Tree trimming is one of the most hazardous landscaping services, with falling limbs, dangerous tools, unpredictable weather, and lumbering heights elevating your business’s liability risks. The good news? Understanding the most common tree service claims (and the insurance coverage designed to help) can make it easier to prepare before an accident happens.
What Are the Most Common Tree Service Claims?
Injuries and property damage top the list of tree trimming liability claims, and if you offer tree care advice or employ workers besides yourself, your business faces a wider range of liability risks.
| Common Claim | Scenario | Coverage That May Help | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Property Damage  |
A branch falls through a customer’s roof while you’re trimming a tree. |
General Liability Insurance  |
May help cover eligible property damage claims, legal defense costs, and settlements if your business is found liable. Â |
|
Vehicle Damage  |
A falling limb lands on a customer’s parked car or a neighbor’s vehicle. Â |
General Liability Insurance  |
Even carefully planned jobs can result in accidental damage. Repair costs and liability claims can add up quickly. Â |
|
Third-Party Injuries  |
A passerby is struck by flying debris, or a customer trips over branches left behind after the job. Â |
General Liability Insurance  |
May help cover eligible medical expenses, legal defense costs, and settlements resulting from third-party bodily injury claims. Â |
|
Employee Injuries  |
A crew member suffers a chainsaw injury while working. Â |
Workers Compensation  |
Designed to cover medical expenses and lost wages for employees injured on the job. Required by law in most states if you have employees. Â |
|
Equipment Theft or Damage |
Wood chippers, chainsaws, or pruners are stolen from a locked trailer or damaged while traveling between jobs. Â |
Tools & Equipment (Inland Marine) Â |
Can help cover eligible repair or replacement costs for insured business equipment. Â |
|
Professional Mistakes  |
You remove the wrong tree or incorrectly assess a tree’s condition, resulting in financial loss or property damage. Â |
Professional Liability Insurance  |
Built to help protect your business against claims alleging negligence, errors, or faulty professional advice. Â |
|
Completed Work Claims  |
Weeks after finishing a job, a limb you failed to remove weakens and falls, damaging the customer’s shed. Â |
Products & Completed Operations (part of General Liability) Â |
Liability doesn’t always end when the job does. This coverage is designed to respond to covered incidents that occur after completed work. Â |
|
Legal Defense Costs |
A customer files a lawsuit after an accident — even if you believe you weren’t at fault.  |
General Liability or Professional Liability (depending on the claim) Â |
Eligible legal defense costs can be significant, even if your business ultimately isn’t found liable. |
It’s one thing to go out on a limb — it’s another to do it uninsured. The right tree service insurance can keep your business grounded, even when the unexpected happens.
Common Tree Service Property Damage Claims
Falling branches cause some of the biggest headaches for tree trimmers. Even the most experienced crew can have a rotten limb come crashing down at the wrong time and place — like onto a client’s roof or vehicle.
Property damage claims can even extend to the tree you’re trimming. You may have permission from your client to prune a tree without realizing it’s not really their tree to have trimmed — like this tree work lawsuit in California, where a company was hired to remove a tree that straddled property lines, and the neighbor sued them.
General liability insurance can help cover expenses related to third-party property damage, like repairing a dented car or a dinged roof. It can also cover attorney and court fees if you get named in a lawsuit for property damage, regardless of whether you’re found at fault.
Common Third-Party Injury Tree Work Claims
With unpredictable work sites, falling branches, and dangerous equipment, the risk of a client or passerby getting hurt during tree trimming is very real. Injuries can happen even after work is done, if someone trips over a discarded branch or a hidden hanging limb falls at an inopportune time.
General liability coverage is designed to pay for medical bills to patch up your client (and your relationship with them). This coverage can also cover attorney and court fees if an injured client ends up suing you.
On-The-Job Tree Service Injuries
Heights, sharp tools, and dangerous equipment are everyday hazards in the landscaping industry. Workers comp coverage is designed to help take care of your employees if they’re injured on the job.
Workers compensation insurance is essential — and legally required in nearly every state.
This coverage can protect your business from expensive medical bills and lawsuits that may arise from workplace injuries.
Theft and Damage to Tree Service Equipment
Your tools and equipment are essential to your business — and they’re expensive to repair or replace. Tools and equipment coverage (Inland Marine Insurance) is built to protect your gear against theft and damage, so one accident doesn’t throw a wrench in your work.
If your chainsaw and woodchipper are damaged in a car accident on the way to a job, or your pruners are stolen from your locked trailer, this optional coverage can help cover repair or replacement costs.
Pro Tip: Learn more about the differences between general liability vs. lawn care equipment insurance — and what each covers.
Professional Mistakes and Poor Advice
It can happen: you or your workers could make a mistake and cut the wrong tree on a client’s property or trim too much, like in this New York tree service lawsuit, where a tree trimming service was sued for damaging a tree by pruning too close to the trunk.
Clients rely on your expertise about the health of their trees. If their trees get sick or damaged, and they blame you for giving bad advice, professional liability insurance can help cover damages and defense costs.
Pro Tip: Our tree service guide and checklist help you determine which type of tree service policy you need, what each additional coverage covers, and how to be ready for the next job that comes your way.
What Tree Service Insurance Doesn’t Cover
Understanding what insurance doesn’t cover is just as important as knowing what it does. Certain situations are rarely covered by general liability insurance. For example:
- Intentional damage: Liability insurance is designed for accidental incidents, not intentional acts or deliberate property damage.
- Expected or intended injuries: Coverage generally doesn’t apply to injuries you intentionally cause.
- Employee injuries: General liability doesn’t cover employee injuries; they are generally handled by workers compensation.
- Normal wear and tear: Insurance isn’t meant to pay for routine maintenance, aging equipment, or gradual deterioration.
- Tree work above certain heights: Some policies may exclude tree work above certain heights or done with elevated equipment.
- Damage to your own tools and equipment: General liability doesn’t usually cover your business equipment. Tools and Equipment (Inland Marine) coverage is typically needed for theft or damage to insured tools.
- Damage to your own vehicles: Company trucks and trailers are generally covered under commercial auto insurance, not general liability.
- Work outside your policy’s scope: If you perform services your policy specifically excludes, related claims may not be covered.
- Certain utility or power line work: Tree work involving energized power lines may require specialized training and may be excluded under some policies.
- Contractual liability beyond your legal responsibility: Agreeing in a contract to assume someone else’s liability may not be covered unless specifically provided for in the policy.
Make sure you’re familiar with your policy’s list of exclusions, so you’re never surprised by a denied claim.
Tree Service Risk Management Checklist
General liability insurance is your safety net when things go south, but making some simple risk management measures a part of your routine can go a long way in preventing accidents. Consider adding this pre-job checklist to your toolbox.
- Inspect the property before work begins
- Confirm the scope of work with the customer
- Mark hazards and establish drop zones
- Inspect ropes, rigging, and equipment
- Monitor weather conditions
- Protect nearby property
- Keep job sites free of debris
- Train employees regularly
- Document every job with photos
- Verify subcontractor insurance
- Follow industry safety standards
- Carry the right insurance coverage
At least once a year, or when you begin offering new services to clients, review your insurance policy to ensure you have the right coverage for the work you provide.
How Much Does Tree Service Insurance Cost?
Tree service insurance starts at just $31 per month or $336 per year at Insurance Canopy. Factors that affect pricing include your business size, location, claims history, annual revenue, optional coverages, getting bonded to fulfill contract requirements, and other considerations.
Pro Tip: Want more details on what to expect with tree service insurance premiums? Learn more about the cost of tree service insurance, and get a free quote today.
Why Insurance Canopy for the Best Tree Service Insurance?
If you’re shopping around for tree service insurance, this quick comparison of the best tree service liability insurance providers can help you determine which fits your needs best. Insurance Canopy leads the list for its balance of low cost, flexible additional coverages, and solid protection.
Insurance Canopy’s perks include:
- Lowest starting cost with up to 12% savings for annual payments
- Instant certificate of insurance (COI)
- Online purchase in under 10 minutes
- Optional tools and equipment coverage
- Easy to add additional insureds to meet client requirements
- Licensed, U.S.-based agents available to help
FAQs About Tree Service Liability Insurance Claims
What Happens If a Branch or Limb Falls on a Customer’s Car?
General liability insurance is designed to help in instances of third-party damage, like a limb falling onto a client’s car or roof. You or your customer may file a claim with your general liability insurance provider to cover the cost of repair or replacement.
Who Is Responsible If Someone Trips Over Branches or Debris Left Behind by a Tree Service Crew?
You can be held liable if someone trips over branches or debris left behind at a jobsite. General liability insurance can help cover medical bills if a client or passerby gets hurt due to your work, and it can pay defense costs if you get sued over the injury.
What Kind of Insurance Helps If a Crew Member Gets Hurt During Tree Work?
Workers compensation is designed to help cover medical expenses and lost wages for employees. It’s no-fault insurance, meaning your crew member can get necessary medical care covered even if they’re partially responsible for an injury.
Workers compensation insurance is legally required in nearly every state if you have employees.
Can a Tree Service Business Be Sued Even If the Damage Was Accidental?
Yes, a tree service business can be sued even if the damage or injury was accidental. Fortunately, general liability insurance can help cover the costs of medical bills, damages, and attorney fees, regardless of whether you’re found liable in court.
What Should I Do Right After a Tree Work Accident or Claim Happens?
If a tree work accident happens, stop work immediately, call 911 or seek medical attention right away if someone is injured, and secure the area to prevent further damage or injury. Document what happened, and notify the owner if there is property damage. Avoid admitting fault or promising to pay for damages before the situation has been investigated. Contact your insurance provider as soon as possible, and cooperate with them as they investigate the claim.
