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Construction & Trades
Insurance for the limb that swings wrong, the chipper in the yard and the crew in the canopy.
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An arborist in Canada needs commercial general liability that covers tree removal, climbing and rigging, because a dropped limb or a felled tree on a house, car or person is the core claim. Add tools and equipment cover for saws, chippers, stump grinders and aerial lifts, commercial auto for trucks and bucket trucks, and workers' compensation for employees. Confirm that work near power lines and crane lifts is declared on the policy.
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Tree care is one of the most closely underwritten trades. A dropped limb through a roof, a felled tree on a fence line or a boom against a service wire becomes a general liability claim, and saws, chippers, grinders and bucket trucks need tools and equipment and commercial auto cover that matches what they are worth.
We place arborists with insurers that write tree removal, and we price your controls: ISA and trade certification, rigging practice, locates before stump grinding, and how you handle cranes and power lines. We also sort out the WSIB position for owners and crews. See the construction and contractors guide for the sector view, and our landscaper page if you offer both.
Tree care combines height, cutting tools, heavy loads and other people's property in one job. A crew may climb over a house, lower a limb past a hydro service line, feed a chipper beside a busy road and grind a stump next to a gas line, all before lunch. Insurers see one mistake as a roof, a car, a fence or a person.
That is why many insurers will not write tree removal at all, and those that do want detail. They ask what share of your work is removals versus pruning and plant health care, how high you climb, whether you use cranes or aerial lifts, how close you work to power lines, and what training your crew holds. The more precisely you answer, the better the price. Tree care sits inside our construction and contractors sector, but its rating questions are its own.
A tree care program usually has five or six parts. General liability carries the largest risk. Equipment cover is the second biggest line, because tree gear is expensive and travels every day.
| Coverage | What it answers | Points to check |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial general liability (CGL) | A limb or tree damages a house, vehicle, fence or person; a client's lawn is torn up by equipment | No exclusion for tree removal or height; rigging and crane work declared; see commercial general liability |
| Tools and equipment floater | Theft or damage to saws, climbing gear, chippers, stump grinders and mini loaders | Scheduled values, theft from vehicles, rented equipment; see tools and equipment |
| Commercial auto | Chip trucks, bucket trucks and towed chippers on the road | Every trailer and towed unit declared; boom use on site rated; see commercial auto |
| Employers' liability | A worker or a subcontractor's worker sues for an injury not barred by workers' compensation | Contingent or full extension; see employer liability |
| Pollution liability | Hydraulic oil leaks, fuel spills or herbicide drift | Needed if you apply pesticides; often narrow or excluded on a CGL |
| Umbrella | Large contracts and catastrophic losses | Sits above CGL, auto and employers' liability |
Damage to the tree you are working on is usually not covered by a CGL. Standard wordings exclude property in your care, custody or control and the particular part of property you are working on. Damage to everything else the tree hits is the CGL's core job.
The scenarios below are hypothetical, but they reflect the losses underwriters ask about on tree care applications.
| Hypothetical scenario | What went wrong | Policy that responds |
|---|---|---|
| A rigged limb swings into a client's sunroom and shatters the glass | Property damage during removal | CGL |
| A felled spruce lands on the neighbour's garage | Property damage to a third party | CGL |
| Chips from a chipper strike a passing pedestrian | Bodily injury to the public | CGL |
| A stump grinder cuts a buried cable line | Damage to utility property | CGL, provided locates were obtained |
| A bucket truck's boom strikes an overhead service drop | Property damage and possible injury | CGL or auto, depending on the wording and whether the truck is treated as an automobile or mobile equipment |
| A chipper is stolen from the yard over a long weekend | Theft of owned equipment | Tools and equipment floater |
| A crane hired by the arborist drops a log onto a driveway | Property damage during a lift | The crane company's insurance and yours, depending on the rental contract |
There is no general licence to prune or remove trees in Canada, but certification matters to clients, municipalities and underwriters. Two credentials come up most often.
Certifications do not replace insurance, but they move the price. Tell us who on your crew holds what, and when each expires.
In Ontario, Schedule 1 of O. Reg. 175/98 lists tree trimming, tree surgery, tree removal and orchard pruning in Class M, services to buildings, dwellings and open spaces, except tree work on a power line right-of-way. That matters because the WSIB's mandatory coverage for owners and independent operators applies to construction work. A tree care owner outside construction is not covered for their own injury unless they buy optional insurance from the WSIB.
Employees are different. The WSIB requires most businesses with employees to register within 10 calendar days of hiring the first worker, and seasonal or storm-response crews count. Commercial clients and municipalities often ask for a clearance certificate before work starts, so keep your account in good standing. Outside Ontario, each provincial board sets its own rules. Our post WSIB is not enough explains why a registered contractor still needs employers' liability.
Pesticide applicators have one more rule. If you hold an Ontario operator's licence, O. Reg. 63/09 requires $1 million of employers' liability unless you are a WSIB Schedule 1 or 2 employer paying your premiums, plus $2 million of general liability and $1 million of pollution liability.
These three exposures produce the largest tree care losses, and each needs to be declared.
Municipal, utility, property management and general contractor clients rarely let a tree crew on site without paperwork. Having it ready wins work.
After an ice storm or windstorm, demand for tree removal jumps overnight. That is when crews take on hazardous leaners, trees resting on houses and work beside downed lines. It is also when subcontractors with no insurance turn up.
Before storm season, tell us whether you take emergency work, whether you bring in extra crews, and whether you work for insurers' adjusters or restoration firms. If you plow snow in winter, declare it separately; see our snow removal guide. Many tree companies also offer landscaping, covered in our landscaper guide.
Tree care premiums vary widely because the work varies widely. Underwriters build the price from these factors.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Removals vs pruning and plant health care | Removals carry the most property damage risk; plant health care the least |
| Maximum working height and climbing | Higher work and climbing removals are rated above ground-based pruning |
| Crane and aerial lift use | Crane-assisted removals and owned booms add both liability and equipment exposure |
| Work near power lines | Utility line clearance is a specialized class with its own appetite |
| Revenue, payroll and crew size | The rating base for CGL and employers' liability |
| Residential vs commercial and municipal | Contract limits and indemnities differ |
| Equipment values and vehicles | Chippers, grinders and trucks are scheduled and priced separately |
| Certification and claims history | ISA or trade-certified staff and a clean record improve the rate |
Not every insurer that writes lawn care will write tree removal, so the first quote is rarely the best one. Comparing the insurers with a real appetite for tree work, and showing them your controls, is where the savings are.
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This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Coverage depends on your policy wording and the insurer. Speak with a licensed broker about your situation.
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