Storm Tree Cleanup in Ocean County: Who Hauls What After a Storm

Published October 19, 2026 · Ocean County Tree Service

First: what's dangerous, and whose job it is

• Anything touching a wire belongs to the electric utility. Stay at least 30 feet away and report it (JCP&L serves most of Ocean County; Atlantic City Electric serves the southern end, including Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton). Tree crews can't safely work near energized lines until the utility has made them safe.
• A tree on the house, a car or blocking your only exit is an emergency removal. See emergency tree service.
• Trees and limbs blocking a street are usually cleared by the town's public works or the county road department.
• Everything on your own lot is generally yours to clear, whether you do it yourself, use town pickup for small brush, or hire a tree company.

Before anything is moved, photograph the damage for insurance. Our storm damage and insurance guide covers claims, and who pays when a neighbor's tree falls covers the neighbor question.

What Toms River picks up

Per Toms River's leaf and brush page, the township runs seasonal curbside pickup of shrub and tree trimmings. In fall 2026 it ran October 12–23. The rules: branches under 4 inches in diameter, cut to 4 feet or less, under 50 pounds, and not bagged or tied. Year-round, residents can drop brush at the Recycling Convenience Center at 1672 Church Road. The township also says it won't take very large volumes (Toms River's bulk collection page) and points larger debris loads to private haulers or the Ocean County Landfill on Route 70 in Manchester. A whole fallen oak or pine is well beyond curbside limits.

What Brick picks up

Brick Public Works collects brush curbside by appointment: call to schedule, with a limit of 12 brush, metal or bulk pickups per household per year. Trimmings must be cut to 4 feet or less and tied in bundles no more than 2 feet thick (Brick Code § 390-43), and brush can't go in the automated cans. Residents can also take brush to the township Recycling Center at 836 Ridge Road with proof of residency. The center doesn't accept loads from tree services or landscapers, which go to the Ocean County facility on New Hampshire Avenue in Lakewood. After big storms, Brick has sometimes announced extra brush collection, so check the township's notices.

Other towns

Every Ocean County town handles brush a little differently, and storm pickups get announced after the fact. Check your town's public works page or app before you drag branches to the curb, and never pile brush in the street or over a storm drain.

When to hire a tree company instead

• Trunks or limbs bigger than about 4 inches, which is more than town pickup takes.
• Anything still hanging in a tree ("hangers") or a tree split or leaning toward the house.
• Uprooted trees, where the root plate can snap back upright when the trunk is cut.
• Anything you'd need a chainsaw above shoulder height or a ladder for. Storm cleanup is when most chainsaw injuries happen.

A company can cut, chip and haul everything at once, and grind the stump later (see stump grinding). Ask whether hauling and cleanup are in the price. Local pages: emergency tree removal in Toms River, storm cleanup in Lakewood, Brick.

More from the blog

• Nor'easter tree checklist
• Best time to remove or trim trees
• When a neighbor's tree falls
• Spongy moth and your oaks
• How to check a tree company's license
• Pinelands tree clearing rules
• Stump grinding cost in Toms River
• All posts

Cost and permit guides

• Tree Removal Cost
• Stump Grinding Cost
• Tree Trimming Cost
• Storm Damage & Insurance
• Tree Permits by Town
• Dead Pine Trees
• Storm-Proofing Trees
• Hazard Tree Assessment
• Dying Ash & Oak Trees

Sources are linked in the text and can change. This is general information, not legal, insurance or professional advice. Free referral service, not a tree company. Your request goes to one independent local tree company, which may pay us for the referral.