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Is my tree service quote complete?

A complete tree service quote names each tree by location, species and height, says whether it is trimmed, crown-reduced or removed, and covers stump grinding, wood and debris disposal, equipment access, cleanup and your payment schedule, plus the work, materials, completion date and price the FTC says a written estimate should include.

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

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

Wood chips and cut log rounds beside a wheelbarrow at the edge of a lawn.

Key facts

What should a written tree service quote list?

Ask for a written tree service quote that identifies every tree by where it stands, its species and rough height, states whether each one is pruned, crown-reduced or taken to the ground, and says how stumps, logs, branches and grinding chips leave your yard, with a start date and finish date.

The FTC's home improvement guidance, read 14 October 2026, says: "A written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price." Start from those four elements, then put the tree-by-tree questions below to each bidder.

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

  1. Trees: Which trees are in the job, identified by position in the yard, species if known and rough height, and which nearby trees are expressly left alone?
  2. Work type: For each tree, is the job a light trim, deadwood removal, a crown reduction, raising the canopy over a roof or driveway, or full removal?
  3. Cuts: Which limbs come off, and does the quote describe how much canopy remains in words you can check once the crew has gone?
  4. Stumps: Is stump grinding included for each removed tree, to what depth below grade, and are exposed surface roots ground as well?
  5. Wood and brush: Are logs hauled away, or cut to a stated length and stacked on site, and who removes branches, leaves and grinding chips?
  6. Equipment and access: Will the crew climb, use a bucket truck or set up a crane, where does that equipment stand, and how does it reach a back yard?

Ask about any limb that touches or hangs over an overhead power or service line. Request that the quote say whether that limb is included or excluded, and if excluded, who the bidder expects to deal with it, such as your electric utility, so neither side assumes the other will clear it.

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Which items are often left out?

Check your tree service quote for possible gaps such as stump grinding depth, surface roots, grinding-chip disposal, log haul-away, ruts left by heavy equipment, broken sprinkler heads, and cleanup of the roof, gutters and pool. Raise each one as a question, and have every answer added to the written quote.

Ask the bidder to write down anything it promised when you spoke, such as which tree stays or where firewood is stacked. The FTC's guidance, read 14 October 2026, lists under "Before you sign a contract, make sure it includes" the item "any promises made during conversations or calls related to issues such as the scope of work and the cost of labor and materials".

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

Ask what happens to the hole after stump grinding. Find out whether the chips stay as a mound, are hauled away, or are replaced with soil or sod, and get the chosen option written as its own line item. Ask too whether grinding stops at the stump or follows roots toward a slab, path or pool deck.

Ask how the crew keeps heavy equipment and falling wood off your lawn, driveway, roof, fence and pool enclosure. Does the quote mention ground mats or plywood under wheels and outriggers, lowering limbs on ropes over a roof rather than dropping them, and who repairs ruts, cracked pavers or broken sprinkler heads if they happen?

If a bidder proposes treating a stump, a tree or the soil with any product, ask for that treatment as a separate line naming the product and who applies it, so it is not folded into the trimming or removal work.

What should the payment terms say?

Check whether your tree service payment schedule follows the work you can see in the yard: trees felled, stumps ground, then logs, brush and chips carted off, with the closing payment after a walk-through. Ask how a change order for an extra tree or limb gets approved in writing first.

The FTC's home improvement guidance, read 14 October 2026, advises: "Don’t pay the full amount for the project up front."

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

The same FTC guidance adds: "And never make the final payment until the work is done and you’re satisfied with it."

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

Ask the bidder to show removal, stump grinding and haul-away as separate lines in the payment schedule. A stage that slips, such as grinding put off by wet ground, is then easy to see against what you have already paid.

Does the quote say who pulls the permit?

Ask who checks with your town or county about a tree removal permit, if one applies, who arranges any inspection or sign-off, and which business name the tree work is done under. Get the answer into the written quote, rather than leaving it to a later conversation on the day the crew arrives.

On state licensing, the Florida DBPR License Assist brochure, read 14 October 2026, lists "Tree trimming and removal" under the question "What are examples of work that do not require a state license?" Any public-record lookup you choose to make about a bidder is optional.

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

What should my request include?

Describe each tree in one written scope by where it stands, its species if you know it, and whether you want it trimmed or removed, then add a photograph of each tree from the ground, its base, any limbs over the roof or lines, and the route a truck would take.

Note what you want done with stumps, logs and chips, and mention gate widths, slopes, septic areas or soft ground the equipment would have to cross.

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

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

How can I compare it with other written quotes?

Compare tree service quotes tree by tree: which trees each bidder includes and whether each is trimmed or removed, then stump grinding depth, chip and log disposal, equipment access, cleanup and the finish date. Where a bid departs from your written scope, get the reason in writing before you pick one.

  1. Same trees: Does each quote name the same trees by location, or has one bidder dropped a tree or added one you did not ask for?
  2. Pruning or removal: Does each quote describe the same cuts, or does one propose removal where another proposes a crown reduction?
  3. Stumps: Does each quote grind the same stumps to a stated depth, and say what happens to the chips?
  4. Wood: Does each quote haul the logs and brush away, or leave some on your property?
  5. Dates: Does each quote give a start date and a finish date, and what happens if weather pushes the work back?

The FTC's guidance, read 14 October 2026, lists under "Before you sign a contract, make sure it includes" the item "an estimated start and completion date".

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

When a bidder suggests removing a tree you asked to have trimmed, or a deeper grind, record it as an alternative next to your original line instead of swapping it in. If a bidder points out a tree you missed, add it to the written scope and send the revised version to every bidder, so each response still covers the same trees.

When you request competing written responses, send every bidder that same written scope, with the tree list, stump answers and disposal answers in it.

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Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 14 October 2026.

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