Hiring someone to work on your trees isn’t like hiring a painter. When a tree job goes wrong, it goes wrong fast — a limb through the roof, a crushed fence, a trench across the lawn, or a worker who gets badly hurt in your yard.
Most tree companies around southeast Wisconsin are honest people who do good work. But there’s no state license for tree service in Wisconsin, so anyone with a chainsaw and a pickup can knock on your door. After every big storm, new “tree crews” show up that nobody has heard of before.
This checklist walks you through what to ask for, what to look for on a quote, and which red flags mean you should keep looking. Use it with any company you’re considering — including us.
Why Picking the Right Tree Crew Matters
Tree work is some of the most dangerous work there is. Crews handle chainsaws high off the ground, lower limbs that weigh hundreds of pounds, and fell trees next to houses and power lines. A mistake doesn’t just cost the company. It can cost you:
- Property damage to your house, garage, car, fence, or a neighbor’s property
- Injury claims if an uninsured worker gets hurt on your land
- A dead or damaged tree from bad pruning that looked fine on day one
- A half-finished job with brush piles and a stump left behind
A little checking up front protects you from all four.
Step 1: Ask for a Certificate of Insurance
This is the most important item on the list. Before any work starts, ask every company for a certificate of insurance showing two kinds of coverage.
Liability Insurance Protects Your Property
General liability insurance pays for damage the company causes to your property or someone else’s. If a limb swings the wrong way and goes through your roof, their liability policy should pay for the repair — not your homeowners insurance.
Workers’ Comp Protects You From an Injured Worker’s Bills
Workers’ compensation pays medical bills and lost wages when an employee gets hurt on the job. If a tree company doesn’t carry it and a worker falls from your tree, that worker may look to you and your homeowners policy to cover the cost. That’s a risk no homeowner should take on to save a few dollars.
How to Check a Certificate Yourself
A certificate is only useful if it’s real and current. Here’s how to check it:
- Look at the dates. The policy should be active on the day the work is done.
- Match the name. The business name on the certificate should match the company on your quote.
- Check for both policies. Liability and workers’ comp should each be listed.
- Call the insurance agent. The agent’s phone number is on the certificate. A quick call confirms the policy is active.
- Ask for it before the work starts, not after.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) gives the same advice after storms: always ask for a copy of the contractor’s liability insurance certificate. A good company will send one without hesitation. When one of our customers asked Tanner for proof of insurance, he showed it.
Step 2: Check for an ISA Certified Arborist
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) runs the best-known certification program for tree care workers. To earn the ISA Certified Arborist credential, a person needs years of tree care experience or related schooling, must pass a thorough exam, and has to keep up with continuing education to stay certified.
An ISA Certified Arborist has shown they understand how trees grow, how to prune without hurting them, how to spot disease and decay, and how to work safely. Not everyone on a crew needs to be certified, but having one on staff means someone with real training is making the calls about your trees.
How to Verify ISA Certification Online
Don’t just take someone’s word for it. The ISA keeps a public directory where you can verify an arborist’s credential. Search by the person’s name or certificate number to see if their certification is current.
A Note on “Licensed” in Wisconsin
You’ll see some companies advertise as “licensed.” In Wisconsin, there is no state license for tree trimming or tree removal, so that word doesn’t tell you much. The main exception is pesticide work. Anyone applying insecticides for hire — such as treatments for emerald ash borer — must be certified through DATCP. Focus on insurance and ISA certification instead.
Step 3: Get a Written Quote From Each Company
A handshake and a number said out loud isn’t a quote. DATCP recommends getting every promise in writing, including exactly what work will be done and when. A good tree quote spells out the details so there are no surprises when the crew packs up.
What a Good Tree Quote Should Say
| Item | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Scope of work | Which trees, and exactly what’s being done — removal, trimming, deadwood only, crown thinning |
| Cleanup | Whether brush is chipped and hauled, and whether the yard will be raked or blown clean |
| Wood | Whether logs are hauled away, left in rounds, or cut to firewood length |
| Stump | Whether stump grinding is included, how deep, and what happens to the grindings |
| Access and lawn protection | How equipment gets to the tree, and what’s done to protect lawns, driveways, and gardens |
| Timing | A start date or window, and roughly how long the job will take |
| Price and payment | Total price, any deposit, and when final payment is due |
| Company info | Business name, phone number, and who to call with questions |
When you compare quotes, make sure they cover the same work. A quote that’s much cheaper than the rest often leaves out cleanup, stump grinding, or wood removal — or leaves out insurance.
For a sense of typical costs in our area, see our tree service pricing page.
Step 4: Ask These Questions Before You Sign
A good company will be glad to answer every one of these:
- Can you send me your certificate of insurance? Liability and workers’ comp.
- Is there an ISA Certified Arborist on your team? Will they look at my trees?
- Who will be doing the work? Your own crew, or someone you hire?
- How will you take this tree down? Climbing, aerial lift, or cranes and loaders.
- What equipment will be on my property? And where will it drive?
- What happens if something gets damaged? Who do I call?
- Is cleanup included? What will my yard look like when you leave?
- Do I need a permit? Some towns have rules for trees on the terrace or right-of-way, which usually belong to the village or city.
- Can I read some of your reviews? Where can I find them?
- When do you expect payment? And how can I pay?
Also ask yourself one question: Did they explain things clearly and without pressure? The best tree crews are happy to tell you when a tree doesn’t need work at all.
Red Flags That Should Make You Walk Away
Some warning signs are easy to miss when a tree is leaning on your garage and you just want it gone. Watch for these.
Door-Knockers After a Storm
The ISA warns against people who go door-to-door offering bargain tree work. After storms, DATCP has seen out-of-town crews knock on doors, promise that insurance will cover everything, then hand homeowners huge bills and threaten a lien if they don’t pay. A real local company is easy to find, call back, and check up on.
Cash-Only Deals and Big Deposits
Be wary of anyone who only takes cash, won’t give a receipt, or wants a large payment before any work begins. Once the money is gone, you have little leverage if the crew never comes back. Pay the balance when the job is done and you’ve walked the yard.
Offers to Top Your Trees
“Topping” means cutting the top off a tree or chopping big limbs back to stubs. It’s sometimes sold as a way to make a tree “safer.” It does the opposite. Topped trees sprout clumps of weak new shoots that break easily, and the big stubs often rot. Any crew that recommends topping doesn’t know good tree care. Our tree trimming page explains what proper pruning looks like instead.
Climbing Spikes on a Tree Being Pruned
Climbing spikes (also called spurs or gaffs) are sharp metal points strapped to a climber’s boots. They’re fine on a tree that’s being cut down. On a tree being pruned and kept, every step punches a wound in the bark that can let in decay. The ISA says spikes shouldn’t be used on trees that are being trimmed and saved.
No Paperwork, No Address, No Reviews
If a company won’t put the price in writing, has no local phone number, has no reviews, or can’t show insurance, move on. It’s not worth the risk.
Why Storms Bring Out Fly-by-Night Crews
Big storms create a rush of work all at once. After summer thunderstorms, heavy spring snow, or a tornado like the one that hit Mayville, homeowners need help fast, and every local tree company gets busy. That’s exactly when fly-by-night crews move in.
These storm chasers know you’re stressed and want the tree gone today. They may:
- Knock on doors in the hardest-hit neighborhoods
- Push you to sign on the spot before you can call anyone else
- Promise to cover your insurance deductible — which Wisconsin law doesn’t allow contractors to do
- Talk to your insurance company for you without your permission
- Take a deposit and disappear, or do rushed work that causes more damage
Wisconsin’s storm chaser law gives homeowners some protection. Contractors can’t promise to pay any part of your deductible, and if your insurer denies the claim, you have three business days to cancel the contract. If you think you’ve been targeted, you can report it to DATCP’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 422-7128.
The best defense is simple: have a tree company in mind before the storm hits. If a tree lands on your house, you’ll already know who to call. Our guide to what to do when a tree falls on your property walks you through the first steps, and our emergency tree service line is answered 24 hours a day.
The Tree Service Hiring Checklist
Print this out or save it on your phone. Check off each item before you hire:
- Liability insurance certificate
- Workers’ comp certificate
- Current policy dates
- ISA Certified Arborist credential
- Verified ISA certificate number
- Detailed written quote
- Cleanup and wood details
- Stump grinding terms
- Lawn and driveway protection
- Clear payment schedule
- Local phone number
- Real customer reviews
- No topping recommendations
- No spikes on pruned trees
How Alpha Tree Service Stacks Up
We wrote this checklist because we’d rather you hire a good tree company than a cheap bad one — even if it isn’t us. Here’s how we answer it:
- Fully insured. We carry liability and workers’ comp, and we’ll show you proof before any work starts.
- ISA Certified Arborist on staff. Someone with real training looks at your trees and makes the calls.
- Written quotes. We spell out the work, cleanup, wood, and stump so you know exactly what you’re getting.
- Local since 2020. We’re based in Belgium and work across Ozaukee, Washington, and Sheboygan counties.
- Real reviews. We have a 5.0-star rating from 24 Google reviews. You can read our reviews word for word.
- Honest advice. We’ve told customers a tree was healthy and didn’t need to come down. We’d rather lose a job than sell one you don’t need.
- Open 24 hours. When a storm hits, you can reach us for tree removal and cleanup day or night.
Want to learn more about who you’d be hiring? Read about Tanner and the Alpha crew, or call us with your questions. We’re happy to go through every line of this checklist with you.
