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How many tree service bids should I compare?

Get more than one written tree service estimate, the same habit FTC home improvement advice recommends when hiring a contractor, and compare them on one written scope that names each tree, trimming or removal, stump grinding, wood and debris disposal, crew access and any nearby power lines, rather than chasing a set number of responses.

Source: FTC home improvement hiring guidance, read 14 October 2026.

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

Tall palms and a large shade tree spreading over a roofline.

Key facts

Why do bids for one job differ?

Compare tree service bids job by job, because two companies can quote different work for the same tree: a crown thinned or a tree taken down, a stump left standing or ground out, wood left in rounds or hauled away, and a climber or a crane doing the work. Each choice changes the written scope.

Ask each bidder whether its bid covers only trimming or removal or adds other tree work, such as cabling a split trunk or bracing a weak limb, and list any added work as its own line item so you compare the same job.

Ask how each crew plans to reach the tree: where the chipper parks, whether equipment crosses your lawn or driveway, and whether limbs are lowered on ropes over a roof or fence. Ask who repairs any ruts.

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.

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When is a comparison less useful?

Check with your own city or county whether a permit applies to the tree before you collect more tree service bids. Another estimate cannot answer that question, and a removal bid for a tree you are not able to take down leaves you with a written scope you cannot use.

Ask each bidder in writing who will apply for any permit your city or county names.

If a tree on your list may be a mangrove, set it aside from an ordinary trimming comparison. Section 403.9325(3) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "“Mangrove” means any specimen of the species Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove), Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove), or Avicennia germinans (black mangrove)."

Source: Florida Statutes section 403.9325, read 14 October 2026.

Section 403.9324(1) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "Sections 403.9321-403.9333 and any lawful regulations adopted by a local government that receives a delegation of the department’s authority to administer and enforce the regulation of mangroves as provided by this section shall be the sole regulations in this state for the trimming and alteration of mangroves on privately or publicly owned lands." Ask the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, or your city or county, which office handles mangrove trimming at your address.

Source: Florida Statutes section 403.9324, read 14 October 2026.

How can I ask several companies the same questions?

Use one numbered tree list for every company: mark each tree on a yard photograph and say whether you want trimming, removal or stump grinding, where the wood goes, and which roofs, fences or overhead lines sit nearby. Every bid then answers your list instead of a list the crew guessed.

  1. Trimming: say which limbs come off or how much clearance you want from the roof, instead of leaving the amount to each crew.
  2. Removal: say whether the trunk is cut to ground level and whether logs stay for you or leave the property.
  3. Stump: say whether you want it ground, and whether the grindings stay, fill the hole or get hauled away.
  4. Cleanup: say who rakes leaves and small debris out of beds, gutters and the lawn before the crew leaves.

A stump grinder works below the soil line. Section 556.102(6) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "“Excavate” or “excavation” means any manmade cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the earth’s surface, formed by removal of earth, intended to change the grade or level of land, or intended to penetrate or disturb the surface of the earth, including land beneath the waters of the state, as defined in s. 373.019(22), and the term includes pipe bursting and directional drilling or boring from one point to another point beneath the surface of the earth, or other trenchless technologies." Ask each company whether it treats stump grinding at your address as excavation under that definition, and who will request utility marks before any grinding starts.

Source: Florida Statutes section 556.102, read 14 October 2026.

Should I ask whether a quotation has a charge?

Ask before anyone climbs whether the walk-through to look at your trees is part of the company's estimate or a separate booked service, and whether a written report on a tree's condition is extra work. Get the answer in writing so an assessment stays apart from trimming or removal you have not chosen.

Keep a condition report and the tree work on separate lines. If only one bid includes a report, the two bids describe different jobs.

What should my request include?

Describe your tree job with photographs of each whole tree from two sides, the trunk base, nearby roofs, fences and overhead lines, and the path from the street, plus a written scope listing trimming or removal, stump grinding, wood and debris disposal and any access limits.

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 when written bids arrive?

Compare written tree service bids against your numbered tree list first: match each tree, the trimming or removal named, the stump work and the disposal of wood and debris, then check the start date and the access route each crew described. A bid that leaves stump or disposal blank is incomplete, so ask before choosing.

OSHA's tree care hazards page says: "Many hazards in the tree care industry are potentially fatal. Overhead power lines, falling branches, and faulty safety equipment are just a few of the dangers." If any tree on your list grows near an overhead line, ask each company in writing how it will work near that line and whether your electric utility needs to be contacted first.

Source: OSHA tree care hazards and solutions, read 14 October 2026.

The FTC's home improvement advice says: "A written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price." For a tree job, ask each company to describe its work tree by tree and to give you a completion date.

Source: FTC home improvement hiring guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Treat disposal as the deciding line. Two bids that trim the same trees can still differ on whether logs, brush and grindings leave your property, so return your numbered list to any company whose bid is silent there and ask for a corrected written bid.

Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.

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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.