How to Verify a Tree Service Is Actually Insured (Before They Touch Your Trees)

How to Verify a Tree Service Is Actually Insured (Before They Touch Your Trees)

The only reliable way to verify a tree service is insured is to request a certificate of insurance (COI) sent directly from the company's insurance agent, then confirm four things: active policy dates, a business name that matches the company you hired, general liability coverage, and workers compensation coverage. In Texas, that last one matters more than most homeowners realize, because Texas is the only state in the country where private employers are not required to carry workers comp at all.

Why Tree Work Is Different From Other Home Services

Tree care consistently ranks among the most dangerous jobs in America. Crews run chainsaws at height, rig thousand pound sections of wood over rooflines, and work around power lines. Insurance carriers price that risk accordingly. Tree work falls under NCCI class code 0106, one of the most expensive workers comp classifications in the country, commonly running 8 to 15 dollars per 100 dollars of payroll. A crew that only mows lawns pays a small fraction of that for the same coverage.

That cost gap is exactly why some tree crews skip coverage entirely, or buy a cheaper landscaping policy that does not actually cover climbing and tree removal. When one bid comes in dramatically below everyone else, insurance is very often the corner being cut. The savings are real, and so is the risk being transferred to you.

The Two Policies That Matter, and Why One Is Not Enough

When a tree company says "we're fully insured," that phrase can mean two very different things, so it helps to know both coverages by name.

General liability insurance protects your property. If a limb goes through your roof, a fence gets crushed, or a truck backs into your garage door, general liability is the policy that pays. For a professional tree company, 1 million dollars per occurrence is the standard baseline.

Workers compensation insurance protects the people doing the work, and by extension it protects you. If a crew member is seriously injured on your property and the company has no workers comp, those medical bills and lost wages have to come from somewhere. Injury attorneys look for every available source of recovery, and the property where the injury happened is on that list. Most homeowner policies specifically limit or exclude injuries to workers you hired.

Here is the catch: general liability is relatively affordable, while workers comp for tree work is expensive. Many crews carry the first and skip the second, then honestly tell you they are "insured." Always ask about both coverages separately.

Texas Homeowners Have More at Risk Than Most

Texas is the only state where private employers can legally operate without workers compensation coverage. Companies that opt out are called non-subscribers, and it is completely legal. That means "licensed and insured" on a yard sign tells you nothing about whether the crew climbing your live oak is covered if something goes wrong.

It is also worth knowing that Texas has no state license for tree work. Anyone with a chainsaw and a trailer can legally call themselves a tree service tomorrow. The credentials that actually mean something are voluntary ones: ISA Certified Arborist credentials, TRAQ qualification for risk assessment, and verifiable insurance. You can confirm any arborist's certification directly through the International Society of Arboriculture, and you can confirm an insurance carrier is licensed through the Texas Department of Insurance.

How to Verify a Tree Service Is Insured: 5 Steps

This takes about ten minutes, and a reputable company will be glad you asked.

1. Request a certificate of insurance sent directly from the company's agent. Not a photocopy from the truck. Photocopies can be expired, altered, or belong to a policy that was canceled after the first payment. When the agent emails the COI to you directly, you know it reflects a policy that is active today.

2. Check the named insured. The business name on the certificate should exactly match the name on your written quote. A certificate in a different name, or an individual's name, is a warning sign.

3. Confirm the policy dates. Coverage should be active through the date of your job, not just the date of the estimate.

4. Confirm both coverages appear. Look for a general liability section with per occurrence limits, and a separate workers compensation section. If the workers comp box is empty, you have your answer.

5. Ask one direct question: does your workers comp policy cover tree work specifically? Some budget policies are written under landscaping classifications or exclude work above a certain height. A policy like that can fall apart exactly when it is needed most, and the classification issue usually surfaces only after a claim. A company that knows its coverage will answer this in one sentence.

If asking feels awkward, remember that a company asking you to trust them with chainsaws over your roof should be happy to prove they have protected you. We would rather answer these questions on every single estimate than have a homeowner learn the difference the hard way.

Red Flags That a Crew Is Not Really Covered

A few patterns come up again and again with uninsured or underinsured crews. They stall or refuse when you ask for a certificate of insurance. They say "we're bonded" and change the subject, which is not the same thing as insured. Their quote is dramatically below every other bid. They want cash only with no written contract. Or they cannot name their insurance agent when asked. None of these alone proves anything, but two or more together is a strong signal to keep looking.

How Tree Scouts Handles Insurance

Since this article asks you to verify every company, it is only fair we go first. Tree Scouts carries general liability coverage at 1 million dollars per occurrence and 2 million dollars aggregate, commercial auto coverage on our trucks, and workers compensation insurance with 2 million dollars in employer's liability coverage for our crew. Our agent will send a current certificate of insurance to any homeowner before any job, no questions asked. Just ask when you get your quote.

That is part of the Scouts Honor Promise: we act in your best interest, and we leave you more informed than we found you. It is the same reason our team invests in ISA Certified Arborist credentials instead of just chainsaws.

The Ten Minute Rule

Whether you hire us or anyone else, spend the ten minutes. Get the certificate from the agent, check the name and the dates, and confirm workers comp is on it. Trees are heavy, gravity is undefeated, and the cheapest bid in the stack is rarely cheap once something goes wrong.

If you are getting quotes for tree trimming or removal anywhere in Georgetown, Leander, Austin, Lakeway or the surrounding Central Texas Hill Country, we are happy to be one of them and to hand over our paperwork first. See what our 400 plus five star reviews say, then call 512-265-0861 or request a free estimate.

‍