Tree service contract template — liability, protected trees and cleanup
Tree work carries the highest property-damage exposure in residential trades, and some trees cannot legally be cut at all. The contract has to address both.
This is a checklist of what a tree service contract has to settle — not a ready-to-sign legal document, and not legal advice. Most states regulate home improvement contracts: required disclosures, cancellation windows, deposit limits and licence display all vary, and some trades carry extra rules. Adapt this, then have a lawyer in your state review it before you put it in front of a customer.
Download as a spreadsheet to work through, or print it to sit alongside your own agreement.
What a tree service contract has to settle
A tree service contract is primarily a liability document. The work happens above a house, and the contract should state the insurance carried, with a certificate available. Protected and ordinance-covered trees are the legal trap: many municipalities require a permit to remove a tree over a certain diameter or of certain species, and cutting first makes the invoice the least of the problem. Cleanup needs defining, because 'removal' means the tree is down to one party and the site is clear to the other.
Clauses it needs
- Parties, licence number, and insurance carried with certificate available
- Each tree identified by species, size and location
- Scope per tree: removal, reduction, deadwooding or crown lift
- Permit status for protected, heritage or ordinance-covered trees
- Stump grinding: included or excluded, with grind depth if included
- Debris: chipped, hauled, or logs left — stated per tree
- Property protection, and liability for damage to structures and lawns
- Neighbouring property: access needed, and overhang responsibility
- Emergency or storm work premium, stated before the call-out
- Utility line proximity, and who coordinates with the utility
What tree service contracts actually get argued over
- Stump assumed included in 'removal' and disputed after the crew leaves
- A protected tree cut without the permit, exposing both parties
- Lawn ruts from equipment, with no property-protection clause
- Storm premium applied without having been stated at the call
The estimate this contract is built on
A contract can only be as clear as the scope it references. BidWand drafts the itemised estimate — labour, materials, exclusions and assumptions — that the scope and exclusions clauses point at.
Draft the tree service estimate this contract references
This generates the estimate, not the contract — describe the job and you get the itemised scope to attach. No email needed to see the first one.
What you get — see the format first
A complete estimate you can send to the customer, built from the rate you enter:
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor — itemized by task | hrs | hour | your rate | — |
| Materials — with your markup applied | qty | ea / sq ft | cost + markup | — |
| Permits, disposal, access | — | — | — | — |
Plus a plain-English scope summary, assumptions (what had to be guessed), exclusions (what you are not doing — the section that prevents most change-order arguments), and a validity period. Printable, or send the link.
Every figure comes from the rate and markup you supply. We never fill in a market price for you.
Related guides
How much to charge
tree removal · gutter cleaning · bathroom remodel · exterior house painting · deck staining
Estimate templates by trade
tree service · junk removal · siding · masonry · excavation · asphalt paving · window installation · deck building
How to estimate
How to write a contractor estimate · Estimate vs quote vs bid — and which one you should send · What to include in a contractor estimate · How to price a job as a contractor · Should you charge for estimates? · How to follow up on an estimate · How to handle change orders · Estimate vs invoice: what's the difference? · How to raise your prices as a contractor