Trade guide
Tree Service Business
The best-paying trade on this site, and the only one where a single bad cut can cost more than you made all year.
The numbers that matter
$400–$1,800 per tree. $3,500–$12,000 a year in insurance.
What you charge is not set by the height of the tree. It is set by what is underneath it and how the wood gets off the property.
The price is about the roof, not the tree
Two 60-foot oaks, same species, same town, twelve minutes apart.
The first stands in an open pasture with a gate wide enough for the chipper. You drop it in one piece, buck it, chip the brush and leave in five hours.
The second stands four feet off a hip roof, fence on one side, a neighbor's sunroom on the other.
Nothing on that tree gets dropped. Every limb gets tied off, cut and lowered on a rigging line, and the wood gets carried down a side yard 36 inches wide.
Same tree, roughly four times the money — because you are being paid to make sure nothing hits the house.
Rates at a glance
| Job | Time | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Removal, under 30 ft, open yard | 2–4 hr | $400–$700 |
| Removal, 30–50 ft, open yard | 4–6 hr | $700–$1,200 |
| Removal, 50–70 ft, some obstacles | 6–9 hr | $1,200–$1,800 |
| Removal, over 70 ft, over a structure | 1–2 days | $1,800–$3,500+ |
| Crown thinning / pruning | 2–5 hr | $350–$900 |
| Deadwooding a mature tree | 2–4 hr | $300–$650 |
| Stump grinding, per inch diameter | — | $3–$6 |
| Storm call-out, per hour | — | $225–$400 |
| Bucket truck sub, per day (your cost) | — | $500–$1,200 |
Access, disposal and the storm-rate question are covered in the pricing guide.
Two oaks, one week — Chattanooga, TN
Open pasture oak: quoted $850. Five hours, two people, chipper on site. Fuel, chipper rental and dump $215. $63 an hour per person.
Oak over the hip roof: quoted $3,200. Eleven hours across two days, three people, plus $700 for a subbed bucket truck. Costs all in $1,020. That is $2,180 net across 33 person-hours — $66 an hour per person, almost the same rate, for four times the ticket.
He says the reason out loud every time: "The price isn't the tree, it's the roof. Nothing on this one gets dropped — every piece comes down on a rope."
The insurance is the business
General liability for a solo tree operator commonly runs $3,500 to $12,000 a year.
Compare that to a window cleaner at $700 to $1,600.
The gap is not that tree work has more claims. It is that the claims are enormous.
A limb through a roof is a five-figure repair, and it happens to careful people who did nine things right and one thing fast. Workers comp for climbers is priced to match, and is one of the most expensive classes in the country.
Get the quote before you buy the saw.
What you actually need to start
- General liability with a limit that covers a rebuilt roof, not a repaired one — confirm the number.
- Workers compensation the day you put a second person on a rope, and check your state's rule for solo owners.
- A certificate of insurance you can text to a customer in under a minute.
- Two saws — a top-handle for climbing and a full-size for bucking — plus chaps, helmet, eye and ear protection.
- A climbing saddle, rope, throwline and rigging gear, replaced on schedule and not when it looks worn.
- A chipper or dump trailer, rented by the day until the work justifies owning one.
- Your state's licensing answer in writing, including whether any spraying you plan needs an applicator license.
Never take a job where you cannot say out loud where every piece is going to land. The trees that hurt people have a lean you talked yourself out of, a hollow you did not sound, or a service drop you decided was far enough away. Utility lines are not your work — that is a free call to the utility that takes about a week. Walking away from a $2,400 removal is cheaper than one claim.
The job she turned down — Asheville, NC
Storm-leaning poplar, 65 feet, hollow at the base, service drop running eight feet off the trunk. Homeowner offered $2,600 cash and wanted it gone that afternoon.
She quoted the piece she could do safely — the two limbs away from the line at $600 — and told the homeowner to call the utility for the rest.
Her deductible is $2,500 and her premium is $6,800 a year. She turned down $2,000 to protect a number four times larger.
The sentence she used: "I can take the two limbs today for $600. The trunk is hollow and it's next to a live drop — that's a utility call, and they'll do it for free."
Get the insurance quote this week
Call two agents who write tree work specifically, and ask for general liability with your actual gear list and whether you climb.
Then take your last quote and check it against the premium: how many trees does that number cost you every year?
If you do not know, you have been pricing on the tree instead of on the risk.
Common questions
How much should I charge to remove a tree?
$400 to $1,800 for most residential removals. Height matters less than what is underneath and how the wood leaves the property. Over a roof with no equipment access, $1,800 to $3,500 and up is normal because every piece comes down on a rope.
How much is insurance for a tree service?
Commonly $3,500 to $12,000 a year in general liability for a solo operator, plus one of the highest workers comp rates in the country for climbers. The driver is claim size, not claim frequency. Quote it before you buy equipment.
Do you need a license to run a tree service?
It varies more here than in any other trade. Some states license arborists, many cities require contractor registration, and applying pesticides or growth regulators needs a state applicator license nearly everywhere. ISA certification is a credential, not a license. Check your state board and city first.
What does stump grinding cost?
$3 to $6 per inch of diameter with a $125 to $200 minimum. A 24-inch stump is about $95 to $150 as an add-on while the grinder is already there, and more as a separate trip. Hauling grindings is usually extra.
How much does it cost to start a tree service?
Roughly $12,000 to $30,000 solo: two saws, climbing and rigging kit, a chipper or dump trailer, a truck to pull it, and the first insurance premium. Renting the chipper by the day is how most operators keep that number down.
Should I climb or hire a bucket truck?
Sub a bucket truck with an operator at $500 to $1,200 a day until you have work to keep one busy three days a week. Used trucks start around $25,000 and bring their own maintenance bill.
Ranges here are compiled public ranges for residential tree work as of August 2026 — a starting point, not a quote or survey result. Insurance premiums vary sharply by state, carrier, crew size, climbing exposure and claims history.