofa $126, mattress from $111), mixed piles $82–$208 by size. Photo the damage and the quote prices each stream correctly.
Should I wait for insurance before removing storm debris?
Document first, remove second: photograph everything, get the adjuster's visit or your insurer's written OK, then clear. Keep our itemized receipt — debris-removal costs are commonly part of a property claim, and the receipt is the paper your adjuster wants. What you shouldn't do is let ruined wet carpet and soaked furniture sit for weeks waiting on a bulk week; mold doesn't wait for the claim.