InstaBids

How do I check a tree service contractor in Florida myself?

Start by asking which tree task each bidder proposes, since DBPR lists tree trimming and removal among its examples of work that needs no state licence and treating a tree for pests is a separate scope, then use the optional county contractor searches, DBPR search and DFS coverage records that fit that task.

Source: DBPR License Assist brochure, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Florida Statutes section 482.021, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Florida Statutes section 482.071, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County contractor regulations, read 14 October 2026.
Source: DBPR Online Services search, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Florida DFS Proof of Coverage search, read 14 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 14 October 2026

A freshly pruned oak tree with branch pieces stacked at its base.

Key facts

Which public records can I look up for a tree service contractor?

Use the optional public records that fit the tree work you are hiring for: a DBPR search if a bidder says it holds a state licence, a Broward or Palm Beach county contractor search, and DFS workers' compensation records for whoever employs the crew. Note the date beside every lookup result.

Source: DBPR Online Services search, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County contractor regulations, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Florida DFS Proof of Coverage search, read 14 October 2026.

Ask each bidder to name the business that does the climbing and cutting, the business that runs any crane or bucket truck, and the business that grinds the stump, if those are different. If you look them up, each name is a separate search, and a result for one business tells you nothing about another.

InstaBids gets you competitive written quotes without calls or home visits to bid; contractors never buy leads, and there is no fee during our pilot.

Post your request

How do I read the state licence record?

Ask which tree task the bidder proposes before you open any state record. DBPR's License Assist brochure lists tree trimming and removal among its examples of work that do not require a state license, so an empty DBPR search for a trimming or removal scope is expected and is not a warning sign by itself.

Source: DBPR License Assist brochure, read 14 October 2026.

DBPR's License Assist brochure, read 14 October 2026, asks "What are examples of work that do not require a state license?" and lists "Tree trimming and removal" among its answers.

Source: DBPR License Assist brochure, read 14 October 2026.

The same brochure, written for people asking about their own licensing, adds: "However, if your county or city does not offer a specialty license, and the work you perform creates or modifies a structure, you will most likely require a state residential, building or general contractor license." Ask a separate question if your job also includes repairing a fence, deck, roof or wall that a tree damaged.

Source: DBPR License Assist brochure, read 14 October 2026.

If a bidder for that repair work gives you a state licence number, the DBPR Online Services search is where you can look it up.

Source: DBPR Online Services search, read 14 October 2026.

Treat spraying, soil drenches or trunk injections as a different scope from cutting. Section 482.021(20) of the 2026 Florida Statutes, read 14 October 2026, states: "“Ornamental” means any shrub, bush, tree or other plant used or intended for use: (a) In connection with the occupation or use of any structure; or (b) By human beings for purposes other than in an agricultural area."

Source: Florida Statutes section 482.021, read 14 October 2026.

Section 482.021(17) of the same chapter states: "“Lawn and ornamental pest control” means pest control with respect to pests of any lawn or ornamental."

Source: Florida Statutes section 482.021, read 14 October 2026.

Section 482.071(1), read the same day, states: "It is unlawful for any person to operate a pest control business that is not licensed by the department." If your request includes treating a tree for insects or disease, ask which business would do that part and get the answer on its own line item.

Source: Florida Statutes section 482.071, read 14 October 2026.

If you want to look that business up, the FDACS pest control page offers a Pest Control Database Search, which it describes as a place to "Search for licensed applicators, dealers, pest control companies, available and completed CEU classes, earned CEUs and exam scores."

Source: FDACS pest control, read 14 October 2026.

Does the county also keep a record?

Possibly, for some businesses, though a county contractor record and a local tree permit answer separate questions. If you choose to, search Broward's or Palm Beach County's contractor lookup by the company name a bidder gives you, and ask your own city or county whether a tree permit or a local business tax or registration applies.

Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Palm Beach County contractor regulations, read 14 October 2026.

Broward's contractor licence search, read 14 October 2026, opens with the instruction "Select one of the three search methods to find the Contractor Licenses", so have the business name or any card number the bidder gives you ready before you search.

Source: Broward County contractor licence search, read 14 October 2026.

A missing county result for a crew that only trims or removes trees is a question to put to the bidder, not a finding about the company. If a bidder hands you a card, note which county printed it.

How can I check workers' compensation coverage?

Ask who employs the climbers, the ground crew and any crane operator on your job, then, if you choose to, look up each employer in the DFS Proof of Coverage database. DFS calls that data "a representative reflection of selected information reported by the insurance carrier", so note the search date on your written scope.

Source: Florida DFS Proof of Coverage search, read 14 October 2026.

If a tree company tells you its workers come through an employee leasing company, the DFS Proof of Coverage page, read 14 October 2026, notes: "Coverage for client companies may not be reflected in the Proof of Coverage Database due to the lag time that may occur in reporting client company information from the employee leasing company, to the insurance company and finally to the Division." Ask for the leasing company's name so you know which business to ask.

Source: Florida DFS Proof of Coverage search, read 14 October 2026.

An owner who climbs may show you an exemption instead. The DFS exemptions page states: "Exemptions are issued to officers of a corporation and members of limited liability companies - not to the business." Keep that person's name with the exemption, and treat the people on the ground crew as a separate question.

Source: Florida DFS workers' compensation exemptions, read 14 October 2026.

What should I ask for in writing about insurance?

Ask for a certificate of insurance only if you want one, showing your name and the job address from your written scope, from each business that will work on the trees. Treat the request as optional, and put any question about what the paper covers to its issuer rather than reading coverage into it.

Ask separately about any crane on the job: whether it comes with an operator from another company, and if so, which business name a certificate for that part would carry.

If stump grinding or a pesticide treatment is handed to a different business, ask for that name too, so each paper you collect lines up with the task listed beside it.

How do I describe the tree service job before checking anyone?

Describe each tree by its location and the work you want, such as trimming back from the roof, full removal or stump grinding, and say whether wood and branches are hauled away or left. Add photographs of each tree, including branches over the house, a fence or overhead lines, so each bidder prices the identical tree list.

Note the access a crew would have: how wide your side gate is, whether a truck or chipper can reach the tree, and what sits under the canopy, such as a pool screen, a shed or a neighbour's fence. Ask each bidder whether its plan uses climbing, a bucket truck or a crane.

Settle three choices before any bids arrive:

  1. Trimming that leaves the tree standing, or full removal.
  2. Stump left near ground level, or ground out.
  3. Wood and branches hauled away, or cut and left for you.

Photograph any power line running through or near the canopy. OSHA's pamphlet on electricity and tree care work says of itself: "This publication is intended for small business owners and front line supervisors who perform regular tree-trimming operations (i.e., operations not involving line-clearance tree trimming)."

Source: OSHA pamphlet on electricity and tree care work, read 14 October 2026.

The same pamphlet states: "Contact with electricity is one of the leading causes of death for tree care workers." Ask each bidder how it would handle the branches near that line and whether it would contact the utility first.

Source: OSHA pamphlet on electricity and tree care work, read 14 October 2026.

Ask your own city or county whether a permit applies before any removal, and ask the bidder who would apply for it if one does. Keep the answer you get with your written scope.

What should my request include?

Describe the tree work in a written scope with photographs of each tree, its trunk base, the area where cut wood would land and any lines overhead. Give trimming, removal, stump grinding and debris disposal their own lines, then ask each bidder to name what its response leaves out.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.

What should I do before I sign?

Check that your tree service agreement names each tree, a start date, a finish date, the payment schedule and who hauls off wood, branches and stump grindings. Compare the company name printed on it with any names you searched, and file your photographs with the signed copy.

Get a written change order before work goes on if the crew finds decay inside a trunk, decides a crane is needed, or proposes removing a tree you listed only for trimming. Ask too who repairs lawn, sprinkler heads or pavers damaged by equipment, and get that answer on the agreement.

Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.

InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. InstaBids is new in your area, so finding contractors can take longer, and a request may get no bids.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.

Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 14 October 2026.

Parent: InstaBids home.