Published June 10, 2026 · Last updated June 10, 2026
General liability for tree services: what to actually check
General liability protects a tree service against third-party injury and property damage claims. For tree work, the policy's fine print matters more than its headline limit: height limitations, care-custody- control restrictions, and completed-operations terms decide whether the claims this industry actually produces are covered.
What does general liability cover for a tree service?
General liability covers third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from your operations: a falling limb that strikes a parked car, a felled section that damages a roof, a passerby injured near your work zone. It is the policy your customers and their certificates of insurance care about most.
GL is also the line your customers see: certificate requests, additional insured endorsements, and waiver-of-subrogation requirements all flow through it. A policy that can't support the endorsements your contracts demand becomes a sales problem, not just an insurance one.
Which sublimits and exclusions should a tree care company check?
Check the height limitation if any, damage to property in your care, custody, or control, products-completed operations, and any professional services exclusion that could reach advice you give about tree condition. The headline limit means little if the claim you actually have lands in a sublimit or exclusion.
This checklist is part of what we suggest every tree care company reviews at renewal — especially in a year when program structures in this industry are changing and quotes from different markets may be built on meaningfully different forms. Comparing premium without comparing wording is how companies discover exclusions at claim time.
Does GL cover damage to the tree or property I was hired to work on?
Often only partially. Standard forms restrict coverage for property in your care, custody, or control — which can describe exactly the tree, lawn, or structure you were hired to work around. Some policies buy this back with a sublimit; others exclude it. The policy wording, not the certificate, decides.
Practical example: you're removing a large oak over a client's garage. A section swings wrong and damages the garage roof. Whether that's covered cleanly, covered under a small sublimit, or excluded depends entirely on how your policy treats property you're working on. Ask the question before the job, in writing.
What limits do contracts typically require from tree services?
Commercial and municipal contracts commonly request one million dollars per occurrence and two million aggregate, with higher limits via umbrella for utility or government work. Requirements vary by contract, so read the insurance exhibit before bidding — adding limits mid-term is possible but rarely on the best terms.
If you're bidding utility, municipal, or commercial property work, bring the contract's insurance exhibit to your broker before you sign. Quoting the umbrella and endorsements you'll need is straightforward ahead of time and awkward afterward.
Related: Full coverage guide · Equipment coverage · All tree care resources